Awarding the Rising Stars of Hollywood: The Case for a Best Young Performer Oscar (and who should win it)
The Academy is missing out on a golden opportunity without a category that celebrates the next generation of actors.
Disclaimer: This article is for entertainment only and the views expressed are questionable at best. Don't take anything in this article too seriously, including any mistakes made by the author.
From widely acclaimed epics to thought-provoking dramas, this year’s movies contained no lack of star power. Armageddon Time brought together Academy Award winners Anne Hathaway and Anthony Hopkins with Emmy Winner Jeremy Strong. The Whale signaled the triumphant return of Brendan Fraser. Stephen Spielberg’s The Fablemans paired Michelle Williams and Paul Dano (with help from Seth Rogen). And the captivating performance from Danielle Deadwyler in Till made her an overnight sensation.
These films tugged at our heartstrings, with tales of friendship, love, despair and death, making them some of the most talked about movies of the year. But as the red carpets are rolled out and industry insiders predict who might be in line for the big awards, older members of Hollywood’s elite dominate the discussion. While familiar faces grace the pundits’ list of potential Oscar winners, the fresh-faced talents of tomorrow who were integral to the success of these films are nowhere to be found.
But no more! At least, not here. The Academy should recognize and reward the hard work and immense talent of young actors by introducing a Best Young Performer award. This award would bring much-needed visibility to the diverse crop of young performers in Hollywood and inject a fun jolt of youth into the ceremony itself.
The Need for a Best Young Performer Award
An Academy Award nomination has proven to be a game-changer for young talents (See, for example, Jennifer Lawrence); the acknowledgement gives them greater recognition, allowing them to access better roles and higher pay (See, again, Jennifer Lawrence).
A specific award for young actors would be beneficial in a number of ways. Firstly, it would provide a platform to recognize and celebrate the talents of young actors who are otherwise overlooked in the industry. It could also serve as a way to shine a spotlight on the work of young actors and to acknowledge their achievements, which could help to increase their visibility and credibility in the industry.
As importantly, a specific award for young actors could also help to break down stereotypes and bias surrounding young actors in the industry. By celebrating the talents and achievements of young actors, the discussion surrounding the award could help to challenge the perception that young actors are not as capable or serious as their adult counterparts, and pave the way for them to be considered for more diverse and challenging roles.
But what’s in it for the Academy? Well, the presence of young stars on the red carpet would help to inject much-needed energy and enthusiasm into the Oscars, making the ceremony more relevant and appealing to a younger audience. Younger actors often have a strong social media presence, with many young fans following their work, and that would increase youth viewership and create the next generation of fans (certainly more than adding a Best Popular Film category would). By recognizing the achievements of young actors, the awards show could also help to connect with a younger audience who may not have been as invested in the event before.
The Academy’s Tumultuous History with Young Actors
Jackie Cooper achieved a milestone in Hollywood when he became the first kid ever to be nominated for an Academy Award. Just nine years old in 1931, he made history with his Best Actor nomination for the film Skippy. Although he did not win, some members of the Academy found Cooper's nomination alone hard to accept. They weren't pleased with the idea of a young child being pitted against veteran actors.
This envy continued to fester during the 1934 Oscar nomination process for Best Actress. As Shirley Temple Black wrote in her 1988 autobiography Child Star:
During the 1934 nominations for best actress, a vicious cat fight had erupted. My name was on the nomination list and odds-makers had me an almost certainty to win. Myrna Loy (The Thin Man) and Bette Davis (Of Human Bondage) had both been ignored in the nominations and write-in campaigns had been threatened. This quarrelsome affair had forced Academy officials to rescind both my nomination and the Academy rules against write-ins and devise a compromise. I would be excluded from the best actress category altogether. A diminutive Oscar would be awarded me in a “special-award” category.
This special award, a pint-sized trophy known as the Academy Juvenile Award, was presented at the discretion of the Academy—there was no nomination process. Instead, it was doled out to young actors and actresses “who made significant contributions to film” (while conveniently keeping them out of contention for the main awards). The trophy was presented periodically from 1935 to 1961 and was eventually discontinued. Notable winners of the award include Mickey Rooney (1939), Deanna Durbin (1940), Margaret O'Brien (1944), and Elizabeth Taylor (1945).
The Juvenile Award was discontinued in 1961, due in part to criticism that it was demeaning to young actors and actresses and did not fully recognize their contributions to the film industry. However, the legacy of the award lives on, as many of its recipients went on to have successful careers in the entertainment industry.
The very next year, at just sixteen years old, Patty Duke was not only nominated for Best Supporting Actress with her performance in The Miracle Worker, she won. With this, she became the youngest person ever to receive this award and paved the way for child actors to be recognized as worthy contenders in competitive categories alongside adults. Since then, unfortunately, young nominees have been the exception, not the norm. You’ve heard the names, often as answers to trivia questions: Tatum O’Neal, Anna Paquin, Justin Henry, Haley Joel Osment, Quvenzhané Wallis, Hailee Steinfeld.
Let’s Create a Better Award
What should a Best Young Performer category look like, and who should be able to qualify? Is it for actors under 25, 18, or even 13? If we want to recognize actors whose performances are praised, but who don't usually receive due recognition during award season, then let's look at the data:
This graph shows the nominations of actors aged 25 or younger since 2002. There is an obvious deficiency when it comes to actors who are under 20 years old, and a complete absence of late-teens actors. Fortunately, the Academy seems to be increasingly recognizing 20-somethings for their performances, (even if they’re mostly named Saoirse Ronan and Jennifer Lawrence), which signals that they have become somewhat more willing to acknowledge the performances of younger talents.
Perhaps 25 is then too inclusive. Maybe 18 is more suitable. Not only does 18 match the legal boundary between childhood and adulthood, but a lower age limit would give a greater variety of actors across all acting categories the chance for due recognition. But that begs the question: when should the cut-off be applied? At the beginning of shooting? On the day of the release? Ellar Coltrane was eight years old when Richard Linklater’s Boyhood started shooting, but was 19 by the time the movie premiered in 2014. Would they be eligible? To avoid that issue, let’s say that the actor must be under the age of 18 for the majority of filming.
Exclusive Eligibility?
Should those actors nominated for the Best Young Performer award be excluded from the traditional four acting categories? I don't think so. The Academy has long accepted campaigns across multiple award categories. Movies like Toy Story 3 and Up have been nominated for both Best Picture and Best Animated Feature. Parasite became the first film to win both Best International Feature and Best Picture. And just last year, Flee made history by getting nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary, and Best International Feature.
Number of slots?
Those opposed to a Best Young Performer award argue that there simply aren’t enough award-worthy performances from young actors in a given year to fill a ballot, at least without lowering the standards of what it means to be “an Oscar nominee.” While there is an objective component to such criticism—there are simply not as many movies starring children—the last thing the Academy needs to worry about is lowering its standards when handing out awards.
But seriously, what if there aren’t five nomination-worthy performances? Consider Best Animated Feature, which also takes a subset of nominees eligible for a bigger prize and considers them separately. Best Animated Feature has fluctuated between three and five nominees over the years. The Academy did not feel the need to fill out the remaining spots during years with fewer award-worthy submissions. If we set the range between 3 and 5 nominees, I am confident that most years will make good use of all five slots.
Gender-inclusivity?
Unlike the traditional acting categories, we won’t separate by sex. There are plenty of valid arguments for dropping the sex-based distinction in traditional awards, but it should be good enough for us that this move will allow for the greatest talent pool. Undoubtedly, there would be years with where the boys would outnumber the girls, or vice-versa. But the Oscars are no stranger to discussions of representation when it comes to the composition of its nominee slate, and that shouldn’t weigh against creating one category.
Who would have won?
Now that we have our criteria, let’s test it out retroactively. I’ll start in 2017 because that gives us enough time for me to include the indelible Sunny Pawar.
2017: Sunny Pawar
Right off the bat, I am regretting capping the award at 18, and this year shows why. Hailee Steinfeld was cast in The Edge of Seventeen four months before her nineteenth birthday. Lucas Hedges, too, was 19 when filming Manchester By the Sea. So these two are ineligible for the first ever retroactive Best Young Performer award (although Hedges was still nominated for Best Supporting Actor!).
But 2017 was still ripe with young talent. Alex R. Hibbert’s portrayal of Little in the first act of Moonlight—which I maintain is a perfect movie—was captivating and set the stage for his character’s development throughout the film. Lewis MacDougall’s portrayal of Conor O'Malley in the adaptation of A Monster Calls likewise gained him widespread acclaim. And how about Madina Nalwanga, whose role in Queen of Katwe earned her the Most Promising Actor award at 2017 Africa Movie Academy Awards in Nigeria. This is a talented bunch. But in the end, this award goes to Sunny Pawar, who, like Hibbert, portrayed the young version of the main character, here alongside Dev Patel in Lion. Pawar, at just six years old, was in complete control not just of his own emotions and feelings, but of the moviegoer’s as well. I’m not saying I cried, but I’m also not not saying that. All this talent plus the Cute Factor™️ leaves us with no other choice.
2018: Brooklynn Prince
2018 was an interesting year for award-worthy movies. Two of the nine films nominated for Best Picture were coming-of-age stories (Ladybird and Call Me by Your Name), while the other seven were very much not (Dunkirk, The Darkest Hour, Get Out, Phantom Thread, The Post, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and The Shape of Water). Call Me by Your Name elevated a then nineteen-year-old Timothée Chalamet to new heights, earning him an Academy Award nomination and setting him up as the movie star for the foreseeable future. Ladybird also matched Chalamet with Lucas Hedges and the perennial Saoirse Ronan, who herself earned a third Academy Award nomination for the film.
But alas, Chalamet, Ronan, and Hedges were too old to win Best Young Performer. And the other Best Picture nominees are seriously lacking in youth (Best Actor literally went to Gary “Oldman”). So we must look elsewhere—and isn’t that the goal?
Fortunately, we have Jacob Tremblay. You may remember the critically acclaimed Wonder, an adaptation of R. J. Palacio’s novel of the same name. Tremblay, whose character was diagnosed with Treacher Collins syndrome, donned a skull cap with prosthetic ears attached, a facial prosthetic, and a wig to tie it all together. In addition to being a superb actor, is Tremblay is a very cute kid. And nothing could be more Oscar-ish than playing against physical type (think Charlize Theron in Monster). Tremblay shined, and earned praise for his performance.
There is also a really strong case for Dafne Keen, who broke through starring as Laura in the 2017 superhero film Logan alongside Hugh Jackman. Not only did Keen’s performance receive critical acclaim, the film itself is widely considered to be one of the best, if not the best, superhero films of all time. While Logan is very much Jackman’s movie, Keen’s performance was crucial to film’s success.
Other potential nominees could include Mckenna Grace for Gifted and Millicent Simmonds for Wonderstruck, neither of which I have seen. But I will be talking more about Simmonds shortly so let’s just move on to this year's winner.
Brooklynn Prince’s Moonee was an absolute menace in The Florida Project; an extraordinarily cheeky kid whose misadventures through a Florida budget motel set the scene for one of the best movies of 2017. She played the perfect foil/partner to Willem Dafoe’s Bobby, but more importantly she effectively captured Moonee’s struggle to retain her innocence in a world determined to rid her of it.
2019: Elsie Fisher
At just thirteen years old, Elsie Fisher landed the lead role in Eighth Grade and became the oldest winner on this list. Her performance as Kayla Day, a young girl desperately trying to fit in and become an adult, was heartbreakingly real and strikingly different from most of the other roles I’ve discussed. With her petite stature and soft voice, she captured the inner turmoil of an eighth grader facing an array of social pressures and longing to be seen as mature and cool. Fisher earned a Golden Globe nomination and numerous other accolades for her performance, but disappointment struck when she was snubbed at the Oscars.
Should we even talk about the other potential nominees? Yes. Amandla Stenberg, for The Hate U Give, is an obvious choice. Her performance as Starr Carter - a young Black girl forced to stand up for justice - was met with critical acclaim and awards recognition. Millicent Simmonds gave a powerful performance in A Quiet Place where she played Regan Abbott, a deaf teenager who must rely on her wits in order to survive. She handled her character’s unique disability with subtlety and grace, making it all the more impactful when Regan uses her hearing aid to alarm creatures away from her family’s home. Thomasin McKenzie starred in Leave No Trace as Tom, who, with her veteran father played by Ben Foster, run away into the wilderness of Portland, Oregon. Through Tom’s journey, we see how complicated life can be during times of trauma — like when one has no home — and how resilience allows us to make our own way, even if it isn't perfect or idealized by society's standards. (Fun Fact: Leave No Trace is the most reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes to have an approval rating of 100%.)
2020: Roman Griffin Davis
Roman Griffin Davis' performance in Jojo Rabbit was, without question, among the best of the year. His charm and heartache as Jojo Betzler can be felt in every scene, compelling even the sternest of viewers to connect with his story. His co-stars, Archie Yates and Thomasin McKenzie, bolster the film with their hilarious takes on Nazi Germany's youth, and they each deserve recognition as well. Elsewhere, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex brought a chilling intensity to Jordan Peele's Us in dual roles as both the family’s children and their tethers. Finally, Julia Butters’ striking, albeit brief, performance as Trudi in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was unforgettable. But even in a talented field, Davis's ability to master the tone and pace of Jojo Rabbit ultimately puts him ahead of the competition.
2021: Alan Kim
Forget the awards, this is now an Alan Kim fan account. The moment David Yi, played by Alan Kim, appears on the screen in the film Minari, it’s clear that he will be the emotional center of the movie. Despite his age, Kim brought to the role an unexpected and contagious warmth, an innocence and vulnerability that is both irresistible and heartbreaking. The audience follows David through every joy and every sorrow, as he discovers the beauty and wonders of the Arkansas farm and learns the importance of family. Overall, Kim's performance in Minari is widely considered one of the highlights of the film and has garnered him numerous accolades.
Other nominees this year could include Helena Zengel for News of the World; Talia Ryder and Sidney Flanigan for Never Rarely Sometimes Always; and, for the heck of it, let’s throw in Millie Bobby Brown for Enola Holmes. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
2022: Jude Hill
Young actors delivered remarkable performances during this year, captivating audiences with their infectious charisma and emotional depth (and inspiring this article in the first place). Cooper Hoffman brought an effortless magnetism to his role as Paul in Licorice Pizza, while Woody Norman demonstrated an aptitude for comedy in his comedic delivery alongside Joaquin Phoenix in C'mon C'mon. Emilia Jones brought an unending warmth to her touching performance as Ruby in CODA, which won Best Picture. Rachel Zegler embodied Maria's spunk and strength in the classic West Side Story, while Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton won over viewers with their determined portrayals of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. But the Best Young Performer award goes to Jude Hill, whose electric performance as Buddy in Belfast charmed moviegoers around the world.
2023: ?????
Now that we are warmed up, let’s look at the proposed nominees for this year:
Frankie Corio (Aftersun)
Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja (After Yang)
Jalyn Hall (Till)
Banks Repeta (Armageddon Time)
Jaylin Webb (Armageddon Time)
An honorable mention goes to Madeleine McGraw in The Black Phone, but it wouldn’t be a real award category without at least one notable snub. Similarly, the “just missed it” awards go to The Whale’s Sadie Sink and The Fablemans’ Gabriel LaBelle, both of whom gave stellar performances in award-worthy movies, but both of whom were also 18 years old during production. That’s unfortunate, but this is still a very good list. Gender diversity? Yes. Racial diversity? Yes. Age diversity? Just enough.
I won’t presume to pick a winner, but I would love to hear who you think deserves the Best Young Performer award. Whoever it is, I hope they enjoy a full-sized (albeit imaginary) trophy for their efforts.