There are always those actors who rise above early on. Even when a movie implodes around them, like “Another Happy Day” did around Ezra Miller, there is something in the performance that makes them stand out, that lingers long after. The way Miller handled the nervous energy of a teen on a precipitous emotional edge, or the sadness in Garrett Hedlund’s angsty singer in “Country Strong.” They not only make an imprint in the role but they also tantalize about what they might do next.
Others, like Dev Patel, are discovered in an unexpected whirlwind when a film like “Slumdog Millionaire” hits like a hurricane. Director Danny Boyle’s tale of a Mumbai teen caught in a game-show controversy charmed audiences and won eight Oscars, including best picture. Though Patel, just 18 at the time, didn’t get an Oscar nod, his performance as a romantic teen refusing to be broken by brutal interrogations put him on the map — and certainly my radar.
Such actors have that sense of promise — one of the first things I look for when I see a new face on-screen — and it became a key factor in compiling my list of 30 under 30 who matter, members of a generation more interested in the art than the artifice. The ones I’ve singled out represent a diverse array of talent. But there is a tonal quality as well that resonates through the list, an earnestness and directness in the actors’ approach to the work, more of what we think of as an indie style even when the project is in blockbuster territory or playing with extremes of sci-fi fantasy. Continue HERE to see all 30 under 30…
