FYC Critics Choice Young Performers Awards
Friday, December 3, 2021 at 5:20PM by Nathaniel R
Saniyya Sidney as "Venus Williams" in King Richard
Each year the Critics Choice votes on a category that doesn't get a lot of press or campaigning: Best Young Actor/Actress. Without constant discussion (as with other acting categories) I've noticed critics default to whatever movie is popular that happens to have a major role for a child. Which is why, say, Belfast's Jude Hill could easily be in contention. But, generally speaking, there are better performances out there than whichever one happens to be most visible in this particular category in any given year. (Same goes for famous adult movie stars in the regular categories, come to think of it). So each year we try to help by listing eligible performers in this "Young Performer" category which requires a bit of research since the actors often aren't famous (yet) and the attention is usually directed at their adult co-stars...
Though we personally believe the category should be "Under 18" for all sorts of reasons (it's so weird to have children competing with adults like when the erotic drama Blue is the Warmest Colour won this category -eek!). In fact, this year we could easily end up with most of the nominees being adults since 18-21 year olds are still technically eligible. Here's the eligible list (if we forgot anyone we'll edit). Which young performers do you feel are most deserving this year?
GIRLS
Adèle Guigue as "Alexia (7 years old)" in Titane
Elena Plonka as "Benedetta (child)" in Benedetta
Sydney Kowalske (9) as "Jessie LeBlanc" in Blue Bayou
Violet McGraw (10) as "Young Yelena" in Black Widow
Tippert Seifer-Cleveland (?) as "Estella (12 Years)" in Cruella
Skye Dakota Turner (12) as "Young Aretha" in Respect
Ever Anderson (14) as "Young Natasha" in Black Widow
Demi Singleton (14) as "Serena Williams" in King Richard
Saniyya Sidney (15) as "Venus Williams" in King Richard
McKenna Grace (15) as "Phoebe" in Ghostbusters Afterlife
Lia McHugh (16) as "Sprite" in Eternals
Millicent Simmonds (18) as "Regan Abbott" in A Quiet Place Part II - two previous nominations here
Emilia Jones (19) as "Ruby Rossi" in CODA - Just won the Gotham Breakthrough Award
Rachel Zegler (20) as "Maria" in West Side Story - Just won the NBR
BOYS
Aditya Geddada (9) as "Bobby" in Encounter
Freddie Spry (10) as "Harry" in Spencer
Daniel Ranieri (?) as "Young JR" in Tender Bar
Ethan Barrett (?) as "Junior" in Passing
Jude Hill (11) as "Buddy" in Belfast
Lucian-River Chauhan (11) as "Jay Khan" in Encounter
Reyn Doi (12) as "Yoyo" in Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar
Jack Nielen (12) as "William" in Spencer
Woody Norman (12) as "Jesse" in C'mon C'mon
Jayden Zhang (12) as "Young Shang-Chi" in Shang-Chi
Justus Davis Graham (?) as "Ted" in Passing
Logan Kim (14) as "Podcast" in Ghostbusters Afterlife
Finn Little (15) as "Connor" in Those Who Wish Me Dead
Gregory Diaz IV (16) as "Sonny" in In the Heights
Noah Jupe (16) as "Marcus" in A Quiet Place Part 2 -one previous nod
Noah Jupe (16) as "Matthew" in No Sudden Move - one previous nod
Arnold Sun (16) as "Teen Shang-Chi" in Shang-Chi
Patrick Higgins (18) as "Baby John" in West Side Story
Cooper Hoffman (18) as "Gary Valentine" in Licorice Pizza - Just won NBR breakthrough
Gavin Lewis (18) as “Wyatt” in Old Henry
Finn Wolfhard (18) as "Trevor" in Ghostbusters Afterlife
ALL TIME CATEGORY LEADERS
While this category has only been in its current form since 2009, it has been through multiple iterations giving it a 25 year history (for four years it was split into two categories by gender, so we had double the amount of nominees from 2004-2007). In that 25 year history to date there are only two multiple winners: Dakota Fanning (5 noms and 2 wins: I Am Sam, War of the Worlds, Man on Fire, The Secret Life of Bees, and Charlotte's Web), and Freddie Highmore (4 noms and 2 wins: Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, A Good Year, August Rush). Both have long since aged out of the category but are still famous working actors.
MULTIPLE NOMINEES
Here is the alphabetical list of the only other mulitple nominees in the category: Cameron Bright (2 nominations), Abigail Breslin (2 noms / 1 win), Asa Butterfeld (2 nominations) Elle Fanning (3 nominations), Thomasin McKenzie (2 nominations), Chloe Moretz (2 nominations), Haley Joel Osment (2 noms / 1 win), Daniel Radcliffe (4 nominations), Saoirse Ronan (3 noms / 1 win), Millicent Simmonds (2 nominations), Kodi Smith-McPhee (2 nominations) who is now 25 and could be up for Best Supporting Actor for Power of the Dog this season, Hailee Steinfeld (2 noms / 1 win), Jacob Tremblay (2 noms/1 win), Quvenzhané Wallis (2 noms / 1 win), and Emma Watson (2 nominations).
Reader Comments (11)
Gavin Lewis (18) as “Wyatt” in Old Henry
Saniyya Sidney or we riot.
Is Petite Maman ineligible?
I do think Saniyya Sidney was exceptional.
Jules -- good question. I dont actually know. It's played at some festivals but i dont know if it was actually released in the US.
Oh, man. Reyn Doi in Barb & Star was hilarious. Fingers crossed for him, but since that movie's not a Serious Drama, I don't have high hopes.
Emilia Jones, Saniyya Sidney, Woody Norman, Jude Hill, and one of the major players from a BP contender.
Thank you for making this list each year.
I admire your habitual hard work in helping us look further and see more and appreciate many varieties of artistry, not just with young performers, but with the adult categories as well.
I have seen very few of the young performers, but I was very impressed with Woody Norman in director Mike Mills’ “C’mon C’mon”. I was extremely surprised to learn he was a young British professional actor, not an American serendipitous find. (He’d done an American accent before, for another film. It’s one of his professional skills).
I really loved his rapport with Joaquin Phoenix. For me, it was like I could see the young boy in Joaquin again, the boy in “Parenthood”, the exasperating brother in “Inventing the Abbotts”. It was reassuring to see he is still in touch with his whole self (after playing some tortured parts).
Phoenix was skeptical that Mills could find a boy that could play all the complexities of Mills’ script. Having been a child actor himself, he knew how hard this was. And then they met Woody Norman.
Reyn Doi was cool. Plus, how can you not love a young Asian kid singing Barbra Streisand on a bicycle to open the film?
I'm also rooting for Violet McGraw, Ever Anderson, Lia McHugh, Jayden Zhang, and Adele Guigue to get some props. Thank goodness no is nominating Ben Platt. Ugh..
Jules & NATHANIEL R -- Apparently, it's getting an awards qualifying run.
Here's a David Ehrlich tweet about it: https://twitter.com/davidehrlich/status/1466571872913571842
Also the two boys who play Riz Ahmed’s sons in Encounter. One’s eleven, the other nine. The older one is nominated for a BIFA in Supporting.
I think Zegler 's got this in the bag at Critics Choice.