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BAFTA have now officially announced their nominees for their prestigious EE Rising Star award, the only #BAFTA award voted for by the public which honours an emerging actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and begun to capture the imagination of the British public.
Past winners have included the likes of James McAvoy, John Boyega, Letita Wright, Lashana Lynch, Daniel Kaluuya, Jack O’Connell and more.
Now as the award enters its 20th year, let’s take a look at the nominees for 2025:
Marisa Abela – Marisa Abela has starred in the BBC smash-hit financial thriller Industry as well as having even appeared in Greta Gerwig’s phenomenal Barbie, but has now fully stepped into the spotlight with her portrayal of the late Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Back to Black and will soon be starring in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming spy thriller Black Bag alongside the likes of Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender and Regé-Jean Page.
Jharrel Jerome – Having made his film debut in the Oscar-winning Moonlight, Jharrel Jerome recently starred in sports biopic Unstoppable, having already gone from strength to strength by starring in Stephen King adaptations such as Mr. Mercedes, lending their voice to both Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, and starring in the highly-acclaimed Ava DuVernay Netflix series When They See Us.
David Jonsson – Also with a key role in the ensemble behind BBC’s Industry, David Jonsson has impressed further with his performance in British romantic-comedy film Rye Lane, but most recently undertook a co-leading role as android as Andy in Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus. Jonsson will also join the Stephen King universe in the upcoming Francis Lawrence adaption of King’s The Long Walk.
Mikey Madison – Mikey Madison is no stranger to big things, having already had roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood as well as the fifth instalment in the Scream franchise, but is currently scooping up awards and nominations everywhere for her portrayal as Anora “Ani” Mikheeva in the Palme d’Or winning, Sean Baker directed Anora and will soon be starring in the limited series, Lady in the Lake.
Nabhaan Rizwan – Starring in such series as Informer, Station Eleven, and the greatly under-appreciated Netflix mythological comedy Kaos, Nabhaan Rizwan and their latest film In Camera have been getting rave reviews since premiering at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, and will also be starring in the upcoming drama series Dope Girls.
You can vote for BAFTA’s EE Rising Star Award here.
