Exciting 30 Year-Old Actors, An Armchair Casting Director's List
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 2:57PM A special Top Ten today, derived from an aborted or perhaps delayed larger project -- you just never know. - Editor
Though we usually discuss actresses we like to keep you on your toes with a curveball now and then, so today: actors entering the prime male casting range! The thirtysomething years tend to be where men in showbiz can make their major marks and become respected actors / huge stars. Yes, there are actors that get really famous as young as actresses do (DiCaprio, Chalamet, etc) but they're the exception rather than the rule. These men were all born in 1988 so they just turned 30 (or will in the next handful of weeks). Which of them do you think will have an amazing decade of screen work ahead? And which, if any, do you think we'll still be talking about in 2028? (In an alternate life I was a casting director so I love concocting these survey lists.)
TEN EXCITING 30 YEAR-OLD ACTORS
Okay, eleven. We're bad at math
How talented is the '88 vintage? Time, talent, commitment, luck, and opportunities will tell but these men were selected due to work we've seen or hunches about their potential. But take this with a grain of salt because there are literally thousands of actors all over the world who could rise up quickly if the right opportunity / exposure happens. They're listed in alphabetical order...
Jonathan Bailey
Bailey has been a professional actor since he was 9 years old (a turn as Gavroche on stage in Les Miz!) and has been working in BBC television for a long time in series like Leonardo (where he played the young DaVinci) and Broadchurch (he was Olly Stevens) but we first fell hard for him two years ago as the obnoxious but irresistible bisexual Sam on Phoebe Waller-Bridge's short series Crashing. Since then it's been mostly stage work and TV guest appearances. He can sing, too! He recently did The Last Five Years in London (one of our all time favorite musicals - his audition tape is above) and he's currently in the West End production of Stephen Sondheim's Company as Jamie (the revival with the genders reversed... so we take it that the song is now "Multitudes of Amy Jamie"?). You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Roland Buck III
The Chicago born actor has played "Noah Sexton" for the past three seasons on Chicago Med and People Magazine named him "One to Watch." You might have also caught him in the miniseries The Long Road Home as a smartass soldier. There's an innate sweetness to his acting even when he's playing not-so-sweet roles like a guest spot on the web series Shitty Boyfriends that sets him apart and suggests he might excel at romantic comedy, if given the chance. He acts on stage, too. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
John Early
He's one of American's funniest actors, as evident on Search Party and Wet Hot American Summer and in stand-up routines but he's also got heart for dramedies. See his soulful honest take on the best friend in that moving Molly Shannon/Jesse Plemons movie Other People. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Cody Fern
Cody Fern might be Australia's next gargantuan star. He was already winning fans before Ryan Murphy got a hold of him for a recurring part in The Assassination of Gianni Versace (which he aced) and now he's all the talk of American Horror Story: Apocalypse playing the Antichrist. Next he'll be a regular on the final season of House of Cards. So TV has him booked up for the next year. Will the big screen come calling thereafter? You can follow him on Instagram.
Jakub Gierszal
This Polish actor first came to attention in his home country in his early twenties for a leading role in Suicide Room after which he was named "Shooting Star" of 2012 at A-list festival Berlinale. He's been up for Best Actor twice in his home country's awards (Suicide Room, 2011 and Fastest, 2017). Though he's had a few films with international profiles (Dracula Untold, The Lure, Morris From America) he's currently mostly working in Polish cinema, like his resourceful supporting role in Poland's 2017's Oscar submission, the animal rights thriller Spoor.
Gideon Glick
Glick has, to date, had most of his success on the stage where he originated roles in Spring Awakening, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, and Significant Other. But he hasn't only been on stage. He's had two series regular gigs on TV (the shortlived shows Devious Maids and It Could Be Worse) and small roles in movies like Oceans 8 and that star-heavy Sharon Stone / Christopher Walken comedy Gods Behaving Badly (2013) that somehow never got released. There's no reason why Hollywood shouldn't look at him quickly given the success of recent movie musicals and his natural fit within the genre. Not that he only does musicals. Next up a high profile Broadway show, playing Dill opposite Jeff Daniels in Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Corey Hawkins
Hawkins rose to fame so quickly! After a few small roles on TV and in film, he headlined the huge hit Straight Outta Compton (2015) before joining the cast of TV's very popular Walking Dead for six episodes. He was rewarded with a lead gig on 24: Legacy (cancelled after one season) and then a Tony nomination on Broadway for Six Degrees of Separation. If all that weren't enough in just a few years to see a big future, he somehow also gave the best performance of his career to date in the space of just two scenes in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman. He played charismatic activist Kwame Ture who holds an entire room (and quite a few movie theaters) in rapt attention as he speaks.
Daniel K Isaac
His claim to fame currently is three seasons as buttoned-up "Ben Kim," a rising star in the firm of Showtime's Billions. But it's his off-series work that proves he has the hustle for the tough business that acting is. He never stops working whether it's short films, developing his own dramedy show about his experiences as the gay son of a conservative mother, appearing in Off Broadway plays (we recently caught him as William Inge in The Gentleman Caller), commercials, one episode TV gigs, you name it. With Hollywood FINALLY realizing that diverse casting is profitable, we assume/hope a lot of currently working actors of color will be able to capitalize on new opportunities since they already have their foot in the door. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Jesse Plemons
Plemons has yet to win many major showbiz awards but they're 100% coming. He's already been up for two Emmys (Black Mirror and Fargo) in the past three years, been part of a SAG Ensemble-winning show (Breaking Bad) and received a Critics Choice prize (Fargo). After rising to fame on the dearly beloved series Friday Night Lights, he somehow managed to have the (second) best career of the many young careers that show helped launch. Plemons is the kind of character actor people love to praise (think a Philip Seymour Hoffman or a Christoph Waltz type) and he's definitely been testing his range lately (Game Night, Other People, Black Mirror). Next up: a very full plate including Vice for Adam McKay, The Irishman for Martin Scorsese, and The Bell Jar to be directed by his partner of two years Kirsten Dunst.
Glen Powell
Powell's clean-cut dimpled Americana has already proven a valuable assett when used earnestly (Hidden Figures, 2016) or less innocently (Scream Queens). The fun he's having with his roles is contagious. He was just perfect as the mustachioed baseball player in Everybody Wants Some!! (2016). Next up is Top Gun: Maverick (2020) and we're really hoping they cast him as Iceman's (Val Kilmer) son in that. Because couldn't you totally see that? You can follow him on Instagram.
Chris Sheffield
We've been waiting for this Texan to break out since seeing his stand-out performance as the most sensitive and moral member of the male ensemble drama The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015). He was also in the first Maze Runner movie but we lost track of him during his series regular gigs on shows we didn't watch (Aquarius and The Last Ship). Next up is The Fosters spinoff series Good Trouble but we hope he's not stuck in recurring character land because there's more promise than that. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
Other Freshly 30 Actors to Watch
Some of these guys we're either less familiar with OR not quite as enamored of (yet). Thoughts? If you've followed their careers, do share your feelings.
Adam Aalderks (Ballers)
Josh Bowman (Revenge, Time After Time)
Alistair Brammer (War Horse, Casualty, Les Miserables)
Nicolas Braun (Succession, How to be Single)
Roland Buck III (Chicago Med, The Long Road Home)
Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, Green Room)
Trevor Einhorn (The Magicians, Mad Men)
Colton Haynes (Arrow, American Horror Story)
Zarif Kabier (Jack Ryan)
Alexander Koch (Under the Dome, Always Shine)
Kenny Lin (Detective Dee, The Great Wall)
Nathan Parsons (The Originals, Bunheads, Once Upon a Time)
Mark Rendall (Versailles, Transporter)
Evan Ross (Star, Wicked City)
Robert Sheehan (Umbrella Academy, Genius)
Demetrius Shipp Jr (All Eyez on Me)
Kim Soo-hyun (Moon that Embraces the Sun, Real)
Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey, Eragon)
Max Thieriot (Seal Team, Bates Motel)
Jack Whitehall (Bounty Hunters, Nutcracker and the Four Realms)
Chase Williamson (I Ship It, Video Game High School)
Former Child/Teen Stars Who Just Turned 3-0
Their task now is to convince everyone we haven't seen their full bag of tricks yet.
Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Juno, etcetera)
Rupert Grint (The Harry Potter franchise)
Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense)
Gave It Up To Move Behind the Camera!
Brady Corbet quit acting abruptly in 2014, despite having been a ubiquitous face in indie and auteurist fare, and has become a filmmaker with The Childhood of a Leader (2015) and Vox Lux (2018) already under his belt.
Reader Comments (26)
I think Plemons and Corbet are here to stay, for sure, and I have high hopes for a number of the others, including Fern. I'm not actually sure if Powell can act because I am, admittedly, blinded by the deeply shameful crush I have on him, but I look forward to watching him continue to do just whatever it is he does.
Also did anyone else read "Okay, eleven" as Kameron Michaels as Cher?
One day I'll have my breakthrough. Only if I wasn't so ugly, LOL... ;_;
I recognized the first guy from a lot of British TV shows. Last time I saw him was in Chewing Gum. And I'll never forget he was in one of the mosr politically incorrect scenes with Michaela Cole (and that's saying something for this terrific show). Geez, that woman is beyond hilarious.
Now that you mention it, Jesse Plemons is a dead ringer for a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman; I can't believe I never noticed it before.
You're really thirsty lately.
From your extra list, Joe Cole is excellent in the Black Mirror episode ‘Hang the DJ’ and could be a major star. Robert Sheehan had a major breakout on the UK show ‘Misfits’, and has circled big screen success for a while (just missing a role in X-Men: First Class, having supporting roles in a number of would-be franchise starters). If he brings as much personality and charisma to a high profile role as he did to Misfits, he could be a major star.
I had no idea I shared a birth year with so many up-and-coming actors! Of those named in the first list, I'm familiar with and have enjoyed work by Glen Powell, Jesse Plemons, Corey Hawkins, Cody Fern, and John Early.
Brady Corbet was always interesting to watch, I know he switched his focus to directing but I didn't know he quit acting all together. Such a shame if true.
Jesse Plemons is here to stay. He's talented and he's gotten so many roles it's hard to imagine he doesn't have the connections to have a lasting career.
Regarding Gideon Glick, To Kill a Mockingbird has cast all the child characters as adults? That's so weird!
Plemons is the only i've heard of,he was great in Other People with Molly Shannon
Fern was in multiple episodes of "Versace." Should have
won the Emmy too.
I’be got a crush on Glen Powell too.
But my biggest “born in 1988” crush is on Robert Fairchild. He danced the Gene Kelly role in the Broadway/ West End production of “An American in Paris”. Dancing, singing, acting, and completely winning everyone over.
Fairchild has the grace of Fred Astaire and the deceptively easy “I’m just like you” acting style of a young James Garner. What a find! I’ll go see anything he’s in, so cast him already.
@Me34- I'm sure you're a handsome devil.
Cody Fern has got the whole Lestat/Dorian Gray thing going as AHS's Michael Langdon.
I had a class with John Early and with Gideon Glick in college. They were chill and John Early was just as funny and charismatic in person as he is in his work today. Good for them!
Um I also randomly had a class with Isabella Rossellini, and obviously I sat next to her every day she was there and took every opportunity to discuss class readings with her. No one else had the balls to do that but being the actressexual that I am, it felt like my responsibility to film gays everywhere.
TBH I think Cody Fern is miscast in American Horror Story -- there's just something that's not the least bit menacing about him -- although he was great as a deer-in-the-headlights victim in American Crime Story.
Daniel K Isaac is great. I remember a hilarious short film (or pilot?) he did about his homophobic religious mother.
Plemons can be scary as fudge, and would be perfect as a young Brett Kavanaugh.
Cody Fern was in several episodes, not just one, in American Crime Story, but I do agree with you Nat that he aced it.
I wanna add Max Irons to the list, but I'm not sure how old he is and I'm too lazy to google.
Plemons was very funny and creepy in "Game Night"
I can't believe you didn't mention SET IT UP when you wrote about Glen Powell.
The Netflix film is a sweet rom-com and he is adorable in it! He has great chemistry with Zoey Deutch and Lucy Liu and Taye Diggs are a lot of fun in it too.
I’m a gigantic fan of Brady Corbet, both before and behind the camera, so I hope he keeps working for ages. Fern was outstanding on Versace. And Glick is extremely talented, but I’d expect his career will focus on stage work.
I’ll be curious to see what happens to Powell and Early. Both are quite gifted and I’ve liked them both a lot in multiple roles. But I’m less confident about them continuing to get the kinds of roles they’ve been getting across the next decade.
Nathaniel, I have even more respect for you with this post. Your knowledge is just amazing. Now if you have time, could you please revisit some exciting 30 year-old actors in 1980s, I would like to know who they were in your opinion and see if how many of them still working right now.
Glen Powell was HILARIOUS on Scream Queens as a parody of a frat boy born on third base. Chad Radwell 4eva!!
Cody Fern won me over ever since I saw him in American Crime Story. He's robbed of a freaking Emmy (nomination AND win). Will watch him as his career goes boom.
Gideon Glick gave one of the best performances I have ever seen in Significant Other on Broadway. He should have won the Tony and it is a travesty he wasn't even nominated. I will be a fan forever.
Hold up! You guys never talked about P W-B's Crashing before, have you? I've been following Jonathan Bailey for a while. He was also a dick-wad to Hugh Skinner's adorable Will on W1A for the love of Izzy. (would love to see Company in the West End; Emma Rice is a genius)
Love this list because I haven't been interested in many older male actors' performances these days, so these fresh faces are something to look forward to.
I don’t think Chalamet is really famous in any way. One Oscar nomination does not grant that kind of fame. And if you have heard him talking, like, you know, his expiration date is quickly approaching in my opinion.
Cody Fern not nominated for Versace was ludicrous. Just his chilling reaction to the murder of FInn Witrock's character was Emmy win worthy.
It's fascinating to see which actors have risen and which have remained in relative obscurity. You were absolutely right about Bailey, Plemons, and Powell. Hawkins was one of the few things that worked in THE COLOR PURPLE, so I wish him all the best.