Every month, our contributors submit lists of ten films fitting certain topics. Each month, we feature an alphabetical list of films along with commentary explaining our selections. There will also be an itemized list at the end of each of our individual selections.

This month, our contributors are looking at young actors under the age of 35 who makeup the new generation of actors that will carry Hollywood forward through the next few decades.

Looking over our lists, none of us agreed on a single individual, but there was a single person three of us agreed on: Saoirse Ronan. Four other actors received consideration from two different sources. They were: Michael B. Jordan, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, and Shailene Woodley

After the break, dig into our setups and follow that by reading about each film.

The Introductions

Wesley Lovell: When I set about to create this list, I decided I would try to do with it what I did with the last and try to isolate five men and five women. However, as I started sifting through the young, talented actors available to select, I realized that the men were by and large inferior to the women. As such, I decided to focus on the best, not on some arbitrary quota of inclusion. Some of my selections are Oscar-winning established stars and some have been bubbling under for too long. Some are new to the profession while others have been acting since an incredibly young age. Either way, my selections focus on individuals who have given at least a small handful of fine performances, and in those performances have shown that they have fine, promising, and lengthy careers ahead of them.
Peter J. Patrick: My list of up-and-comers contains some names you may know, some you may not, but all are young actors and actresses who have made an impression in at least one film, and are on the verge of doing bigger and better things. Coincidentally, five of them were born in London. Two were born in Philadelphia, and one each in New York, Dublin, and Vancouver. That makes five Brits, one Irishman, three Americans, and one Canadian. Their average age is 23, of whom five are older and five younger. The oldest is 35, the youngest is 10.
Tripp Burton: No intro provided at time of publication.
Thomas LaTourrette: No intro provided at time of publication.

Riz Ahmed (1982 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 34-year-old London-born actor of Pakistani descent started out as a hip-hop artist. He won early acclaim for his performances in two British independent films, 2010’s Four Lions and 2012’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist. He later took Hollywood by storm as Jake Gyllenhaal’s dupe in 2014’s Nightcrawler, for which he won several critics’ awards. TV audiences were spellbound by his Golden Globe-nominated performance in last year’s The Night Of and he is earning even more fans with his performance in the recent mega-hit Rogue One.

Asa Butterfield (1997 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 19-year-old London-born actor burst onto the international stage with his heart-breaking portrayal of the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a Nazi concentration camp who forms a forbidden friendship with The Boy with the Striped Pajamas in the acclaimed 2008 film. Since then, he’s given marvelous performances in such films as Hugo, Ender’s Game, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Look for him in his first adult role in the upcoming remake of the seminal anti-war classic Journey’s End.

Lauren Cohan (1982 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 35-year-old Philadelphia-born actress is mostly known for her TV work. She was in several episodes of Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, and Chuck before sinking her teeth into her best-known series role as Maggie Greene in The Walking Dead. She had her biggest role to date on the big screen as the frightened nanny in last year’s psychological horror film The Boy. She also appeared on screen last year as Bruce Wayne (the future Batman)’s mother in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She is more than due for major discovery.

Ansel Elgort (1994 -)

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Ansel first grew big on the scene by starring in The Fault in Our Stars, where he played a teenager dying of cancer. He turned in a very moving performance, holding his own against the veteran Shailene Woodley. He then was rather wasted in the Allegiant and Divergent movies, but he shows enough promise that he could rise up to be a household name.

Elle Fanning (1998 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – This young lady has been on my list several times before and there’s a reason why. She has more great performances under her belt before the age of 18 than some actors have in their entire careers. While I had seen Elle Fanning in films prior to Phoebe in Wonderland, I hadn’t registered her as a fine actress. Yet, after this, I found her performances in The Nines, Somewhere, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and 20th Century Women to be among her best and those are just a few of them. She turned 18 in April of 2016 and had 42 credits on film and television to her name. That she can back up her prolific career with talent is a blessing.

Greta Gerwig (1983 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – Like many new generation performers, Greta Gerwig has been paving her own path. After breaking out in Noah Baumbach’s Greenberg in 2010, she has co-written two films with Baumbach that have arguably given her her best roles yet: Frances Ha and Mistress America. All of them highlight the quirky, independent nature that Gerwig brings to everything she does, but also help her find deeper sides to her movie personality. This year, she got prime roles in two awards contenders, Jackie and 20th Century Women, and hopefully that will be the start of her branching out and stretching herself. I just hope she also continues to write herself plum roles.

Domhnall Gleeson (1983 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 33-year-old Dublin-born actor is the son of noted Irish actor, Brendan Gleeson. He has three younger brothers who are also actors. He was nominated for a Tony for the 2006 Broadway play The Lieutenant of Inishmore and has since made film audiences sit up and take notice with his performances in True Grit, Anna Karenina, Frank, Calvary, Unbroken, Ex Machina, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Revenant. He has seven films in various stages of completion.

Armie Hammer (1986 -)

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Armie gained notice as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network, and followed that up with strong notices as J. Edgar Hoover’s longtime lover and as a slave owner in The Birth of a Nation. Starring roles in Mirror, Mirror, The Lone Ranger, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. have received mixed notices, but he seems poised to vault into the higher reaches of stardom sometime soon.

Lucas Hedges (1996 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 20-year-old New York-born recent Oscar nominee is the son of Oscar-nominated writer-director Peter Hedges. He made his film debut as Steve Carell’s daughter’s dance partner in his father’s Dan in Real Life, and played the pump attendant in The Grand Budapest Hotel before nailing the part of Casey Affleck’s nephew in Manchester by the Sea. He has completed both Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri opposite Woody Harrelson and Lady Bird opposite Saoirse Ronan. He’s next headed back to college, where he is majoring in acting.

Tom Holland (1996 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 20-year-old London-born actor got his start in 2008 as Michael, Billy’s friend in London’s Billy Elliot the Musical, then became one of the show’s three rotating stars. Much like Jamie Bell, who originated the role of Billy in the original 2000 film version of Billy Elliott, his career has been meteoric ever since. He won numerous awards for his debut film role as Naomi Watts’ son in 2012’s The Impossible, and has since earned kudos for his roles in In the Heart of the Sea and Captain America: Civil War. He has six projects in various stages of filming.

Nicholas Hoult (1989 -)

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Starring in About a Boy at age 13, Nicholas made a definite splash as the young misfit. Six years later he suddenly appeared very grown up as a student to Colin Firth’s Single Man. Work in the X-Men series, Warm Bodies, and 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road cemented him a spot as someone to watch as he is willing to take on a number of diverse roles.

Josh Hutcherson (1992 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Bridge to Terabithia was my gateway to the world of Josh Hutcherson. At the tender age of 15, he showed us a character that was both tender and complex. He followed that up with several films, most notably as part of a love triangle in The Hunger Games films and was additionally superb in The Kids Are All Right, and in my retroactive viewing in American Splendor.

Michael B. Jordan (1987 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – After being a part of three of my favorite TV shows of the past 15 years (The Wire, Friday Night Lights, Parenthood), I thought I knew what to expect from Michael B. Jordan. His brief film career, though, has already shown an incredible range, from the quiet power of Fruitvale Station to the explosive energy of Creed, he has proven himself an actor of immense range and someone whose every film role is one to look out for.

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – After appearing in a number of television shows, Michael gained notice as one of the three boys who gained superhuman powers in Chronicle. The next year he wowed the critics as the shooting victim in Fruitvale Station. Two years after that he probably came close again to an Oscar nomination when he starred as young Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise movie Creed. He has not made much the last two years, but seems poised for a major career in film.

Anna Kendrick (1985 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – After seeing Anna Kendrick in Camp in 2003, a film she made when she was only 18 but already a Tony-nominated actress, I exclaimed to my friends in the theatre that she was getting an Oscar nomination in the next 10 years. It only took her 6 years. Since then, she has become a breath of fresh air in everything she does, whether it’s drama (Up in the Air, 50/50), comedy (Drinking Buddies, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates), or musical (Into the Woods, Pitch Perfect).

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – An Academy Award nomination for Up in the Air should have made Anna a household name. She got more notice as Cinderella in Into the Woods and as the lead in the Pitch Perfect movies. Five roles in 2016 and at least two set releases for this year show that she is turning into a workhorse as well as a rising star.

Brie Larson (1989 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Brie Larson made her television debut in 1998 on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She was nine years old. While she had several television roles, including on the short-lived series Raising Dad, she didn’t enter into my collective consciousness until her performance in Short Term 12 at the age of 23. That performance alone should have earned her an Oscar nomination, but it wasn’t until her performance in Room two years later that the rest of the world discovered this young thespian. In those two performances alone, she has shown immense talent and while she’s a bit older than some of the others on this list, she will certainly have a lasting career in Hollywood.

Commentary by Tripp Burton – When Brie Larson won the Oscar last year for Room, the rest of the world discovered what those of us in the film world already knew. With movie star beauty, incredible talent, and independent spirit, Larson should be one of the most interesting actresses to watch over the next decade. She is already mixing Marvel movies with independent musicals, and it sees so far that no challenge is too great for her.

Jennifer Lawrence (1990 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – In 2010, at the age of 20, Jennifer Lawrence became one of the youngest actresses ever nominated for an Oscar. Over the next 5 years, she would break another record earning four Oscar nominations by the age of 25, topping Jennifer Jones, the previous record-holder. And what performances those were. Winter’s Bone, Silver Linings Playbook (for which she won the Oscar), American Hustle, and Joy are all vastly different performances, but each were commanding in their uncompromising vision of character and depth. In addition to these fine performances, she was award-caliber in The Hunger Games franchise as well as a potent part of the X-Men universe and even her weaker performance in 2016’s Passengers, she’s shown remarkable range and versatility as an actor.

Logan Lerman (1992 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – 25-year-old Logan Lerman made his big screen debut at the age of 8 in 2000 in Roland Emmerich’s Mel Gibson starrer The Patriot. From there, he’s made numerous appearances, but his genuine breakout came in 2012 as the lead in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. My first introduction to him was as the protagonist of Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief two years earlier. He showed great promise I that film, which he later proved in Wallflower and again in Noah and especially Fury in 2014.

Jaeden Lieberher (2003 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 14-year-old Philadelphia-born actor earned awards recognition for his portrayal of Melissa McCarthy’s son who is mentored by Bill Murray in Theodore Melfi’s 2014 comedy St. Vincent. He was also unforgettable as the boy with special powers in Jeff Nichols’ 2016 sci-fi film Midnight Special with Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton, and as Clive Owen’s impressionable son in Bill Nelson’s quirky 2016 comedy The Confirmation. He has a recurring role in TV’s Masters of Sex and will soon be seen in on the big screen in The Book of Henry and It.

George MacKay (1992 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 24-year-old London-born actor made his screen debut as one of the lost boys in P.J. Hogan’s 2003 Australian film version of Peter Pan. Much on TV, he had a major role in the 2005 HBO mini-series, Tsunami: The Aftermath. He co-starred in 2008’s Definace with Daniel Craig and 2009’s The Boys Are Back with Clive Owen. He was the co-lead, along with Jack O’Connell, in 2012’s Private Peacful and starred as the closet gay marcher in 2014’s Pride. He earned a SAG nomination as part of the ensemble of 2016’s Captain Fantastic.

Carey Mulligan (1985 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Carey Mulligan received her first Oscar nomination in at the age of 24 for 2009’s An Education. Since then, she’s delivered solid and exceptional performances in films like Drive, Never Let Me Go, Shame, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis, Suffragette, and Far from the Madding Crowd. That’s not even looking at films prior to her major breakthrough. She’s a strong actress with plenty of lasting talent. At the age of 32, she’s the oldest actor on my list, but there’s no reason to believe she couldn’t ultimately outlast everyone else.

Janelle Monae (1985 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Making her big screen debut just last year, singer/songwriter Janelle Monae showed in the span of two films that she has what it takes to become a star. As one of the three primary characters of Hidden Figures, she presented a forceful interpretation that lingers long after the film ends. In Best Picture winner Moonlight, she has a brief, but pivotal role as a young woman who acts as surrogate mother for the film’s protagonist. These two largely different performances indicate a broad range and a latent talent that may prove impressive if given the opportunity to flourish.

Ruth Negga (1982 -)

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – I normally would not list someone for a single performance, but Ruth absolutely wowed me for her role in Loving. Her performance as Mildred gave the movie its heart as she moved from the meek wife to a more powerhouse role as the woman who wants her life back in the county where she grew up. She was incandescent and I hope that more directors will find work for her.

Ellen Page (1987 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Acting on the big screen from the age of 15, Ellen Page fully came into her own with her frightening and potent performance in Hard Candy. From there, her performances in films such as Juno, Whip It, Inception, Freeheld and others have shown she has a great deal of talent and range. While she has a few missteps along the way, there’s little doubt that she’s one of the top working talents working today at the age of 30.

Daniel Radcliffe (1989 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – Watching Daniel Radcliffe develop throughout the eight Harry Potter movies was a shock to see. As he grew into the iconic character, you also saw him grow into a real actor, plumbing deep into roles both on and off screen. Since the franchise ended, Radcliffe has taken risk after risk, doing Broadway musicals, difficult plays, and independent movies. This year, he completely won me over with his work in Swiss Army Man, where his talking corpse showed an impressive technical aspect to his acting.

Daisy Ridley (1992 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 24-year-old London-born actress is the youngest of five sisters with show business in her veins. Her great-uncle was British actor-playwright Arnold Ridley (1896-1984), best known for the long-running British TV series Dad’s Army (1968-1977). Daisy is also a classically-trained ballet dancer and mezzo-soprano who recorded “At the Ballet” with Barbra Streisand and Anne Hathaway for Streisand’s latest album. On screen, she became an overnight sensation in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Look for her in Kenneth Branagh’s remake of Murder on the Orient Express.

Margot Robbie (1990 -)

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Originally I was not sure how much Margot could act, but she showed spirit in The Wolf of Wall Street. An amusing cameo in The Big Short and the role of Jane did not elevate her much. Then she played Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad. It was not a very good film, but she created a very vibrant character in it. I look forward to seeing what else she can do.

Saoirse Ronan (1994 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Her magnificent performance in Atonement, brought Saoirse Ronan her first Oscar nomination at the surprising age of 13. Her most recent nomination for her sublime work in Brooklyn came at the age of 21. She currently ranks as the eighth youngest Best Actress nominee in history and seventh youngest Best Supporting Actress nominee. In that eight-year span, she has delivered strong performances in a number of films including The Lovely Bones, Hanna, and The Grand Budapest Hotel. If she has that kind of capability now, imagine where she’ll be a decade from now?

Commentary by Tripp Burton – Having garnered two Oscar nominations by the time she could legally drink, Saoirse Ronan proved from the onset that she was an extraordinarily mature, yet also honest, young actress. Her conniving little sister in Atonement gave way to a series of different, yet equally impressive, roles in action films (Hanna), dramas (The Lovely Bones, Brooklyn), and comedy (The Grand Budapest Hotel). She has carried most of these films with grace and intelligence, often feeling wise beyond her years, but not in the mechanical ways that many child actors can come off. She is a born natural on screen, and every film she makes is an intelligent next step in a promising career.

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Saorise earned an Oscar nomination in her first year in films, as the young girl in Atonement. She followed that up as the young murder victim in The Lovely Bones. Both performances were good, but then she was absolutely radiant as the protagonist in Brooklyn. For Atonement and Brooklyn, she earned a full set of Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globes, and SAG nominations, so it should not take too long for her to join the winners circle with her talent.

Tye Sheridan (1996 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – Like many, I first discovered Tye Sheridan in The Tree of Life, where he held his own opposite Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain in a difficult piece of material. Since then, he has held his own with some of our biggest personalities — Matthew McConaughey (Mud), Nicolas Cage (Joe), Ewan McGregor (Last Days in the Desert) — as well as standing out among ensembles of his best young peers in The Stanford Prison Experiment and the latest X-Men movie. He feels like the kind of actor who will move seamlessly from big budget Hollywood spectacle to small, challenging indie work, with gusto and charisma. Coming up next is Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, and hopefully it will launch him fully into the A-List that he deserves to be on.

Kiernan Shipka (1999 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – Kiernan Shipka feels a little like a cheat here because not only is she still a teenager, but she also hasn’t made the move to the big screen in the way that the others on my list have. Her performance as Sally Draper on seven seasons of Mad Men, though, was revelatory and shows all the signs of a great actress in the making. She continually shocked the audience with a maturity, an emotional honesty, and an acting prowess that stood head and shoulders next to some of the best actors working today. If we don’t yet know what sort of range she will have, we have some idea of the depths she can bring to a role and I am fascinated to see where she chooses to go next.

Hailee Steinfeld (1996 -)

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Hailee was only 13 when she made True Grit, stamping the character of Mattie Ross with her own character. She earned SAG, BAFTA, and Oscar nominations for the role. Her work in The Edge of Seventeen may have come close to repeating that feat this year, except for a packed set of actresses vying for the five slots. Only 20 now, she has plenty of time to keep wowing us.

Emma Stone (1988 -)

Commentary by Wesley Lovell – Emma Stone began her big screen career at 19 in the film Superbad in 2007, but it was her performance 2 years later in Zombieland that propelled her into her true breakout performance in Easy A in 2010. That performance deserved an Oscar nomination, but she wouldn’t earn her first until 2014 for her supporting work in Birdman. After Easy A, she gave strong performances in The Help and The Amazing Spider-Man, but reached a brand new level when she earned her second Oscar nomination and a win this past Sunday for her luminous performance in La La Land. She has a promising career stretching far into the future.

Jacob Tremblay (2006 -)

Commentary by Peter J. Patrick – The 10-year-old Vancouver-born actor made his film debut as Blue in the 2013 mixed live-action and animation film The Smurfs 2. He was nominated for and/or won numerous awards for his portrayal of the spirited five-year-old boy who is confined with its devoted mother (Brie Larson) in a 10×10 space they call the Room, the 2015 film that earned her an Oscar and him roles in ten productions since. Look for him as Julia Roberts’ scarred son in The Wonder and as Naomi Watts’ son and Jaeden Lieberher’s younger brother in The Book of Henry.

Emma Watson (1990 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – To think that Emma Watson almost left acting after the Harry Potter films finished is a close call. Since graduating from Hermione Granger, where she became the intelligent moral center of the franchise, Watson has stretched herself in a variety of roles and wonderful material. In films as varied as The Bling Ring, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and This Is the End, she proved herself to be game at commenting on her own persona while also bringing depth where her peers seem to settle for just skating the surface. Now, she is reentering movie star mode with The Circle and Beauty and the Beast, but doing it as a bona fide film actress and I am fascinated to see how she manages those two worlds intelligently.

Shailene Woodley (1991 -)

Commentary by Tripp Burton – There is something raw and unpolished about Shailene Woodley as an actress, and that is what draws her to me the most. Her best work feels messy, leaning on honesty over polish and giving the appearance that she is being caught in a moment. Her best performances, in films like The Descendants, White Bird in a Blizzard, The Fault in Our Stars, and, especially, The Spectacular Now, she feels like she is just being let loose on the screen, and she leaves no actor, whether her own generation or older, behind. More than anyone else on my list, I cannot wait to see where she goes from here, and how she chooses to channel all of the natural talent she has into something ferocious.

Commentary by Thomas La Tourrette – Shailene made an impressive movie debut in The Descendants, easily holding her own against George Clooney, who played her father. She probably came close to an Oscar nomination for the role. As a sick girl in The Fault in Our Stars she showed more emotional range. The Allegiant and Divergent movies were seen by more people, but did not showcase her range. The smaller role as Edward Snowden’s girlfriend did that, and shows that she will be a force to be reckoned with.