News:
  • Blindness: The First Post-COVID Off-Broadway Show
  • Coming Back to "Live"
  • Voyeur: Street Theater in the Time of COVID
  • Poets on Craft: Laura Grace Weldon and Donna Hilbert
  • D2D: Train Train + Near Perfect Synchronization
  • Connecting the Dots Between Calder and Picasso
  • Contact us
  • About
    • What is Cultural Weekly?
    • Advertise
    • Contributors
    • Masthead
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions: Write for us
    • Cultural Weekly Style & Formatting Guide
  • Contact us
  • About
    • What is Cultural Weekly?
    • Advertise
    • Contributors
    • Masthead
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions: Write for us
    • Cultural Weekly Style & Formatting Guide
Cultural Weekly logo
  • Film
  • TV + Web
  • Poetry
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Literature
  • Theatre
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Food
  • Film
  • TV + Web
  • Poetry
  • Art
  • Architecture
  • Literature
  • Theatre
  • Music
  • Dance
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • Food

Young Faces in 2019 Movies

By Elisa Leonelli on January 1, 2020 in Film

Click Here To View Comments

An abundance of exciting new faces has graced movies in 2019. Here’s some of the young actors and actresses who made an impression with their excellent performances.

Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein play BFFs (Best Friends Forever) in Booksmart directed by Olivia Wilde. Dever, 23, born in Phoenix, Arizona, had acted in Short Term 12 (2013) with Brie Larson, Beautiful Boy (2018) with Timothée Chalamet. She says that the great thing about this generation is that you can be whatever you want to be and no one really cares anymore, that you’re not going to be judged for it. She also acted in the TV series Unbelievable. Feldstein, 26, born in Los Angeles, is the sister of Jonah Hill, she had played Saoirse Ronan’s friend in Lady Bird (2017), written and directed by Greta Gerwig.

I had already mentioned these actresses in my 2019 article, CinemaCon Embraces Diversity, and they deserve the first spot in this list for their portrayal of modern sisterhood.

 Julia Butters (c) HFPA

Julia Butters (c) HFPA

Julia Butters, 10, born in Los Angeles, teaches Leonardo DiCaprio about acting in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. She cites among her inspirations Lucille Ball and Carol Burnet, Jack Black and Will Ferrell.

In the same film, I spotted a familiar face playing Manson family follower Susan Atkins, and I realized that she was Mickey Madison, 20, who plays the older daughter in Better Things, the comedy series created by Pamela Adlon.

Ana de Armas (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Ana de Armas (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Ana deArmas, 31, born in Cuba, plays the Latina caretaker in the whodunit Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson. She had played the hologram girlfriend of Ryan Gosling in Blade Runner 2049 (2017) by Denis Villeneuve. 

In the same film Katherine Langford, 23, born in Perth Australia, plays the daughter of Toni Collette, Jaeden Martell, 16, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, plays the son of Michael Shannon.

Florence Pugh (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Florence Pugh (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Florence Pugh, 23, born in England, plays youngest sister Amy March in Little Women directed by Greta Gerwig from the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott. 

Eliza Scanlen, 20, born in Australia, plays Beth, the piano playing sister who dies.

Naomi Scott (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA

Naomi Scott (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA

Naomi Scott, 26, born in London, plays Princess Jasmine in Aladdin by Guy Ritchie, she becomes an angel in Charlie’s Angels written and directed by Elizabeth Banks. Another new face in this film is another angel, Ella Balinska, 20, born in London. Kristen Stewart, 29, plays the third angel.

Kelvin Harrison Jr (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Kelvin Harrison Jr (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Kelvin Harrison, Jr, 24, born in New Orleans, plays the adopted son in Luce with Tim Roth and Naomi Watts, the older brother in Waves directed by Trey Edward Shultz. 

Taylor Russell, 22, born in Vancouver, Canada, plays the younger sister in the same film.

Jodie Turner Smith, 33, born in England, plays Queen with with Daniel Kaluuya as Slim in Queen & Slim, written by Lena Waite, directed by Melina Matsoukas.

Oakes Fegley (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFP

Oakes Fegley (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Oakes Fegley, 15, born in Pennsylvania, plays young Theo in The Goldfinch with Nicole Kidman. He had acted in Pete’s Dragon (2016) with Bryce Dallas Howard and Robert Redford. 

Finn Wolfhard, 16, born in Vancouver, Canada, plays young Boris.

Ansel Engort, 25, born in New York, plays grown-up Theo. He had been featured in my CinemaCon 2017 article about Upcoming Movie Stars.

Roman Griffin Davis (c) Magnbus Sundholm-HFPA

Roman Griffin Davis (c) Magnbus Sundholm-HFPA

Roman Griffin Davis, 11, born in London, plays a young boy in the Hitler’s Youth in World War II Germany, in Jojo Rabbit, written and directed by Taika Waititi.  

Thomasin McKenzie, 19, born in Wellington, New Zealand, plays a character inspired by Anne Frank. She was featured in last year’s article about Young Faces in Movies.

Noah Jupe (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA

Noah Jupe (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA

Noah Jupe, 14, born in London, plays Peter, son of British racer Ken Miles (Christian Bale) in Ford v Ferrari by James Mangold, Otis in the autobiographical Honey Boy, written by Shia LaBeouf, directed by Alma Har’el. He played the son of Emily Blunt and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place (2018).

Camila Morrone (c) HFPA

Camila Morrone (c) HFPA

Camila Morrone, 22, born in Los Angeles, plays the teenage daughter of an abusive father in Mickey and the Bear, written and directed by Annabelle Attanasio.  

Zazie Beetz (c) HFPA

Zazie Beetz (c) HFPA

Zazie Beetz, 28, born in Berlin, Germany, acts with Joaquin Phoenix in Joker by Todd Phillips, with Kristen Stewart in Seberg, with Natalie Portman in Lucy in the Sky. She had emerged in Deadpool 2 (2018) with Ryan Reynolds.

Zendaya (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Zendaya (c) Magnus Sundholm-HFPA

Zendaya, 23, born in Oakland, California, plays Peter Parker’s high school girlfriend for the second time, after Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), in Spider-Man: Far from Home. She also stars in the TV series Euphoria. She had impressed in The Greatest Showman (2017) with Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron. She says: “Technically we are all immigrants in America, unless you are a Native American. We are an amazing array of different cultures and colors, that is what makes this place beautiful, so we should respect people’s cultures and embrace what they bring to America; that is the foundation of what we are, this place wouldn’t run without immigrants.”

Tom Holland, 23, born in London, had been featured in my CinemaCon 2017 article about Upcoming Movie Stars.

Ali Wong, 34, born in San Francisco, makes her film debut in the romantic comedy Always be My Maybe with Randall Park. We had seen her in the stand-up comedy specials Baby Cobra (2016) and Hard Knock Wife (2018).

Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA

Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay (c) Armando Gallo-HFPA

Dean-Charles Chapman, 22, and George MacKay, 27, play the British soldiers in charge of delivering an urgent message across enemy lines in France during World War II in 1917 directed by Sam Mendes. Mac Kay says: “The film gives you an immersive experience that will make you question what’s most important to you in life, be it your morals, be it who you love, be it your reasons for doing anything.”
These two actors get the last spot in this list for their portrayal of old-fashioned brotherhood.

More actors that I had already mentioned in last year’s article about Young Faces in Movies, did great work this year

Awkwafina, 31, plays a dramatic role in The Farewell, written and directed by Lulu Wang.

Cynthia Erivo, 31, plays Harriet Tubman in Harriet directed by Kasi Lemmons.

Joe Alwin, 28, plays the slave owner in the same film.

Lucas Hedges, 23, plays the sister’s boyfriend in Waves and the older version of Noah Lupe in Honey Boy.

Timothée Chalamet, 24, plays Laurie in Little Women directed by Greta Gerwig, Shakespeare’s Henry V in The King.

Henry Golding, 32, plays Emilia Clarke’s love interest in Last Christmas by Paul Feig. I had also mentioned him in my article CinemaCon 2019 embraces diversity.

Awkwafina © Magnus Sundholm-HFPA.

Awkwafina © Magnus Sundholm-HFPA.

For more info about these movies, Always Be My Maybe, Booksmart, Charlie’s Angels, Honey Boy, Little Women, Mickey and the Bear, Queen & Slim, please read my article about Women Directors 2019.

Click Here To View Comments

TagsAna de ArmasCamila MorroneFlorence PughJulia ButtersKaitlyn DeverKelvin Harrison JrNaomi ScottZazie BeetzZendaya

Previous Story

Ram Dass and Me

Next Story

A THROWBACK: Zimbabwe’s cracked footprints towards the Coup and beyond

About the author

Elisa Leonelli

Website

Elisa Leonelli, a photo-journalist and film critic, member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, interviews directors and movie stars, as well as artists, musicians and writers, for international and domestic publications. Formerly Film Editor of VENICE, Los Angeles Arts and Entertainment magazine, currently Los Angeles Correspondent for the Italian film monthly BEST MOVIE, author of the critical essay, "Robert Redford and the American West."

Related Posts

  • New Faces in Movies and TV

    By Elisa Leonelli
    While writing about movies and TV programs...
  • ZENDAYA

    By Elisa Leonelli
    I became aware of Zendaya in 2017 when I...

Support Our Friends

Follow Us

Join Our Mailing List

Latest Tweets

Tweets by @CulturalWeekly

Comments

  • Lisa Segal Lisa Segal
    Valentine’s Day Redux: a Second Chance at True Love
    Marvelous!!!!!!!
    2/14/2021
  • maurice amiel maurice amiel
    Shakespeare on Despots, Power, and Finally… Transition
    Timely and educational this post Your scholarship...
    1/31/2021
  • maurice amiel maurice amiel
    Abigail Wee: “Growing Home”
    A first place well deserved While the particular...
    1/24/2021

New

  • 4 Ways you can make a profit with the Clubhouse app
  • Can the 2021 Eurovision winner reach the popularity of songs from years gone by?
  • Best Lifestyle Shows to Watch on Canadian Netflix
  • Average Monthly Weight Loss After Gastric Sleeve
  • Blindness: The First Post-COVID Off-Broadway Show

Tags

art dance film Los Angeles music photography poem poems poetry tomorrow's voices today

Like us

Please Help

Donate

Who are we?

Cultural Weekly is a place to talk about our creative culture with passion, perspective and analysis – and more words than “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.” Our mission is to draw attention to our cultural environment, illuminate it, and make it ... read more

Site map

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact us
  • Contributors
  • Cultural Weekly Style & Formatting Guide
  • Food
  • Home
  • Masthead
  • Privacy Policy/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Submission Form
  • Submissions: Write for us
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Thank You

Links

Adam Leipzig
Entertainment Media Partners
This Is Crowd
CreativeFuture
Plastic Oceans Foundation
Arts & Letters Daily
Alltop
Alexis Rhone Fancher
Jack Grapes
Ethan Bearman
Writ Large Press

Mailing List

* indicates required


  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy/Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Contact us
Cultural Weekly is the digital magazine and public platform of Next Echo Foundation. DONATE HERE.
Copyright © 2010-2020 by Adam Leipzig. All Rights Reserved.