In the 2010s, cinemas and TV screens were blessed with varied performances by child actors. Most of them were good because children can do no wrong. An 8-year-old boy cannot come to the set late as Marlon Brando did in Apocalypse Now. Out of the hundreds of young actors, a few of them really proved that what adults can do, children can do better.
These children looked like they were fresh out of film school. But they were simply following the director's instructions and doing what came naturally to them. Here are 10 of our favorite child performances of the last decade from the good to the very best.
10 Tom Holland: The Impossible (2012)
Tom is best known for his role as Peter Parker aka Spiderman aka Iron Boy (not really) in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but before he got donned the spidey costume, he was giving memorable performances as a child actor. He is also known to be hilarious but here, it was doom and gloom.
In The Impossible, Holland plays Lucas, the eldest child in a family that goes on vacation in Thailand only for them to get separated by the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts play his parents in the film. Most of the film sees Lucas trying to locate his family while trying to ensure his injured mother gets medical assistance. Holland was nominated for a number of awards for this role including Most Promising Performer at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards.
9 Dafne Keen: Logan (2017)
Keen is definitely the most logical choice to take over the mantle of Wolverine after Hugh Jackman's exit. She was just too good in Logan. In the movie which is set in 2029, Keen plays Laura aka X-23, a young mutant with adamantium claws who never hesitates to slice any villains that come looking for her.
Even though the film focuses on the final adventure of an ailing Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), it's Dafne's character that steals the show. She does more growling than speaking but that makes her character even more likable. Keen was nominated for seven awards by different organizations for her performance. Sadly, there is still no news of a solo movie about her. Come on Marvel!
8 Jacob Tremblay: Room (2015)
In the movie Room, a 5-year-old boy called Jack knows nothing else in the world apart from the little room that he has spent his entire life in with his 24-year-old mum Joy (Brie Larson). The two are actually captives of Jack's father. who abducted Joy many years ago and has a habit of sexually assaulting her.
Jack's mum tries to convince him that only the room is real in order to make him content with his fate. However, he manages to flee from the room and sees what the world is really like for the first time. Room won numerous awards. Tremblay was also nominated for several awards, ultimately winning Best Young Performer at the Critics Choice Awards.
7 Abraham Attah: Beasts Of No Nation (2015)
Movies about African civil wars rank high on the emotional meter and Beasts Of No Nation was no different. Directed by the phenomenal Cary Fukunaga, the film sees a young Agu (Abraham Attah) join a group of child soldiers after his father and brother are killed by government forces that are hunting rebels.
The group is led by an adult simply known as Commandant (Idris Elba) who ends up developing a liking for Agu. But will the bond last? Not really, because Agu has a conscience. Agu is often at conflict with himself and this makes the audience root for him. For his performance, Attah was nominated for Best Actor at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the NAACP Image Awards
6 Ahn Seo-hyun: Okja (2017)
Acting alongside a CGI creature requires plenty of skill. You have to pretend that you are talking to and bonding with a living thing that's actually not there. It might be an easy thing to do for a veteran in the industry but what if you are just a child who is getting into the movie business? If your name is Ahn Seo-hyun, it'll be easy too.
In the movie, she plays a girl called Mija who is raising a genetically modified super pig called Okja and protecting it from the evil CEO of an organization that's trying to profit from the animal. Even when she's interacting with actual humans and not animals, Ahn proves that has all the charisma and lose-yourself-in-the-role ability to be a major Hollywood star in the future. The film is directed by Bong Joon-ho who hit worldwide fame last year for his Oscar-nominated film Parasite.
5 Michael Rainey Jr: Power (2014 - present)
In the Starz original series Power, Michael Rainey Jr plays a character that can be termed as the most annoying in television. Rainey is Tariq St. Patrick, the son of nightclub owner and drug dealer James St. Patrick. He feels that school is a waste of time and believes he was born to be a gangster. Sadly, he is not as skilled as his father.
His views and unruly behavior lead to frequent clashes with his parents. He is also a master at backstabbing those close to him. Due to his poor decisions, he also ends up causing the deaths of several people including his sister and his father's lawyer.
4 Bailee Madison: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is one of those movies that make you afraid to go to bed alone even if you are a horror hardcore. The script was written by Guillermo Del Toro. It's the type of story Stephen King wishes he had penned. Don't worry King. You have so many great tales to your name.
In the movie, an architect called Alex and his new lover Kim renovate their Gothic mansion and put some historical decorations. Everything seems fine but Alex's daughter Sally (Bailee Madison) believes there are voices whispering to her from the mansion's basement. When she decides to check it out, she is met with her demonic world of little monsters who become impossible to contain.
3 Millie Bobbie Brown: Stranger Things (2016 - present)
Millie first appeared in the Netflix science-fiction series Stranger Things when she was 12-years-old. For her performance in the show, she has received a cumulative total of 28 award nominations across various organizations. She has won 9, making her the most decorated cast member of the show.
In Stranger Things, she plays Eleven, a girl with telepathic powers who manages to escape the Hawkins Laboratory where she was being used as a specimen for scientific experiments. Millie also has the honor of being the youngest person to feature in Time Magazine's annual list of 100 Most Influential People.
2 Quvenzhané Wallis: Beasts Of The Southern Wild (2012)
At only 9-years-old, Wallis became the youngest person to be nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars. Apart from her Oscar nomination, Wallis won 13 other acting awards for her role in the movie. Former US president Barack Obama even called the film "Spectacular" in an interview with People Magazine.
In Beasts Of The Southern Wild, Wallis plays a girl called Hushpuppy who begins searching for her mother after her father Wink falls ill. Wink had prepared Hushpuppy for the day when he would no longer be able to take care of her but it comes sooner than she expected, accompanied by weird phenomena. Temperatures rise, ice caps melt and the sea levels surge. Consequently, an army of prehistoric beasts known as the auroras emerge to reclaim earth from humans.
1 Roman Griffin Davis: Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Roman Griffin Davis has received plenty of praise for his role in Jojo Rabbit. He ended up being nominated for a Golden Globe but sadly, the Oscars snubbed him. However, the Critics Choice Awards handed him the Best Young Actor award. Griffin is also rumored to play the antagonist in the Home Alone reboot. He has big shoes to fill because no one can forget Macaulay Calkin.
In this World War II satirical film, Roman Griffin Davis plays a young boy called Jojo who is shocked to discover that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is providing shelter for a young Jewish girl in their home's attic. Since he has grown up knowing jews are evil, he is placed in a dilemma. The fact that he keeps having visions of Adolf Hitler doesn't help.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2TNOXNT
No comments: