Bond actress Lashana Lynch and West Side Story’s Ariana DeBose are among the star-packed nominees for this year’s EE Bafta Rising Star Award.
Also making the shortlist are The Power of the Dog’s Kodi Smit-McPhee, Millicent Simmonds from A Quiet Place Part II and Harris Dickinson, who can currently be seen in The King’s Man.
The nominees were announced from Bafta’s newly redeveloped headquarters in London on Tuesday morning.
The five nominated performers were chosen by a panel of industry jurors including Bafta-winning actor and director Andy Serkis, filmmaker and actress Sadie Frost and Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery.
Celebrating its 17th year, the award is the sole category at the EE Bafta Film Awards voted for by the British public.
Speaking after the nominations were unveiled, Broadway star Ariana said she was ‘truly humbled’ as an American performer to have been recognised for the award.
‘I love the way the British public use art – I feel like you all support it in a different way [to Americans], and it really gives me hope.’
Talking about her experience playing Anita in Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of West Side Story, she added: ‘To be given one of the greatest roles ever written for someone like me or someone who comes from the Broadway community, it’s a dream, and it doesn’t come along every day – and I was terrified!’
Regarding the starry shortlist, Millicent commented: ‘It felt unreal to be brought to this level with this group of amazingly talented people.’
Kodi added: ‘It means the world… to be recognised in such a way, to be able to redeem the blood sweat and tears in terms of recognition alongside your peers.’
Harris was humbled by previous nominees for the award, which include Tom Hardy, James McAvoy, Kristen Stewart, John Boyega and last year’s winner Bukky Bakray.
‘Each year I’ve looked to the EE Rising Star Award with great admiration and respect, so to be included in this category is a real honour.
‘The fact that we collectively get to tell stories for a living is enough of a reward for me, but to be noticed by such a prestigious institution really does mean a lot,’ he said.
Lashana made history as the first woman and first woman of colour to carry on the legacy of 007 as Nomi in No Time To Die, alongside Daniel Craig and Rami Malek, and also appeared in Captain Marvel with Brie Larson (a fellow Rising Star nominee from 2016).
Kodi has already bagged a Golden Globe Award, along with a nomination from the Screen Actors Guild, for his performance in The Power of The Dog.
Harris will next be seen in The Souvenir Part II alongside Honor Winton Byrne and Tilda Swinton in February, and has also nabbed a part opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones in the screen adaptation of Where the Crawdads Sing.
Millicent reprised the role of Regan in post-apocalyptic horror A Quiet Place Part II last year with Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy.
The Deaf star made her debut in Todd Haynes’ 2017 drama Wonderstruck and is due to appear with The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan in Helen & Teacher.
Ariana, who has appeared in Hamilton with Lin-Manuel Miranda, has added some more strings to her bow with upcoming action film Argylle, starring opposite Henry Cavill, Bryan Cranston and Samuel L Jackson, and space thriller I.S.S. alongside Chris Messina and Pilou Asbaek.
Voting is now open at ee.co.uk/BAFTA and the winner will be announced at the EE Bafta Film Awards on Sunday March 13 on BBC One.
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