Sky Cinema
Every generation has them – the teenage actors who make it big, either on TV or in the cinema. But what happens after that? Some simply don’t make the transition to adult stardom, for a whole host of reasons. Others continue their acting career but never hit the same heights again. And then there are those that go all the way, right to the top. Like Jodie Foster. After regular appearances on TV since the age of seven, she was just 12 when she controversially played a teenage prostitute in Scorsese’s Taxi Driver. Or Natalie Portman. Discovered at the age of 11, she made her debut in Leon, while Leonardo Di Caprio was still in his teens when he stunned as the intellectually challenged boy in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
All three – and there are plenty more – went on to be A-listers and all won Oscars. So could Zac Efron be following in their wake? His turn as serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, has been regarded by many as a watershed for him, miles away from his usual lightweight, pretty boy roles. And, while his resemblance to Bundy is startling, his performance is more than just skin deep. The signs of a more serious actor trying to emerge were there in Paperboy and, more latterly, The Greatest Showman, but this could turn out to be his big chance to make that transition from teen star to serious acting contender.
Here’s five more who’ve made the grade in recent years – and one who we believe is destined for the top. It’s just a matter of time …..
Robert Pattinson
The British actor attracted a serious fan following thanks to The Twilight Saga but such popularity and fame had its downside. That teen idol label stuck to him like glue, proving extremely difficult to shake off. His first attempt at something weightier, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis, got a lukewarm reception, although subsequent outings in The Rover and Anton Corbijn’s Life showed he was capable of more. An eclectic choice of roles have not only stretched him but allowed him to demonstrate range and talent. His hyped-up incompetent bank robber in the Safdie brother’s Good Time was a wake-up call for those who still dismissed him as an actor, while May sees the release of High Life, where he plays as astronaut struggling to cope with isolation in outer space. And alongside the likes of John David Washington and Elizabeth Debicki, he’s also signed up for Christopher Nolan’s next project. That will be worth seeing.
Chloe Grace Moretz
At 22 and with over 60 movies and TV shows already under her belt, it feels like Moretz has been around for ever. Not that we’re complaining. Her acting career began when she was barely old enough to go to school, with her breakthrough following at just 12 – leads in both Hugo and Kick-Ass. Since then, it’s as if we’ve watched her grow up before our very eyes, seeing her blossom in the challenging title role of The Miseducation Of Cameron Post and providing the opening sequences of Suspiria. This year takes her into even more new territory, pitching her against the formidable talents of Isabelle Huppert in the recently-released Greta and lending her voice to Wednesday in the much-anticipated animated version of The Addams Family. Super hero movies, horror, thriller, drama …. she’s done them all in way fewer years than most. And there’s more to come.
Daniel Radcliffe
After a long and much-publicised casting process, the 12 year old Radcliffe came from nowhere to grab the most coveted role at the start of the 2000s. Harry Potter. Eight films followed over the course of the decade, culminating with the second and final part of Deathly Hallows and the inevitable “what next?” was hard on its heels. He’d dabbled in some TV while playing Harry, but the boy wizard had been all-consuming. It was time to do something different, and Radcliffe pursued a deliberate path of leaving his most famous role as far behind him as possible, launching himself on stage in productions of Equus and The Woman In Black (he starred in the film version as well), as well as key roles in a number of indie movies, from Kill Your Darlings to Swiss Army Man. While they’ve taken his acting in all manner of directions, in truth they’ve not hit quite the heights we might have expected. But give the guy a break. He’s only 29 and, by continually stretching himself in this way, he can’t fail.
Kristen Stewart
Bella Swan in The Twilight Saga came her way when she was 17, although she’d been acting since before hitting double figures. But Kristen Stewart divides opinion like no other, even more than former co-star R Patz. It’s not always easy to see why. Fresh out of Twilight, she delivered two of her most accomplished performances: Juliette Binoche’s resourceful but enigmatic assistant in Clouds Of Sils Maria and Julianne Moore’s daughter in Still Alice. Moore may have won the Oscar, but Stewart was equally impressive, breathing life into a role that could have been too good to be true. Personal Shopper may not have been to everybody’s taste, but there was no doubting her command of the screen and this year has seen her in the feminist take on the Lizzie Borden legend. All striking projects, if not ones that put her in front of mass audiences. But that looks all about to change with the Charlie’s Angels remake later this year. It could take her career to another level.
Elle Fanning
With her 21st birthday just behind her, Fanning has already developed an impressive roll call, one that’s overtaken that of older sister Dakota. After a debut at the tender age of three, playing a younger version of her sister in I Am Sam, a variety of TV and film roles followed until she graduated into bigger titles including The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button and Super 8. In more recent years, she’s shown a capacity for challenging, intense dramas and period pieces, such as The Neon Demon and The Beguiled, as well as gentler but nonetheless thought-provoking pieces like 20th Century Women. Later this year she appears on Teen Spirit, a Cinderella story set in the music industry. All performances that any actor would be proud of and which make Fanning one of the most watchable of the current crop of younger talent. Her inclusion in this year’s Cannes jury shows just how seriously she’s regarded.
And watch out for …… Raffey Cassidy
With a career that started when she was just seven, Cassidy found herself well and truly in the spotlight starring alongside no less than George Clooney in Disney’s Tomorrowland. The reviews for the film itself may have been less than glowing, but she was singled out as a talent to watch out for and, while her output hasn’t exactly been prolific in subsequent years, her choice of roles has been astutely designed to stretch her as an actor. And she keeps high-profile company. Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell in The Killing Of A Sacred Deer and now one-time teenage star, Natalie Portman in, Vox Lux. Everybody’s talking about Portman’s powerhouse acting, but Cassidy plays a double role and is hardly ever off the screen. It’s astonishingly assured work from an 18 year old.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile is released in cinemas and on Sky TV on Friday, 3 May.
Watch our interview with director Joe Berlinger here.
