Born in '91 Fun. Who will get an Oscar nomination first?
Thursday, July 16, 2020 at 8:21AM
NATHANIEL R in Anthony Ramos, Austin Butler, Ben Hardy, Danielle MacDonald, Dylan O'Brien, Joe Alwyn, Lakeith Stanfield, Mena Massoud, O'Shea Jackson Jr, Park So-Dam, Zazie Beetz, casting

by Nathaniel R

It occurred to us this morning, since we're celebrating 1991 this month, that no one born in 1991 has yet been nominated for an acting Oscar! Which begs the question: who will be first among them? The following actors are all turning 30 next year and the early 30s is a GREAT time for movie star ascendancy if you have the skill and magnetism and also happen to get the opportunities and have some good luck (three of the four are required!). We narrowed it down to a dozen options for you (in random order) though of course the first to get there could be someone we haven't even heard of yet getting a late start. Make your case for which of these actors it'll be in the comments...

JOE ALWYN (The Favourite, Harriet, Mary Queen of Scots)
While he's currently arguably more famous as Taylor Swift's boyfriend, he's done a lot of good film work already with major directors. He has the chops. Now will he get the showcase prestige parts to win Oscar's love? Or is he too pretty and they'll make him wait until he's older to take him seriously.  Up next: The romantic drama Last Letter From Your Lover, and an acclaimed indie's sequel The Souvenir: Part II,  

ZAZIE BEETZ (Atlanta, Deadpool, Joker)
Hollywood is clearly interested at the moment... but what kinds of roles will she be offered post-Joker juggernaut. Up next: the Sundance hit Nine Days, and a journalism drama about a missing African-American girl called Still Here.  

LAKEITH STANFIELD (Get Out, Sorry To Bother You, The Photograph)
He gets a lot of movie work and more than nails it each time -- we're proud to have been a fan from the very beginning (we nominated him for Best Supporting Actor right here at The Film Experience for his film debut in Short Term 12), so it feels like only a matter of time. On the other hand movie careers are difficult to maintain and you never know what's going to happen. Especially when so many actors suddenly veer to TV. Up next a supporting role in a 1970s biopic about Fred Hampton and the Black Panthers.

SHAILENE WOODLEY (Big Little Lies, Endings Beginnings
She surely came close to an Oscar nomination as a teenager with The Descendants but her headlining career at the movies has been fairly quiet post double 2014 blockbusters (Fault in Our Stars, Divergent). Does she need another breakout supporting part to shake things up? Up next: two features in post-production the thriller Prisoner 760 and the romantic drama Last Letter From Your Lover

AUSTIN BUTLER (Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, The Dead Don't Die)
Quite honestly we did not expect him to become a headliner after having the misfortune of watching a few episodes of The Shanarra Chronicles back in 2016 but actors in bad projects sometimes prove that it was the project not them. He was eye-catching in Hollywood and if he dazzles in Baz Lurhmann's Elvis biopic (he's playing Elvis!) the sky is the limit.

O'SHEA JACKSON JR (Straight Outta Compton, Ingrid Goes West, Just Mercy)
We think he was pretty damn great in his first couple of years onscreen so the film career seems to be slow to build considering. But you never know. Up next the TV sports drama Swagger. 

MENA MASSOUD (Aladdin, Reprisal)
Given what we've seen from his Aladdin nemesis Marwen Kenzari AFTER that Disney blockbuster we shouldn't hold that movie against him (Kenzari was unimpressive in that, too, and now look at him!). Perhaps Massoud has untapped range and will get another break soon? He's stated in interviews that he hasn't had offers. Perhaps it's just terrible timing since that was just last year and Hollywood fell apart promptly thereafter due to COVID-19.

DANIELLE MACDONALD (Dumplin', Unbelievable)
She's been popping up everywhere since her Patti Cake$ breakout and in all kinds of genres. She has range and casting directors obviously like her. Next up a supporting role in the Pfeiffer film French Exit. It's a weird little role and the potential for scene-stealing is there, so who knows?!

ANTHONY RAMOS (A Star is Born, Hamilton)
He's getting a lot of attention for his 2015/2016 performance in Hamilton right about now via Disney+ but the true test comes next summer when he headlines the film adaptation of Tony winning musical In the Heights

BEN HARDY (East Enders, 6 Underground, Bohemian Rhapsody
He looks much younger than his years and so far he's mostly been used for his impressive body (X-Men Apocalypse) or deployed quite randomly (Bohemian) but his unexpectedly charismatic supporting work in Mary Shelley and the usual stage and UK training bodes well for his longevity we think. Up next the thriller Voyeurs and the comedy Pixie. 

DYLAN O'BRIEN (Maze Runner)
He was the most successful alum of Teen Wolf with his own franchise and a few side projects. Can he expand his career and range outside of just these genre and franchise pictures? He has three films in post: the thriller The Education of Fredrik Fitzell, the action comedy Monster Problems, and the sci-fi drama Infinite from director Antoine Fuqua.

PARK SO-DAM (Parasite)
It's hard to tell with breakout international actors if a) another subtitled feature of theirs will get attention and b) if they even want attention outside of stardom at home. 

So... care to do any guess work about their futures? 

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).
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