FYC: Young Performer Award 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017 at 8:30AM by Nathaniel R
Remember when the Beguiled girls did that charity lipsynch to "Schuyler Sisters" from HAMILTON?
Each year one of our awards traditions here at The Film Experience is to help fellow BFCA members choose more wisely when it comes to the "Young Performer" category at the Critics Choice Movie Awards by sharing an eligibility list. Ballots don't come with lists of eligible choices so it's up to each member to think up a list and since the category is "under 21" it takes a bit of research for the teen/young adult performances; as is Hollywood tradition almost everyone playing high schoolers in Lady Bird or Spider-Man Homecoming are in their early-to-mid 20s. It's just a guess but I'm betting some members even leave that category blank on their ballots. If true that's a pity because there are always enough strong options to fill out a ballot. This year, in fact, has several high profile movies with options to choose from like the blockbuster horror film It, the controversial remake of The Beguiled, the Todd Haynes puzzle Wonderstruck, and Wonder is a star vehicle for Jacob Tremblay, a previous winner in this very category for Room (2015).
Ballots go out to the BFCA today so here's a cheat sheet to help them vote after the jump. The actors are listed alphabetically (asterisks by their name indicate a previous nomination in this category). So which of these performances would make your ballot? Let us know in the comments...
GIRLS
Ella Anderson (12) as "Young Jeanette" in Glass Castle
Lilly Aspell (10) as "Young Diana" in Wonder Woman
Simone Baker (12) as "Kamilla" in Gook
Emily Carey (14) as "Young Diana" in Wonder Woman
Raffey Cassidy (15) as "Kim Murphy" in The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Valeria Cotto (?) as "Jancey" in The Florida Project
Millie Davis (?) as "Summer" in Wonder
Kennedy Derosin (?) as "Lily May" in Mudbound
Kaitlyn Dever (20) as "Karen" in Detroit
Elle Fanning*** (19) as "Alicia" in The Beguiled
Becky G (20) as "Trini" in Power Rangers
McKenna Grace (11) as "Mary Adler" in Gifted
McKenna Grace (11) as "Young Tonya" in I Tonya
Chandler Head (?) as "Youngest Jeanette" in The Glass Castle
Emma Howard (?) as "Emily" in The Beguiled
Piper Howell (?) as "7 year-old Molly" in Molly's Game
Samantha Isler (20) as "Teen Molly" in Molly's Game
Dafne Keen (12) as "Laura Kinney/X23" in Logan
Oona Laurence (15) as "Amy" in The Beguiled
Sophia Lillis (15) as "Beverly" in It
Ahn Seo-hyun (13) as "Mija" for Okja
Farrah Mackenzie (12) as "Sadie Logan" in Logan Lucky
Elle McKinnon (11) as "Charlotte" in Wonder
Sareum Srey Mooch (?) as "Loung Ung" in First They Killed My Father
Catherine Newton (20) as "Angela" in Three Billboards...
Brooklynn Prince (7) as "Moonee" in The Florida Project
Addison Riecke (13) as "Marie" in The Beguiled
Angourie Rice (16) as "Jane" in The Beguiled
Odeya Rush (20) as "Jenna Walton" in Lady Bird
Danielle Rose Russell (19) as "Miranda" in Wonder
Millicent Simmonds () as "Rose" in Wonderstruck
Amandla Stenberg (19) as "Maddy" in Everything Everything
Ruby Stokes (12) as "Young Una" in Una
Izabela Vidovic (16) as "Via" in Wonder
BOYS
Teo Briones (12) as "Casey" in Wind River
Tony Espinosa (?) as "Andy" in Suburbicon
Oakes Fegley (13) as "Ben" in Wonderstruck
Bryce Gheiser (12) as "Julian" in Wonder
Jack Gore (?) as "Richie" in Wonder Wheel
Jack Dylan Grazer (?) as "Eddie" in It
Chosen Jacobs (16) as "Mike" in It
Noah Jupe (?) as "Jack Will" in Wonder
Noah Jupe (?) as "Nicky" in Suburbicon
Jaeden Leiberher* (14) as "Bill" in It
Nathan Mack (?) as "Chip" in Beauty & The Beast
Jaden Michael (13) as "Jaime" in Wonderstruck
Christopher Rivera (?) as "Scooty" in The Florida Project
Charlie Shotwell (?) as "Young Brian" in The Glass Castle
Sunny Suljic (?) as "Bob Murphy" in The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Jeremy Ray Taylor (?) as "Ben" in It
Tom Taylor (16) as "Jake" in Dark Tower
Jacob Tremblay* (11) as "Auggie" in Wonder
Finn Wolfhard (14) as "Richie" in It
Reader Comments (19)
I haven't see The Florida Project or Wonderstruck (among others), so it wouldn't surprise me if I'm missing some great work, but the actor/performance in this age range who's stuck with me is Sunny Suljic in The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Part of that could be the story, of course, but I thought he was very effective.
How many times is Kaitlyn Dever going to land on a young performers list? This is at least the third or fourth time.
Is Timothee Chalamet eligible for this category? He was 19 or 20 when the film was shot.
From my understanding he is not eligible as he is 21 and will be 22 in December.
Lucas Hedges turns 21 on Dec 12. Does that mean he's ineligible?
Dafne Keen in "Logan"
Tremblay
Wolfhard
Fanning
Stenberg
Prince (this year's new Tremblay)
Noah Jupe is also in Suburbicon, stole the film like he did with Wonder.
I’ve not seen many of these films but of the children in It, Leiberher is best in show in my opinion. I got more young Scarjo than young Chastain from Sophia Lillis, who I put a close 2nd to Leiberher.
I hope Jupe and Vidovic can sneak in with Tremblay for Wonder. All 3 are so deserving. Hedges was great in Lady Bird as well.
I think Sophia Lillis and Jaeden Lieberher should make it in.
I'd easily just throw all the It kids this prize for child ensemble awesomeness, but Millicent Simmonds and Dafnee Keen were stellar. And props to Jackson Scott, who played poor doomed Georgie in It. Still, this list is reminding me of all the stuff on my to-watch list, and I'm hoping to find even more gems from child performers this year.
Brooklynn Prince (7) as "Moonee" in The Florida Project
I thought that the kids in The Zookeepers Wife were all great.
Also, Farrah Mackenzie was great in Logan Lucky.
I'll never stop campaigning for a Best Youth Performance category at the Oscars. Five nominees, male or female.
Marcos -- i'd settle for a return of the juvenile Oscar when they feel a performance warrants it. It was never regular and they did a pretty good job with it. The people who won it were big deal child stars like Hayley Mills, Shirley Temple, Margaret O'Brien, etctera. There's no reason on earth why Jacob Tremblay couldn't have been given one for ROOM., for example.
I second Marcos' comment. Tremblay, Osment and others should have been given Oscars for their work.
I'll choose:
Wolfhard,
Ellis,
Taylor, all from "IT"
Tremblay for "Wonder"
and the other Taylor from "The Dark Tower", who did the best he could, and was somewhat close to the book character.
Dafne Keen in "Logan"