On The Rise 2016: 20 Actors & Actresses To Watch

Jing Tian
One only needs to take the briefest of looks at the box-office charts to know that China is becoming more and more important in the movie world — two films from the nation, “The Mermaid” and “Monster Hunt,” have outgrossed blockbusters like “Independence Day: Resurgence,” “The Legend Of Tarzan” and “Alice Through The Looking Glass,” while “Warcraft” made up for a lousy showing in the U.S. by being a smash there. We haven’t yet seen a true crossover star in this new era, but Jing Tian seems like she could be the one to make the leap. The 28-year-old actress first broke through in Chen Jin’s historical epic “The Warring States,” and also starred with Donnie Yen, Chow Yun-Fat and Jackie Chan in actioners “Special ID,” “From Vegas To Macau,” and “Police Story 2013” respectively, becoming one of China’s fastest-rising stars as a result. Few have made an impact internationally, but that’s sure to change in 2017: She plays the female lead in Zhang Yimou’s “The Great Wall” with Matt Damon and Andy Lau, before heading to Jordan Vogt-Roberts’s “Kong: Skull Island” with Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston.

Aja Naomi King
California native and Yale grad Aja Naomi King stacked up some early TV credits in “Blue Bloods,” “Person Of Interest” and the short-lived “Emily Owens M.D,” as well as a small movie role in Whit Stillman’s “Damsels In Distress.” However, until this year, she’s been best known as Michaela Pratt, one of the leads alongside Viola Davis in Shonda Rhimes’ massively successful drama series “How To Get Away With Murder.” But it’s her eye-catching role in Nate Parker‘s“The Birth Of A Nation” that had us really taking special notice. In light of the increasingly grim and tragic details that have emerged about Parker’s trial for rape some years ago, the fate of his film now hangs in the balance. But while the movie, which has reportedly already been changed since its Sundance premiere, could still be edited further, it shouldn’t compromise King’s performance too much (she plays rebellion leader Nat Turner’s wife, Cherry). No matter what happens between now and the October 7th release, her electrifying and deeply moving turn, whatever the circumstances beyond her control, deserves to bring the actress to much wider attention.

Sasha Lane
Director Andrea Arnold has made something of a habit of pulling brilliant performances out of not just professional actors, but also performers she’s quite literally pulled off the street. “Fish Tank” star Katie Jarvis was found when she was having an argument with her boyfriend in the street, and “Wuthering Heights” lead James Howson was found at a job center. Her first American movie didn’t lead to a change in process: 20-year-old Sasha Lane was a hostess when Arnold spotted her sunbathing on a beach during spring break, and ended up landing the lead role of Star in the film. It’s a remarkable, raw performance (our review from Cannes called her “riveting”), and Lane more than holds her own against more established co-stars like Shia LaBoeuf and Riley Keough. Not every actress in her position carries on (Jarvis has been quiet since, for instance), but Lane looks like she’s in it for the distance, and has already lined up sci-fi pic “Hunting Lila” for next year.

Abbey Lee
Given that there are five of them, and they spend the entire movie on the run, “Mad Max: Fury Road” did a pretty excellent job at the Wives that were both the film’s MacGuffin and the greatest example of its progressive, oddly optimistic nature. All the actresses gave striking performances, but Abbey Lee’s The Dag was one of the ones that lingered most, and her work since has suggested that she’s going to be far from a flash in the pan. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Lee started as a well-known model before making her film debut in ‘Fury Road.’ Early this year, a brief role meant that she escaped “Gods Of Egypt” unscathed, but she truly impressed as Sarah in “The Neon Demon,” pairing with Bella Heathcote as a pair of models threatened by up-and-comer Elle Fanning — it’s a revelatory performance, with her final shot being one of the best screen moments of the year. She’s got a busy slate coming up, too: the female lead in blockbuster “The Dark Tower,” plus a role in ensemble comedy “Office Christmas Party,” and starring with Riley Keough in an untitled psychological thriller.

Jack Lowden
Christopher Nolan and The Smiths: Get you a man who can do both. That man, in this case, is Scottish actor Jack Lowden, who, even at the age of 26, has a long list of stage and screen credits behind him, but looks set to explode in the next 12 months. Lowden made his debut in the acclaimed “Black Watch” before starring in a London stage production of “Chariots Of Fire.” He won the Ian Charleson Award, maybe the most prestigious prize for young stage actors, in 2013 for an acclaimed production of Ibsen’s “Ghosts,” and first stood out on screen alongside Jack O’Connell in the terrific “’71.” But he’s almost unfathomably busy this year: He had a major role in the recent “War & Peace” miniseries, headlined Scottish period drama “Tommy’s Honour” with Peter Mullan, and will appear in fall-festival pics “A United Kingdom” and “Denial.” Next year will be his biggest exposure to date, though: He’s headlining Morrissey biopic “Steven,” and plays one of the leads in Christopher Nolan’s eagerly anticipated “Dunkirk.”