The Ten Breakthrough Performers of 2023

Welcome to the 15th annual Breakthrough Performers list, where we spotlight emerging actors poised to become the “Next Big Thing” in Hollywood.

For the past 15 years, I’ve evaluated talents making eaves, predicting their lasting impact on cinema. It’s an exciting custom that has yielded former champs seen in the image above. Last year, Austin Butler joined the archives of fellow thespians that include Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet, all of whom topped the memorandum in previous years. Butler was nominated for his performance in Elvis, and was seen by many to be the frontrunner until Brendan Fraser (The Whale) took home gold on Oscar night.

Oscar-winners who topped this list include Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Brie Larson, Mahershala Ali, and Ariana DeBose. With Butler’s nomination, 10 of the 14 title-bearers have secured acting Oscar nods. Over 20 actors featured elsewhere in the countdown have earned Oscar nominations and/or wins, including Jeremy Renner, Carey Mulligan, Anna Kendrick, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Lakeith Stanfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Rooney Mara, Lupita Nyong’o, Alicia Vikander, Lucas Hedges, Ruth Negga, Naomie Harris, Daniel Kaluuya, Margot Robbie, Adam Driver, Cynthia Erivo, Riz Ahmed, Chadwick Boseman, Jessie Buckley, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Stephanie Hsu.

While the “rules” generally exclude those previously recognized for an individual SAG (Film), Oscar, Globe (Film), or Emmy nominations, there are occasional exceptions. Rarely do individuals under 18 make the lineup, reflecting the challenge of predicting a juvenile’s future career path.

The list is crafted based on performances, presence, upcoming projects, and, of course, my opinion. Without further ado, and with gratitude to the Awards Daily staff, I present my Breakthrough Performers of 2023.

Honorable Mentions:

Abby Ryder Fortson – by Shadan Larki

Abby Ryder Fortson stars as the titular Margaret in Kelly Fremon Craig’s delightfully warm adaptation of Judy Blume’s iconic young adult novel, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” Margaret just moved to a new town and is navigating a new school, new friends, first crushes, her place in the world, and the horrors of puberty.

Fortson’s performance beautifully captures the innocence and playfulness of girlhood. As well as how utterly terrifying it is to be amid so much rapid change. Fortson has carefully calibrated a portrayal that hits every beat and nuance of life as a preteen. It’s incredibly smart, brave, and shows an understanding of her craft that goes far beyond her young age. What stands out most about this performance is the remarkable warmth, tenderness, and vulnerability on display in Fortson’s Margaret.

Fortson is phenomenal, and what’s perhaps most exciting is the untapped potential and all the incredible work that awaits us as Fortson continues to hone her raw talent.

Fortson’s next project is a starring role in the drama Griffin in Summer.

Milo Machado Graner – by Shadan Larki

In Anatomy of a Fall, Milo Machado Graner plays Daniel, the young, visually impaired son of a woman (Sandra Hüller) on trial for the murder of her husband. Your father falling to his death is a tragedy, but to have your mother as the prime suspect in that crime is an unimaginable nightmare. Did he jump? Did she push him? And how much does Daniel really know about what actually happened?

Director Justine Triet has spun a web of lies, resentments, and moral complexities, and Daniel is very much at the center of it all. The breath of emotions on display from Graner is seriously impressive, as is the physicality needed to portray a boy who must rely on his remaining senses and intuition to navigate the world.

Anatomy of a Fall very much hinges on a climactic and revelatory monologue from Daniel. When his big moment arrives, Graner goes off like dynamite. But he is equally effective in the film’s quieter moments as well. The many traumatic events, both big and small, permeate every aspect of his life and slowly seep into his subconscious.

Graner is one of 2023’s very best cinematic discoveries.

Graner’s next projects include the French-language films Spectateurs! and Ma mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan.

10. Teo Yoo – David Phillips

Much of the post-release praise given to writer/director Celine Song’s delicate and beautiful near-romance Past Lives has centered around Song herself and her female lead Greta Lee. Only a fool would find any plaudit given to either woman to be less than deserving. And while Lee’s co-star Teo Yoo, in this mostly two-hander of a film, hasn’t been entirely overlooked by critics groups and year-end awards, I do think it’s fair to say that Yoo comes in a distant third after Song and Lee in terms of recognition. Again, the work of Song on her directorial debut – an astonishing fact considering how perfectly delivered the film is – and Lee’s seemingly effortless performance as Na Young, a woman who left South Korea and her first boyfriend behind for Canada and later, New York City, at the age of twelve are so remarkable that I must repeat that I mean to take nothing away from them when I speak of the man who plays that first boyfriend, Hae Sung: Teo Yoo.

Twelve years later, Hae Sung reconnects with Lee’s Na Young online. Yoo’s Hae Sung is softly haunted by his former schoolmate that he knew relatively briefly, and you can see why as the two actors radiate chemistry through the laptop screens they communicate through. Lee’s character recognizes the intensity of their connection and realizes that it’s driving her to distraction. With the knowledge that due to other commitments that there is no way they can meet for at least a year, Na Young decides to put a pause on their online relationship that is approaching a courtship. The two finally meet after another twelve years have passed in New York City and spend just a few days together. It’s a bold choice that Song makes to not have Na Young’s American husband be in any way a villain, just a man who might not be as perfect for her as Hae Sung might be. On Hae Sung’s final night in New York, he, Na Young, and her husband go out for dinner and drinks together. Both men are respectful of each other if not exactly comfortable. While Na Young’s husband speaks some Korean, their night out soon turns him into a bit of a third wheel as Hae Sung and Na Young converse so easily in their native tongues. The two aren’t being rude exactly, just a bit caught up. During this stretch of time, you can feel how in a former or future life they might have had one hell of a romance, but not in this life. The ever gracious and respectful Hae Sung is fully aware of this when he thanks Na Young for introducing him to her husband. He then tells her that he can see that this man she married loves her very much. And then he drops what might be the most heartbreaking line of the movie year:

“I didn’t know that liking your husband would hurt this much.”

Of course, it’s not just the way Yoo delivers the line, it’s also the look on his face – a mixture of sadness, acceptance, and extraordinary grace – that does you in. What Yoo does in playing Hae Sung is give one of the greatest performances of quiet and unrequited longing I have ever seen. In fact, I don’t even know how to measure his performance. I’m not sure I know of anything to compare it to. What I do know is that when Hae Sung and Na Young awkwardly part as he gets into the Uber that will take him back to South Korea, is that Na Young’s subsequent breakdown as she walks back to her apartment is fully understood. Teo Yoo’s Hae Sung is worth every one of those tears.

Yoo’s next projects include a crime/thriller, Dirty Money, and a Netflix series titled The Recruit.

9. Cara Jade Myers – Clarence Moye

When I spoke with Cara Jade Myers about her breakthrough performance in Martin Scorsese’s brilliant Killers of the Flower Moon, she explained to me that she wanted her performance as the tragic Anna Brown to explode on the screen. She wanted Anna’s presence to make an indomitable mark on the film. She needed, when Anna meets her untimely death, the audience to feel that gaping hole caused by her departure. She crafted her performance to underscore the tragedy of Anna’s demise through her mere absence from the screen.

I would argue mission absolutely accomplished.

Myers burst onto the screen in Killers of the Flower Moon after over a decade of small roles across film and television. It’s easy to see what Scorsese and Killers casting director Ellen Lewis saw in her. She exudes intelligence, charisma, and a capacity for honest emotion that serves her well onscreen as Anna Brown. Her carefully modulated performance pulls both from the tragic legacy of the Osage community and from her own personal experiences. It must have been a daunting task to carry the weight of inclusive and authentic expectations, but the pressure never shows. Instead, she exudes the kind of confidence demonstrated by someone who knew she could achieve this all along… if only given the chance.

Here’s hoping the opportunities open themselves to Cara Jade Myers to allow her to follow through on the immense promise displayed by her truly memorable breakthrough performance.

Cara’s next projects include a pair of short films, Two Indians and City of Roses, and the drama Midnight in the Orange Grove.

8. Teyana Taylor – Shadan Larki

Teyana Taylor is a bona fide star, known for her three R&B albums, dynamic choreography, and a major eye for fashion. She made her acting debut in 2010’s Stomp the Yard: Homecoming, and has appeared in comedies like Madea’s Big Happy Family and Coming 2 America.

2023 marks Taylor’s breakthrough as a dramatic actress. Her stunning turn in A.V. Rockwell’s A Thousand and One has earned Taylor major critical acclaim and a much-deserved spot on our list.

Taylor stars as Inez, a single mother fighting to provide a life for her son against the backdrop of an increasingly changing and gentrified New York City. She is a tough but loving, deeply flawed, and equally determined woman. Taylor infuses Inez with so much humanity that she instantly feels real and relatable. There is a long history of music stars who have shed their glamourous personas to gain credibility as dramatic actors; Taylor’s work in A Thousand and One is a revelation and a far cry from a dime-a-dozen vanity project. The passion in Taylor’s performance is palpable. Here is the work of an artist who has pushed themselves to new depths. The payoff is an incredible performance brimming with quiet devastation that crescendos into a devastating conclusion. Taylor has more than proven herself as a major acting force, elevating A Thousand and One to a film that demands to be seen.

Taylor’s next project is The Book of Clarence.

7. Archie Madekwe – Joey Moser

Archie Madekwe reminded me of a cat all throughout Emerald Fennell’s horny, naughty Saltburn. There is something about his eyes that make him look like he’s slinking around even if his Farleigh Start (a luxurious name if I have ever heard one) is simply lazing about trying to nurse a hangover. Many people have noted Fennell’s inspiration from Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, and even if that is the case, that would make Farleigh the Freddie Miles. What a delicious, bitchy time those two characters would have together.

Madekwe gives Farleigh a lot of ammunition with every syllable that comes out of his mouth. Farleigh makes his presence and opinions known as if to say, ‘Yes, I’m listening’ even if those eyes aren’t perched on your every move. Sometimes Fennell places him in the background of a shot or he isolates himself just out of the focus of a scene—but those eyes and ears always follow you. One of my favorite, underrated moments of the year is watching Jacob Elordi and Richard E. Grant watching Superbad. Madekwe is slightly out of focus, but Farleigh can’t believe he is being subjected to this kind of movie in such a posh place.

For as much confidence that Madekwe gives Farleigh, his insecurities come through as Oliver tightens his grip on Saltburn. He teases Barry Keoghan’s Oliver about his clothes and where he comes from, but Farleigh’s bravado falters whenever Oliver pushes his limits. Is Farleigh all talk and his cockiness all for show? After Farleigh tells Felix that Oliver messed around with his sister, Oliver surprises Farleigh in his room and asks if he is going to behave. Farleigh quickly tells Oliver no, but I bet Farleigh bucks at the idea of obedience or submission. Unless someone forces it on him. Madekwe is coy, infantile, roguish, and vicious all at once, and he will always make you look over your shoulder.

IMDB does not list any upcoming projects for Madekwe, though we are sure that will change soon.

6. Greta Lee – Benjamin Rendall

Up until last year Greta Lee was for me the woman who said the iconic line “Sweet birthday, baby!” to Natasha Lyonne in Russian Doll. But with her performance in Past Lives she is now more than a cool one-liner. In her role as Nora she has an uncertain emotional center where we never exactly know where she is, and has to sell that uncertainty in her small, mundane life moments and especially in her facial movements. Her first time reconnecting with childhood friend Hae Sung is all smiles and that joy, or sense of this could be something more, soon slowly builds to fear. That spending this much time with him will take her away from her path, so she makes a difficult decision to cut herself off from him. She carries that pain in her face and movements, afterwards going about her plan and even moving on and enjoying time with Arthur, her later husband, but the pain never quite leaves her.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, in the third half of the film during Hae Sung’s visit her face captures two contrasting viewpoints simultaneously. That she loves her husband and her life, but also wonders what her life could have been with Hae. Reassuring her husband one moment, being awkward around Hae as she gives relationship advice the next. She keeps a smile that never reaches her eyes as she does touristy activities and talks with Hae and her husband about their lives and keeping things normal when it is anything but. When she does break down after all that has happened over a week she lets the full emotional weight come out over what was possibly lost, yet it is in the arms of the husband she loves. She is the center of an emotional film without any easy answer to those emotions. It is an impressive feat that made her a standout in 2023.

Lee’s next projects will be the third installment in the Tron franchise, Tron: Ares.

5. Halle Bailey – Mark Johnson

Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in Rob Marshall’s The Little Mermaid ignited a bit of controversy online. However, it didn’t take long into the film to see that Disney knew what they were doing when they chose this rising star for their lead role in the live-action remake. Beautiful, charming, and with the voice of an angel, Bailey was able to make the role her own and win critics of her casting over to her side.

If that major opportunity wasn’t enough to vault Bailey’s name into future stardom, the young actress doubled-down with another impressive turn playing the young Nettie in Blitz Bazawule’s musical adaptation of The Color Purple. While this role would be a smaller supporting role, Bailey made a memorable impression beside her co-star, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi.

Aside from her acting career, Halle Bailey is also a budding singer and composer, and has released a pair of albums with her sister Chloe. Their work together earned five Grammy nods. A sixth nomination came for Halle’s debut solo work, “Angel,” which was selected in the Best R&B Song category. It’s no surprise that her two big films this year were both musicals. But there is a lot more to her talents than her voice.

Halle’s next projects are not listed yet on IMDB, but she did just give birth to her first son, Halo.

4. Cailee Spaeny – Mark Johnson

From the moment Cailee Spaeny stepped onscreen in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, a molecular cloud synthesized into the birth of a new star. Like Halle Bailey, Spaeny got her start playing the role of Ariel. Spaeny’s, of course, was a much smaller production in the Springfield Little Theatre production of Disney’s Little Mermaid. Then, like Bailey again, released a debut musical track (“Fallin”).

Spaeny’s first major film role was Pacific Rim: Uprising in 2018. In that same year, she starred in Bad Times at the El Royale, On the Basis of Sex, and Vice. It’s pretty clear someone knew what they were witnessing before Coppola made her a star in 2023’s Priscilla.

Playing the titular wife of the iconic musical legend, Elvis Presley, was no small task. I’d imagine any biopic is a challenge, but playing one with as large a fanbase as Priscilla Presley must have felt like a daunting task. But Spaeny proved she was more than up to the challenge, executing the role with a veteran’s precision and poise, pulling off both child and adult versions in her performance.

At the Middleburg Film Festival, Spaeny talked about how she received Priscilla’s blessing and mentioned the real-life version stated she felt she was “watching her life through seeing the movie.” You can’t ask for a better, and more deserving, endorsement than that.

Spaeny’s next projects include Fede Alvarez’s Alien: Romulus and Alex Garland’s Civil War (out this spring).

3. Dominic Sessa – Sasha Stone

Dominic Sessa is a man out of time. He plays a lost rebel who’s one more bad deed away from military school, and maybe Vietnam. But Sessa cuts through awards season like a hot knife slicing through vanilla ice cream. It isn’t just that he cuts a tall, wiry figure, or that he looks straight out the last 60s counterculture, it’s also that he could play anything. He could play the aloof crush, the assassin, the teacher and the nerd. His versatility might not be plainly clear at first, but all you have to do is watch his performance in the Holdovers then listen to an interview. He’s not that guy, even if his performance is so good you can’t believe he isn’t.

Sessa was plucked from obscurity by Alexander Payne looking for the best kept secret in colleges on the East Coast. Who’s the best actor, he wanted to know. Out came Sessa, living the dream. His work in The Holdovers as Angus Tully is so expertly crafted, you’d never know it was his first film. Leave it to Payne to get a great performance out of him, but it’s also clear that watching him recalls the Beatles lyrics, “I’ve just seen a face I can’t forget…”

Sessa’s next projects are not listed yet on IMDB, but we will just assume he is being picky with a dozen roles being offered to him.

2. Charles Melton – Joey Moser

Early on in Todd Haynes’ May December, Natalie Portman’s Elizabeth is asked to be kind in her portrayal of Julianne Moore’s Gracie. Elizabeth looks over at Gracie and her husband, Joe, as they snuggle up together on a beach chair—a picture of romantic perfection. How much is real and how much is performance? By just looking at Gracie and Joe, you might not know their sordid beginnings and their troubled present, and as Haynes’ film progresses, we learn just how deeply Charles Melton has buried Joe’s true feelings, desires, and independence. It’s a performance of enormous pain, and Melton reveals the lost little boy held inside Joe’s body and mind.

I could not stop focusing on how Melton physically holds himself in every scene of May December, and every interaction feels different. Gracie scolds him for having a second beer but then kisses him to reassure him. When Joe and Elizabeth meet up so she can ask him questions as part of her research, he holds himself somewhat awkwardly—almost as if he is trying to not flirt too hard. Like a boy in a school hallway between classes. When he smokes pot with his son on the roof, their body language is feels similar because Joe is still a boy himself.

You cannot help but feel Joe’s pain and fear, because it spills out through Melton’s face even as he holds himself back. When he confronts his wife and says, ‘Why can’t we talk about it? If we are as in love as we say we are,’ his body is trembling as he tries with all his might to hold his hands clasped together. It’s not that he’s afraid of saying the words, but he has finally allowed the words to come out of his mouth. Melton’s tall frame is slightly hunched over as if he is trying to make himself small or less threatening. Joe was asked to go from being a young boy to the man of the house with a complete disregard for that smooth transition.

What worries me the most—what has been gnawing at me ever since I saw the film—is that what happens when Joe and Gracie are empty nesters? Who will look after Joe when Elizabeth’s movie premieres? Will he be able to stay with Gracie? Or will he finally have the courage to run?

Melton’s next project is K-Pop: Lost in America, co-starring Rebel Wilson.

1. Jacob Elordi – Mark Johnson

Fans of Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi have long admired his striking appearance, captivating charm, and brooding presence. While some might argue he’s already had his breakthrough, this lists assesses the progress made in each actor’s film career. In a standout year, Elordi portrayed the enigmatic Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla and the aristocratic Felix Catton in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn.

Born in Brisbaine, Australia, Elordi’s acting journey began after being inspired by Heath Ledger’s performance in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. Making his film debut in 2018 with Netflix’s The Kissing Booth trilogy, Elordi turned the heads of producers at HBO, who cast him in the role of Nate Jacobs, a toxic and deeply flawed teen in HBO’s Euphoria. Elordi’s exceptional portrayal has made me hope for a redemption arc for his incredibly polarizing character. This ability showcases the actor’s commitment to his craft.

Elordi exhibits versatility, seamlessly transitioning between complex and menacing roles to softer, aloof characters. From intensity to apathy, Elordi is already proving his ability to adapt and thrive in a diverse variety of genres. And I think that capacity, above anything, is the mark of a great actor. With undeniable acting prowess to match his smoldering good looks, I believe Elordi could be Gen Z’s equivalent of an early 90s Brad Pitt. There is an immense amount of talent here that’s just beginning to surface.

For the second year in a row, the top Breakthrough Performer spot goes to an actor who portrayed the King, Elvis Presley. Completely coincidental, but interesting nonetheless.

Elordi is set to star in four upcoming movies and two TV series. From Paul Schrader’s Oh Canada to Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, his diverse, looming projects highlight his much sought-after talent. As he reprises his role in Euphoria and takes on a WWII drama series, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Jacob Elordi’s evolving career sparks anticipation for what lies ahead.

There you have it – the curtain falls on year 15 of the Breakthrough Performers list. Now, we’re eager to hear from you!