Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast
What makes a breakout star? Is it shimmying your hips in the same vein as Elvis Presley, carrying his twangy accent for months after playing him in a biopic? Is it serving up a piping hot dish of risotto at a busy Chicago restaurant? Perhaps it’s sporting 800 different costumes in one take and introducing the world to the world’s most abstract bagel. Or maybe it’s making us all sob while playing opposite Normal People hottie Paul Mescal.
This year has introduced us to a whole array of fresh faces. On TV, we met everyone from Italian queens in The White Lotus to hilarious new folks in Abbott Elementary. Independent distributor A24 continued to lead the way in film, with plenty of breakthrough performances in its releases across genres. But promising performances also came out of Hollywood’s biggest movies, including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Nope.
Can any of these breakthrough stars take home an Emmy or Academy Award next year? Some are almost destined to be nominated, and others have a pretty big shot at winning. Even if this year wasn’t their strongest case for a nom, their performances this year made us believe there’s a chance in future years.