Attention, Academy: These 15 faces will diversify the future of Oscars
It's no secret that #OscarsSoWhite has plagued the Academy Awards for two years in a row. The good news: There are plenty of talented up-and-coming actors and filmmakers of color who make us think that could change sooner than later.
USA TODAY identifies 15 rising stars in Hollywood poised to be future Oscar nominees:
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CHADWICK BOSEMAN, 39
What's next: Playing superhero in Captain America: Civil War (May 6) and Black Panther (2018), and going to the Supreme Court for the biopic Marshall.
Why we love him: Black Panther will boost his profile for mainstream moviegoers, but it’s his role as a young Thurgood Marshall — his third African-American icon, after Jackie Robinson in 42 and James Brown in Get On Up — that’ll have the Academy taking notice.
RYAN COOGLER, 29
What’s next: Taking the director’s chair for Marvel’s Black Panther (2018).
Why we love him: Coogler won acclaim for his debut, Fruitvale Station, and his second movie, Creed, snagged an Oscar nod for Sylvester Stallone. When Marvel is calling for gigs and you’re under 30, you’re doing something right.
ÉDGAR RAMÍREZ, 38
What’s next: Boarding the literary adaptation The Girl on the Train (Oct. 7); lacing up boxing gloves for the Roberto Duran biopic Hands of Stone (Aug. 26); venturing into the jungle with Matthew McConaughey for Gold (2016).
Why we love him: The Venezuelan actor impressed as Jennifer Lawrence’s ex in Joy and is set for bigger things with another pair of A-listers — not only McConaughey but also Robert De Niro (in Hands of Stone).
JAMES WAN, 38
What’s next: Scaring folks again with The Conjuring 2 (June 10); hitting the seven seas with star Jason Momoa for Aquaman (2018).
Why we love him: The Malaysian-born director co-created the Saw series but broke out of the scare-fest mold by helming the blockbuster Furious 7. And for those who think he’s too much of a genre guy? Steven Spielberg started out in horror and action movies, and he’s done OK in the Oscar department.
ANDRE HOLLAND, 36
What's next: Starring alongside Naomie Harris and Mahershala Ali in the coming-of-age drama Moonlight, based on Tarell McCraney's play In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue.
Why we love him: Holland has demanded attention in everything we've seen — from charismatic, Harvard-educated surgeon Algernon Edwards alongside Clive Owen in Cinemax's The Knick to politician Andrew Young in 2014's Selma.
JONAS CUARÓN, 34
What's next: The writer and director will put his own stamp on the Zorro reboot Z.
Why we love him: The Mexican-born son of Oscar-winning Gravity director Alfonso Cuarón not only has the DNA, but he also co-wrote the Gravity screenplay. He has already taken on compelling topics, such as Desierto (spring), which features a racist vigilante (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) seeking to destroy an unarmed group crossing the border from Mexico.
ANA DE ARMAS, 27
What's next: De Armas stars alongside Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramírez and Usher in boxer Roberto Duran's story Hands of Stone, as a car thief alongside Scott Eastwood in Overdrive and in the comedy-drama War Dogs by Hangover director Todd Phillips.
Why we love her: Cuban-born de Armas kicked the Hollywood door wide open in the attention-grabbing role of a beautiful, dangerous stranger threatening Keanu Reeves in Eli Roth's 2015 thriller Knock Knock.
OSCAR ISAAC, 36
What’s next: Why leave it at one hit franchise when you can have two? The Guatemalan-born actor soon stars in X-Men: Apocalypse (May 27).
Why we love him: Isaac's work has impressed for years, thanks to projects like A Most Violent Year, Inside Llewyn Davis and Ex Machina. (Did you know he went to Juilliard with Jessica Chastain?) But a little movie called Star Wars: The Force Awakens has elevated Isaac to a new stratosphere.
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GUGU MBATHA-RAW, 32
What’s next: Mbatha-Raw will star opposite Matthew McConaughey in the Civil War drama Free State of Jones (May 13).
Why we love her: The stunning actress can do it all. Mbatha-Raw held her own against Will Smith in Concussion and earned raves for 2013’s Belle. And if you missed seeing her play a fierce pop star in the excellent love story Beyond the Lights (with Nate Parker!), hop to it.
NATE PARKER, 36
What’s next: If you haven’t heard of The Birth of A Nation yet, you will soon: It’s the slavery drama that swept this year’s top prizes at Sundance Film Festival.
Why we love him: He's talented and driven. The Beyond the Lights and Red Tails star wrote, directed, produced and starred in Birth, which chronicles the slave rebellion led by Nat Turner in 1831.
MICHAEL B. JORDAN, 29
What’s next: Jordan’s risky Rocky reboot, Creed, was a smash success, and things look good for Creed 2 (2017).
Why we love him: After earning chops in TV's The Wire and Friday Night Lights, Jordan burst onto the silver screen in 2013’s Fruitvale Station before triumphing in the ring with Rocky.
J.A. BAYONA, 40
What's next: Fantasy drama A Monster Calls, about a boy struggling with his mother's terminal illness, has an awards-friendly release date of Oct. 14 and stars Felicity Jones, Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver. Bayona also is considered a front-runner to direct Jurassic World's follow-up.
Why we love him: The Spanish director has two critically acclaimed movies under his belt in 2007 horror film The Orphanage and 2012 tsunami drama The Impossible, starring Naomi Watts in an Oscar-nominated performance.
JASON MITCHELL, 29
What's next: He stars opposite Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele in cat comedy caper Keanu (April 29) before reuniting with Straight Outta Compton co-star Corey Hawkins for Kong: Skull Island (2017).
Why we love him: Winningly charismatic on and offscreen, Mitchell also showed considerable depth with his breakout performance in Compton, playing AIDS-afflicted rapper Eazy-E.
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AMMA ASANTE, 46
What's next: Her third feature film as a director, A United Kingdom, is expected this fall and stars David Oyelowo as first Botswanan president Seretse Khama, whose marriage to a white woman (Rosamund Pike) caused outrage in 1948.
Why we love her: The Ghanaian-British director put Gugu Mbatha-Raw on our radars with Belle, a beautifully realized and illuminating slavery drama that was also one of the biggest specialty box office hits of 2014.
TESSA THOMPSON, 32
What's next: Now appearing off-Broadway in Smart People, Thompson will hit the small screen later this year in HBO series Westworld. She's also lined up Annihilation with Ex Machina director Alex Garland.
Why we love her: With a stacked résumé including comedies (Dear White People) and dramas (Selma), it was her Creed turn as Adonis' ambitious girlfriend and emotional sparring partner that solidified her star-on-the-rise status.