"Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical" | © Netflix
The EE Rising Star Award is the only BAFTA category where the final vote doesn't belong to the British Academy but to the public. Over the years, many performers won the award on their way to the top, getting this honor before they were considered household names. Last year's victor, Lashana Lynch, quickly proved a worthy winner, showcasing her range in two shockingly different roles. First, she was a charisma bomb in The Woman King, electrifying the screen with good humor and action star chops. Next, Lynch gave life to Miss Honey in the Matilda musical, singing her way through a gentle, motherly figure who slowly learns how to make herself heard.
Most of this year's nominees don't have anything left to prove, nor do they need help getting recognition. This puts into question the award's purpose. Should previous BAFTA winners be eligible for this honor? Shouldn't the category be reserved for up-and-coming names who could benefit from a career boost at the start of their artistic journey? It seems not, judging by the nominees. They are…
"Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody" | © TriStar Pictures
NAOMI ACKIE
In 2017, this brilliant young actress won the equivalent Rising Star trophy from the British Independent Film Awards for her supporting turn in Lady Macbeth. That film earned her many other nominations across the season. Later, she'd receive more golden accolades for TV projects, including Master of None and The End of the F***ing World, for which she won the BAFTA TV Award in 2020. This year, Ackie is among the names in the BAFTA longlist in the Best Actress category, thanks to her star turn in the much-retitled Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.
"The Woman King" | © TriStar Pictures
SHEILA ATIM
Before she ever stepped in front of cameras, Sheila Atim was making waves on the stage. She has won two Laurence Olivier awards – the highest honor for British theater – with her work in the Bob Dylan musical Girl from the North Country and the dramatic two-hander Constellations. When it came time to transition from theater stardom to a career in Film and TV, Atim soon found success in such projects as Halle Berry's directorial debut Bruised, Barry Jenkin's majestic The Underground Railroad, and last year's The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
"Emily" | © Bleecker Street Films
EMMA MACKEY
Netflix's Sex Education marked Mackey's big break back in 2019, earning her, among other honors, the Best Actress prize from the National Comedy Awards. The French-born actress expanded her career internationally starring in Eiffel alongside Romain Duris (a box office success). In 2022, she also appeared in Kenneth Branagh's misbegotten Death on the Nile and Frances O'Connor's Emily. She has twice been nominated at the BIFAs thanks to that latter project (which received an Oscar qualifying release in 2022 but will hit the US in 2023) and will next appear in Greta Gerwig's Barbie.
"Good Luck to You, Leo Grande" | © Searchlight Pictures
DARYL MCCORMACK
Like Atim, this Irish actor made his professional debut on stage, proving himself a Shakespearean powerhouse before he stepped foot on a film set. That being said, it was on TV that Daryl McCormack first found a modicum of fame, appearing in such shows as Vikings, Peaky Blinders, and The Wheel of Time. Though, in all of those productions, his roles were pretty small. He auditioned for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but John Boyega (a former EE Rising Star Award winner!) was eventually cast. Unlike his fellow nominees in this category, he was never nominated for movie awards before this season, when his performance in Sophie Hyde's Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, caught the eye of critics worldwide. As far as I'm concerned, he should be in Oscar consideration over several of the names locked for a Best Actor nod.
"Living" | © Sony Pictures Classics
AIMEE LOU WOOD
After several minor roles on stage, Aimee Lou Wood made her screen debut in Netflix's Sex Education, alongside fellow nominee Emma Mackey. Wood's star quickly rose as far as awards were concerned. Before this present nomination, Wood had already amassed three competitive BAFTA nominations, including a Best Supporting TV Actress victory in 2021. Lately, she's been in such films as Will Sharpe's The Electrical Life of Louis Wain and Oliver Hermanus' Living. Wood is longlisted for the Best Supporting Actress BAFTA for this latest project and scored a BIFA nomination.
Are these rising stars or a bunch of established young thespians with a slew of prestigious trophies under their belt? I'd likely characterize the majority of them as the latter and hope McCormack triumphs, as he is the most unrecognized of the five actors and the one most likely to benefit from the spotlight.
What about you, dear reader? Who'd get your vote?