Which of these '96 babies will be Oscar-nominated first? (or again)
Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 1:00PM by Nathaniel R
Since it's 25 days till Oscar, we thought we'd talk about Hollywood's brightests stars hitting their quarter century mark in 2021. The year 1996 has been a surprising "early bird" year with the Academy since not many 1990s vintages have produced Oscar nominees yet. People born in 1996 are turning 25 this year but already this vintage has somehow produced FIVE Oscar nominees: Maria Bakalova (nominated this year for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Florence Pugh (Little Women), and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit). Do you think any of them will snag nomination #2 soon?
After the jump we've chosen the six actors "most likely to" follow them to Oscar glory. That said we know that Hollywood is always on the lookout for fresh faces and the next Oscar nominee born in 1996 could well be some unknown who hasn't even landed their first role yet. Who would you bank on from this list or the "alternates"? And what kind of a situation or role do you think it will take?
PRIME BORN IN '96 SUSPECTS FOR FUTURE OSCAR NOMINATIONS (ALPHA ORDER)
KAITLYN DEVER MVP guarantee
She's slayed every role handed to her whether it was a high school lesbian activist (Booksmart), a damaged foster child (Short Term 12), a rape victim who is further violated by the system (Unbelievable), or a struggling single mom (Monsterland) just to name a few of them. Up next: the grieving sister / misled girlfriend in the musical adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen.
TOM HOLLAND friendly neighborhood superstar
As a child actor he won raves on the musical stage (Billy Elliott) and on film (The Impossible) and major stardom hit with his long-running Spider-Man gig for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's trying to stretch now (Cherry, The Devil All the Time) but neither case was met with much enthusiasm despite his obvious talent. His Oscar role could come soon or he might be one of those former child stars they finally get around to in their late 30s after several instances of brilliance like a Christian Bale... or never get around to at all despite a few golden opportunities like a Kurt Russell. Who knows! Up next: More action franchising with Uncharted and another Spider-Man film.
PAUL MESCAL the sensitive leading man
He was 2020's most jaw-dropping discovery as the introverted college student and gifted writer Connell in the mini-series Normal People. One famous job, even if it netted you a well-deserved Emmy nomination, isn't much to go on and complex layered roles for young men are NOT as plentiful as they are for young women. Still, what a gift. Up next: He's completed two film roles that we'll hopefully see in 2021, a supporting role in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut The Lost Daughter starring Dakota Johnson, and the male leading role in a MUSICAL (!!!) Carmen (a modern adaptation of the opera) via another directorial debut, this one from ballet star and Natalie Portman's husband Benjamin Millipied.
TONY REVOLORI under the radar secret weapon
This choice might be wishful thinking. So far Revolori has mostly excelled in comedy which we know Oscar has difficulty with but he's already proven he can steal scenes with the best of the them (Spider-Man, Dope) and hold his own opposite one of the greatest actors in the world (Grand Budapest Hotel). Up next: Wes Anderson's French Dispatch and another Spider-Man movie and maybe something called Exchanged, a thriller about an American exchange student in Europle.
ANYA TAYLOR-JOY the "it" girl
She was all the rage in 2020 with two leading actress Globe nominations (one of them winning) in two very difficult roles in the comedy Emma., and the miniseries The Queen's Gambit but this explosion of media and audience interest was no surprise to those of us who've been paying close attention since her feature debut in The Witch and her two artistically or commercially successful follows up, Thoroughbreds and Split. Up next: She's the definition of "in demand" at the moment so we'll be seeing a lot of her in the 2020s. She has two films in pre-production including the leading role in the Mad Max spinoff Furiosa, she's currently filming the new David O. Russell film (untitled but you know how often he scores Oscar nods for his actors), and has already completed work on a viking drama from her director on The Witch Robert Eggers which is called The Northman. She's also got the comedy Last Night in Soho from director Edgar Wright in the can.
ZENDAYA a very big deal
She's already an Emmy winner courtesy of her extra-brilliant work as a recovering junkie in HBO's Euphoria. She received Oscar buzz (if quickly deflated Oscar buzz) for her black and white romantic drama Malcolm & Marie on Netflix (also, alas, playing a recovering junkie). She's had major box office success in supporting roles via the musical The Greatest Showman and the Spider-Man films. Up next: more Spider-Man, more Euphoria, and a supporting role in the sci-fi epic Dune.
Alternates. Other actors who could well have a breakthrough soon given their talent or the right opportunities or luck. Maxim Baldry (Years and Years, upcoming Lord of the Rings series), Kelli Berglund (Cherry, Now Apocalypse), Dove Cameron (Dumplin'), Harris Dickinson - pictured right (Beach Rats upcoming Where the Crawdads Sing), Edward Chen (Your Name Engraved Herein), Mason Gooding (Love Victor, Booksmart), Katherine Langford (Love Simon, Knives Out), Jacob Latimore - pictured left (Detroit, Like a Boss), Leah Lewis (The Half of It), Emma Mackey - pictured above (Sex Education, Death on the Nile), Lili Reinhart (Hustlers, Riverdale) Tye Sheridan (Ready Player One, upcoming Voyagers), Connor Swindells (Emma., Sex Education), Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones), and Jeff Wahlberg (Cherry, Dora and the Lost City of Gold)
Reader Comments (39)
Great now I want Kaitlyn Dever, Paul Mescal, and Anya Taylor-Joy to be in a Spider-Man film now.
I DO think Dever (that Short Term 12 golden luck!), Taylor-Joy and Zendaya are likely nominees especially as casting people will love to keep giving them plenty of opportunities these next few years.
What a great set of actors! I'm hoping Lucas Hedges and Florence Pugh will get another nomination soon.
And I can definitely see Dever (how was she not nominated for Unbelievable!?), Taylor-Joy and Zendaya all getting nominated soon if they get the right project.
Anya-Taylor Joy will probably win Best Actress in the next decade. She's on fire, and is at the age that academy friendly writers and directors like to make stories about. If The Queen's Gambit had been a film, she would have been an easy Oscar-nominee.
Zendaya is really talented, so I think she'll be nominated. I'd love to see her in another musical - she was the best part of Showman, and I think she could really nail a role like that.
Out of those already nominated, Pugh seems the most likely. However, I could see Lucas Hedges making it in, but be also seems like he could be another Jake Gyllenhaal.
I think all 5 previous nominees have good shots at repeating (yes, Bakalova as well, once that her raw talent is evident, just imagine what she could do with her first baity dramatic role). And the rest... Tom Holland should have won already (The Impossible) but was overlooked.Revolori probably could/should have been nominated for Grand Budapest Hotel, where he was a revelation... Zendaya and Anna Taylor-Joy, I have little doubt that will become future Oscar winners. I can see all of these 9 performers winning an Oscar before reaching 40... what a generation!
This is a list filled with talented people, and certainly Anya Taylor-Joy has had such a breakout year, you'd assume she's got big film roles ahead of her.
But, for me, Mescal stands out above the rest. He showed a Montgomery Clift-like ability to communicate through his hesitations...to be able to say something and mean the opposite...to be simultaneously fully guarded and completely transparent. This is something you can't get from the most strenuous acting education; it's pure gift. I'd be astonished if he doesn't turn out to be a major actor.
Agreed with the poster who said Tom Holland should already have won an Oscar. He was the MVP in The Impossible and was better than any other supporting actor that year.
The difference between this list and yesterday’s!
Zendaya will def score a nom for playing Ronnie Spector.
What a talented group. Taylor-Joy seems most likely to get her nomination first, though I saw a rumor that Marvel has their eyes on her so that may take up a lot of her time in the next decade if it’s true. My money’s on Pugh getting her second nomination soon. She’s already proven to be somewhat of a chameleon and has an incredibly strong screen presence.
Yeah, that group is very impressive!
This is a great bunch of actors: Lucas Hedges, unless something goes really wrong with his career, will be back at the nominees luncheon. Tom Holland's is surely gonna make it. Emma Mackey, Lili Reinhart, and Tye Sheridan have what it takes, if their agents land them the right gigs. Zendaya has the heat. She might actually be the next one nominated, though DUNE probably won't be the picture (when was the last time anyone but an old man got nominated for a sci-fi fantasy franchise?) Kaitlyn Dever might get in due to a plum role in DEAR EVAN HANSEN. Tony Revolori looks adorable. I need to check out his work.
Florence Pugh will get another nomination soon. Anya Taylor-Joy will likely get a nomination if she takes a dramatic role in conjunction with her horror and black comedy roles.
Wow, as opposed to yesterday's list, all of them seem likely? Except for maybe Revolori, though I'd like to be proven wrong.
They're all very special. Love Dever, who has proven herself over and over for like 8 years even though she's still very young.
I am actually hoping Tom Holland gets a Tony first. He is still doing superhero movies, although that may end soon. His last movies outside of Spiderman didn't do so well with critics or audiences. I hope he returns to the stage. He has acrobatic skills and this would be a chance to show them off live. He would be a shoo-in for a win.
Anya Taylor-Joy is where Emma Stone was 10 years ago. She will continue the big eye trend and get multiple nominations down the line. Depending on how adventurous she is, Taylor-Joy may expend beyond that. She is Argentinian and can speak fluent Spanish, so she may have foreign films in her resume as well.
Clearly '96 was a bumper crop.
Anya is bilingual and Almodóvar has already expressed interest.
So... I've been wrong about Taylor-Joy's first name since THE WITCH. But yeah, what a crop of performers.
great list! As almost everyone else said, all three ladies seem like sure bets. I wondered a few times this year if either/both Anya Taylor-Joy/Zendaya might have benefitted from the extra boost of red carpet campaigning. Especially since they were both double dipping with TV and film performances this year. Then again, Mulligan, Kirby, and Day (and Bakalova!) also would have had that boost, so it might not have shaken out any differently in leading actress.
Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark was my favorite character in GOT. ( not the first 2 seasons) Hopefully Dark Phoenix didn’t hurt/end her career.
What a contrast with the kids of 96. One nominee from them so far and I wouldn't put money on any of the ones you listed receiving an Oscar nom. But then today's list, five nominees already, and we're all pretty confident at least 3 will get nominated eventually with the careers they are building. Heck I think every person on this list has better odds than every person on the the 96 list.
Since Kaitlyn Dever also starred in the Oscar winner factory that is "Short Term 12" I would say she has a very good shot as a future nominee. She's definitely displayed the talent in her other projects.
From this year, I think if Tom Holland moves away from Spider-Man and does a musical he can get nominated. Paul Mescal definitely has a future, and Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy will probably get a nomination sooner rather than later. Harris Dickinson is interesting. He's got talent but perhaps too goodlooking. It's also funny that he and the other male star of "Where the Crawdads Sing" look so much alike. They should alternate parts in the course of the movie.
Taylor-Joy of she chooses her projects wisely.
What actor did you mean that revolori held his own against (one of the best actors ever) in
Grand Budapest?
@Mark Ralph Fiennes!!!
Much better crop than 95. Anya Taylor Joy or Zendaya will happen in the next few years.
Echoing the above sentiments: the list of 25-year-olds is so much stronger and deeper than the 26ers and 27ers.
Theory: pregnant women in the mid-1990s watched a steady diet of Babe, Shanghai Triad, A Little Princess, Il Postino, Devil in a Blue Dress, The City of Lost Children, Trainspotting, Big Night, Secrets & Lies, and Fargo.
@Sebastian - oh hell yes to The Impossible and Tom Holland.
@Patrick - oh hell no. She's very attractive but can't act her way out of King's Landing. Maisie Williams is a million times better and one year younger. Someone posted a compilation of Arya Stark through the years on Youtube. Maisie is amazing.
Florence Pugh gets my vote. With Taylor-Joy close behind.
I was expecting this post to see Anya Taylor-Joy, who is more likely to receive an Oscar nomination, but just a few minutes ago I saw The Impossible and was very impressed by Tom Holland, he could easily have received an Oscar nomination instead of Naomi Watts .
Obviously, Tom Holland and Zendaya are my top picks of this crop (I think Zendaya should've been nominated this year, but I digress), but Kaitlyn Dever is someone who could be a surprise. Her role in DEH seems to be more in line with Oscar likes, and if the reviews are good then....
As for the possible returners? I want Pugh to have a few nominations before I want her to win, tbh. Breslin could get another nomination if she takes on another killer comedic supporting role.
Just echoing everyone else who has said that Tom Holland should have won an Oscar for The Impossible! That he didn't at least get nominated is downright criminal.
My god, what an insanely talented line-up across the board. Pugh, Holland, Mescal, Zendaya, and Hedges are all doing consistently great work. But it's Kaitlyn Dever and Harris Dickinson who impress me most so far. A big fan of Dever since she first appeared on Justified ten(!!) years ago. And Beach Rats was one of the most effecting movie experiences of that last several years, and Dickinson has only continued to impress.
That said, I want all of them to have enormously successful careers. Millennials really went out with a bang in this 1996 crop.
Also, just me or does Harris Dickinson have a British Ryan Gosling vibe about him?
Maria Bakalova very well might be the first Oscar winner of the group in a few weeks’ time.
Yay some known names again! Mescal reads older which helps with Oscar.
Mescal totally reads as older.
And Kaitlyn Dever gave one of the best TV performances I've ever seen last year with Unbelievable, so I'm thinking Dear Evan Hansen could be her ticket.
Agreed with what everyone else has said. This crop has tons of potential. Pugh could easily be back this year for her Olivia Wilde project.
I was April Fooling y'all. Close is wrapped up and tied with a bow. It's gross and not befitting her legendary status, but Oscars gonna Oscar.
Hedges and Taylor-Joy are two of my favorite actors of their generation.
Tye Sheridan is really talented, too. He has a role in Paul Schrader's next film, as well as the adaptation of The Things They Carried, both of which could be big for him.
What a class I think all eleven of these are eventual or returning nominees, and likely a few winners thrown in.
I'd bet on Anya Taylor-Joy showing up for at least a nomination next year. The Robert Eggers, David O. Russell, and Edgar Wright projects all sound very promising.
Bakalova certainly has the talent for another nomination, I think it just all depends on how her reps navigate the next steps of her career. Hopefully they do right by her.
Also feeling hopeful for Revelori, rooting for a plum supporting role to come his way soon!
mescal just got in after back-to-back nomination from pugh to bakalova to kodi smit.... im predicting anya, kaitlyn next