33 Actors Who Gave Such Award-Worthy Performances, It's Hard To Believe They Were All Under 23 Years Old At The Time
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We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which young actors have given award-worthy performances they can't stop thinking about it. They gave us both past and present young actors who absolutely crushed these TV and movie roles. Here are some of the best responses:
Warning: In order to show some of their very best scenes, there are MASSIVE spoilers in the photos below!
1.First, Kit Connor as Nick Nelson in Heartstopper (2022–present):
"Kit Connor was amazing when he did the coming-out scene in Heartstopper! I loved how emotional the scene was, and he even made Olivia Colman cry."
2.Annarah Cymone as Leeza in Midnight Mass (2021):
"She had me in tears when her character confronted Joe Collie about causing the accident that paralyzed her."
3.Milly Alcock as young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon (2022–present):
"House of the Dragon Season 1 was so good, and it started with all the young actors who introduced us to these characters. Milly Alcock, alongside Emily Carey, brought Rhaenyra and Alicent to life so great. Milly's work alongside Matt Smith as Daemon was something I still think about, and I can't wait to see what she does next!"
4.Macaulay Culkin as Henry Evans in The Good Son (1993):
"Obviously in Home Alone, but he was great in a movie called The Good Son. Super-dark role in a really dark movie. Young Elijah Wood is great in it as well!"
5.Saoirse Ronan as young Briony Tallis in Atonement (2007):
"It was the first thing I saw her in, and I hated her for years because of that performance, simply because she was SO good at playing the villain. She wasn't even in the full movie, and it earned her an Oscar nomination. She's really just had phenomenal talent right from the beginning of her career. Still waiting for her long-overdue Oscar win."
6.Josh Hutcherson as Jess Aaron in Bridge to Terabithia (2007):
Suggested by: alyssah39
7.Sophie Nélisse as young Shauna Shipman in Yellowjackets:
"Really, all of the teen actors in Yellowjackets are incredible! They had the same idiosyncrasies as their adult counterparts did, and were all fantastic in their scenes!"
8.Roman Griffin Davis as Johannes "Jojo" Betzler in Jojo Rabbit (2019):
"He was really able to strike that balance between maturity and innocence that the role required. He was also able to make me laugh and cry throughout the film multiple times. I’m really excited to see what he does in the future because that kid's going places."
9.Jenna Ortega as Vada Cavell in The Fallout (2021):
"She's amazing in the whole movie, but when she takes drugs in school and is literally melting down on the stairs until her friend finds her. You have to be an incredible actor to act like that while completely sober."
10.Kim Su-an as Su-an in Train to Busan (2016):
"Her performance in that movie truly blows me away and moves me to tears no matter how many times I watch it!"
11.Keisha Castle-Hughes as Paikea Apirana in Whale Rider (2002):
"She was fantastic in every moment, but the scene that sticks out the most for me was when she was performing the chant. She was devastated by her grandfather not coming, but she was also very strong and had worked so hard on the chant that she wasn't going to crumble and not deliver it. She portrays a wonderful mix of dignity and stoic grief, and she was only 12 years old."
12.Jacob Tremblay as Auggie Pullman in Wonder (2017):
"I saw him first in Room, which he was phenomenal in, but then I saw him as Auggie in Wonder, and he knocked it out the park. I have yet to see a bad performance from him, and I can’t wait to see what he does next."
13.Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things (2016–present):
"The 'Running Up That Hill' scene qualifies her enough for this list, but her heartbreaking finale performance doubles down, and her ability to convey different emotions over each episode is phenomenal. Absolutely snubbed by the Emmys this year, and deserves one next year, too."
14.Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things (2016–present):
"Literally all of the main kids during Season 4 of Stranger Things, but specifically the moment during Max's 'death' scene when Lucas is holding her and they're both scared and crying, thinking Max is going to die. Caleb screaming, 'Erica, help!' Those quotes just pull at your heartstrings."
15.Gavin McHugh as Christopher Diaz in 9-1-1 (2018–present):
"So many of his scenes come to mind, but during the tsunami when he and Buck are on the fire truck, he really pulls at the heartstrings! Also, the very eerie, 'Where did all the water go?' line. Chills."
16.Dafne Keen as Laura/X-23 in Logan (2017):
"She was fucking incredible at playing the rage and ferocity of Laura/X-23."
17.Quvenzhané Wallis as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012):
"I left the theater with damp eyes, having no idea that I’d been silently streaming tears throughout the entirety of this beautiful and moving film, and her performance was otherworldly."
18.Madeleine McGraw as Gwen in The Black Phone (2021):
"Mason Thames did a fantastic job too, but Madeleine's passion and emotional depth really shone and elevated the movie as a whole. It gave the movie layers of complexity you wouldn't normally expect with a standard horror film."
19.Dakota Fanning as Lucy Diamond Dawson in I Am Sam (2001):
"As problematic as that movie is today, Dakota Fanning in I Am Sam is otherworldly. Seeing her follow that performance in movies like War of the World and Man on Fire just solidified her as a star. When you can hold your own with actors like Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, and Sean Penn all before the age of 10, you're clearly made for this."
20.Amir Wilson as Will Parry in His Dark Materials (2019–present):
"Particularly the scene with his dad played by Andrew Scott. It’s hard to keep up with an actor who has been in the industry for 20-plus years, but Amir contributes to the scene's poignancy just as much as Andrew does."
21.Mckenna Grace as young Tonya Harding in I, Tonya (2017):
"Mckenna Grace in ANYTHING, really. She played young Tonya Harding so well, I almost handed her an Oscar through the screen, especially during the scene when she's trying to convince her dad not to leave."
22.Mckenna Grace as Esther Keyes in The Handmaid's Tale (2017–present):
"She is so talented, and her performance is so incredibly impressive! I can’t wait to see what she does next!"
23.Kyliegh Curran as Abra Stone in Doctor Sleep (2019):
Suggested by: heroanhart
24.Aidan Gallagher as Number Five in The Umbrella Academy (2019–present):
"Not every actor could believably pull off playing Number Five, a time-traveling assassin who's now an old man trapped in a teen's body, but he does it marvelously."
25.Kirsten Dunst as Claudia in Interview With the Vampire (1994):
"At just 12 years old, she was able to show her character, Claudia, changing from a child to an adult trapped in a child’s body. Probably the best performance in the movie."
26.Julian Dennison as Ricky Baker in Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016):
"Comedy is way harder than it looks, and he was seriously funny while also nailing the emotional and dramatic scenes. Super talented!"
27.Mia Isaac as Rowan in Not Okay (2022):
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28.Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Miles in The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020):
"The way that little boy could let you know which person he was playing just by his body language. He was the best part of the series for me."
29.Julia Butters as Trudi Fraser in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019):
"She not only held her own in scenes with Leonardo DiCaprio, but she shone. The kid has some serious acting chops."
30.Henry Thomas as Elliott in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982):
Suggested by: melpomeneblue
31.Brooklynn Prince as Moonee in The Florida Project (2017):
32.Christian Bale as Jim Graham in Empire of the Sun (1987):
"I think he was around 13 at the time but already a great actor, and carried the film. It's literally his second acting credit."
33.And finally, Anna Paquin as Flora McGrath in The Piano (1993):
"This is going back a long ways, but I remember being stunned by how good Anna Paquin was in The Piano."
We can't fit everyone into one post, so which other young actors have given amazing or even underrated performances? Tell us in the comments below!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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