TheWrap looks at 15 of Hollywood’s up and coming actors, from indie stars to Tupac’s doppelganger.
Ruth Negga, “Loving”
Age: 34
Why She Looks Familiar: She played an Inhuman on ABC’s “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and Dominic Cooper‘s gun-toting ex on AMC’s “Preacher.”
Why She’s About to Break Out: Negga has earned wide acclaim for her role in this fall’s “Loving” as a black woman illegally married to a white man in mid-20th-century Virginia.
Nate Parker,
“The Birth of a Nation”
Age: 36
Why He Looks Familiar: He romanced Gugu Mbatha Raw in last year’s underrated “Beyond the Lights.”
Why He’s About to Break Out: Parker directed and stars in “The Birth of a Nation,” the biopic of slave-turned-revolutionary Nat Turner that won instant acclaim and a record sale price when it premiered at Sundance in January.
Alison Sudol, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Age: 31
Why She Looks Familiar: She played archaeologist Emma Wilson in the TV series “Dig.”
Why She’s About to Break Out:
Sudol is probably better known for her music than her acting, but having a major role in the Harry Potter spinoff film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” could soon make her as big as Emma Watson.
Riz Ahmed, “Rogue One”
Age: 33
Why He Looks Familiar: He played Aaron Kalloor in the latest “Jason Bourne” film and currently stars in the HBO series “The Night Of.”
Why He’s About to Break Out: Ahmed plays an ex-Imperial pilot who joins the rebels in the eagerly awaited “Star Wars” spinoff “Rogue One.”
Zoey Deutch, “Why Him?”
Age: 21
Why She Looks Familiar: She played a rebellious daughter on CW’s “The Ringer” and starred alongside Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in “Dirty Grandpa.”
Why She’s About to Break Out: Deutch will have a leading role opposite James Franco and Bryan Cranston in the holiday comedy “Why Him?”
Demetrius Shipp Jr., “All Eyez on Me”
Age: 27
Why He Looks Familiar: He’s a spitting image of Tupac Shakur — but this is his film debut.
Why He’s About to Break Out: Although his part in “All Eyez On Me” is his first major role, no one plays Tupac and gets ignored.
Haley Bennett, “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Girl on the Train”
Age: 28
Why She Looks Familiar: She played the pop diva in Drew Barrymore‘s “Music & Lyrics” and starred opposite Denzel Washington in “The Equalizer.”
Why She’s About to Break Out:
Bennett reteams with Washington in the Western remake “The Magnificent Seven,” then has a crucial role in the thriller “The Girl on the Train.”
Joe Alwyn, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk”
Age: 25
Why He Looks Familiar: He probably doesn’t — this is his first feature.
Why He’s About to Break Out: Alwyn has the title role in Ang Lee’s new drama, which is based on Ben Fountain’s best-selling novel about a teenage Iraq war hero. He’ll also be starring alongside Kristen Stewart, Vin Diesel, Steve Martin and Chris Tucker.
Ella Purnell, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”
Age: 19
Why She Looks Familiar: She played the teenage version of Angelina Jolie‘s character in “Maleficent.”
Why She’s About to Break Out:
Given Tim Burton‘s reputation for giving a strange unforgettable twist to characters, Purnell’s major role in will be the perfect launching pad.
Lewis MacDougall, “A Monster Calls”
Age: 14
Why He Looks Familiar: He had a supporting role in “Pan.”
Why He’s About to Break Out: MacDougall has significant screen time as a boy coping with his single mom’s terminal illness by seeking out a tree-dwelling monster (voiced by Liam Neeson).
Sasha Lane, “American Honey”
Age: 20
Why She Looks Familiar: She probably doesn’t. This is her first film.
Why She’s About to Break Out: She won wide acclaim in Cannes for her performance as a hard-partying teen opposite Shia LaBeouf in Andrea Arnold‘s indie that won the Prix du Jury award.
Benedict Wong
Age: 45
Why He Looks Familiar: You’ve seen Wong in multiple films, but he may be best known as Kublai Khan in the Netflix series “Marco Polo.”
Why He’s About to Break Out: He has a high-profile role as Wong, a sidekick to Benedict Cumberbatch‘s powerful title character in the new Marvel adventure.
Alex Wolff, “Coming Through the Rye” and “Patriots Day”
Age: 18
Why He Looks Familiar: He co-starred with his older brother, Nat, on Nickelodeon’s “Naked Brothers Band.”
Why He’s About to Break Out: He plays a J.D. Salinger-obsessed teenager in the indie “Coming Through the Rye,” then tackles one of the year’s most challenging roles: Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in Peter Berg‘s “Patriots Day,” alongside Mark Wahlberg.
Valorie Curry, “Blair Witch” and “American Pastoral”
Age: 30
Why She Looks Familiar: You’ve probably seen her on “Veronica Mars” or the last “Twilight” film, but she also starred on Fox’s “The Following.”
Why She’s About to Break Out: In addition to starring in the eagerly anticipated “Blair Witch” sequel, she has a key role as spiteful Ruth Cohen in Ewan McGregor‘s adaptation of the Philip Roth novel “American Pastoral.”
Ben Schnetzer, “Snowden” and “Goat”
Age: 26
Why He Looks Familiar: He played gay activist in the British indie “Pride.”
Why He’s About to Break Out: In addition to his role in Oliver Stone‘s Edward Snowden biopic, Schnetzer
has earned acclaim as a fraternity brother conflicted about the hazing of his real sibling (Nick Jonas) in “Goat.”
