Entertainment
Miles Teller and 11 Other Young Male Actors the Golden Globes and Oscars Should Start Paying Attention To
The Golden Globe ceremony is fast approaching, and, for the most part, we're thrilled with 2014's nominees. Underdogs like Before Midnight's Julie Delpy and Parenthood's Monica Potter snuck in to the race, meaning this year's awards ceremony is bound to be more interesting than most. Still, while most of the nominations were good enough to stop our whining, the list of honorees left us with one nagging question: Where are the young dudes?
It seems that there are a severe lack of young, talented guys nominated for major awards. Sure, there are plenty of men getting nods — 12 Years a Slave's Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dallas Buyers Club's Matthew McConaughey, Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston — but their average age is somewhere around 45. The awards circuit has rarely been filled with young, fresh-faced, male heartthrobs (heck, no man under the age of 30 has ever won a Best Actor Oscar), but there was a time when actors like Tom Cruise and Matt Damon got recognition at a young age. Now, it seems the young guys are relegated to rom-coms and franchises, while the Serious Movies are dominated by men twice their age.
It's a distinctly male problem. Young women are faring fine, with Jennifer Lawrence, Lena Dunham, and others getting honored each year. It's the guys who, in this case, can't seem to catch a break.
It's not that we don't want to see older men get nominated, of course. George Clooney and Brad Pitt can make red carpet appearances as long as they'd like. It's just that there are so many deserving young actors working today that award shows like the Globes keep overlooking, and it's time they get their due. Here are 12 young male actors the Globes, the Oscars, and more need to start giving some attention.
Miles Teller
If all was right in the world, Teller would’ve earned awards nominations back in 2010, when he made his feature film debut co-starring with Nicole Kidman in the emotional drama Rabbit Hole. After that snub, he received attention for movies like Footloose and 21 & Over, but it wasn’t until this summer’s The Spectacular Now that Teller made his real Hollywood breakthrough. As Sutter Keely, an alcoholic high school senior, Teller gave a hugely touching performance and earned critical raves. The Globes passed over him for Best Actor this year, but hopefully it’ll be the last time they do; Teller has several promising films lined up, including the Sundance-premiering Whiplash.
Michael B. Jordan
Jordan had a big shot of being nominated for a Globe this year, thanks to his breakout performance in Fruitvale Station , but unfortunately, he was overlooked. There’s still a chance for an Oscar nomination, but with a field as crowded as this year’s, Jordan might not make the cut. He shouldn’t be too miserable, though; his role in Fruitvale has earned him several other honors, including the National Board of Review Award for Breakthrough Actor.
Tye Sheridan
Sheridan may be just 17, but he’s already managed to make a huge impression on Hollywood, thanks to his roles in 2011’s The Tree of Life and this year’s Mud. In the latter film, Sheridan was the movie’s emotional center as Ellis, a teenager dealing with his parents’ divorce, among other changes. He more than held his own alongside Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon, and proved himself an actor to watch. His films in the works include a movie with Christopher Plummer and an adaptation of a Gillian Flynn novel, so it’s safe to assume Sheridan will be picking up those award nominations in no time.
Miles Heizer
It’s well known that Parenthood is one of the most underrated shows on TV, and Miles Heizer is a prime example of why the show deserves more attention. As awkward college freshman Drew Holt, Heizer is reliably great, having perfected the nuances of Drew’s moody teenager-ness early on in the show’s run. Give Heizer an award, people! Hell, give the whole Parenthood cast an award! Not a single person on that show doesn’t deserve one. Except Sydney.
Keith Stanfield
First of all, everyone from Short Term 12 should have gotten nominations, because everything about that movie was amazing. The Golden Globes, however, do not seem to realize this, as they gave the film a grand total of zero nominations. One of the biggest snubs? Supporting actor Keith Stanfield, who gave a harrowing performance as Marcus, a troubled teen scared of life outside his group foster home. Next on Stanfield’s plate is the James Franco-starring Memoria, so hopefully that star power will give Stanfield the visibility boost he needs.
Tom Holland
It was just last year that Holland was snubbed for a Golden Globe for his work in the survival drama The Impossible, and we’re still getting over the pain. Luckily, the 17-year-old has one film out now, the just-released How I Live Now, and two in the works, including Locke, starring Tom Hardy, and In the Heart of the Sea, where Holland acts alongside Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy. It likely won’t be too long before Holland starts gracing the red carpet.
Sam Palladio
Palladio’s Nashville co-stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere may be getting all the acclaim for their roles on the ABC drama, but the guy behind Gunnar Scott deserves some notice, too. Perhaps next year…
Nicholas Hoult
It’s time that this guy started getting known as more than Jennifer Lawrence’s boyfriend. Hoult, who gained fame as a child actor in 2002’s About a Boy, starred in the surprisingly good Warm Bodies back in January. His performance earned critical praise, and while no one expected the zombie dramedy to make waves on the awards circuit, it still would’ve been nice to see Hoult get some notice for his role in the film.
Dane DeHaan
The Place Beyond the Pines was an underwhelming movie, but Dane DeHaan — who played Jason, a troubled teen searching for the truth about his father — gave an outstanding performance that deserved recognition. Unfortunately, he was passed over, but perhaps he’ll earn a nod next year for his sure-to-be-great role as Harry Osborn in The Amazing Spider-Man 2.
Penn Badgley
Yes, the guy from Gossip Girl can really act. In May, Badgley starred as Jeff Buckley, son of folk legend Tim, in Greetings From Tim Buckley. The film only ran in limited release, but Badgley earned high praise for his performance. If only the Globes had taken notice.
Freddie Highmore
Highmore, 21, has made a remarkable transition form child star to adult actor, and his starring role in A&E’s Bates Motel is a testament to how much he’s grown over the years. Who knew the kid from Finding Neverland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could hold his own on a hit TV show? The series is young, so we’ll give the Globes a break for overlooking it this year, but in the future, we expect Highmore to get some well-deserved recognition.
Josh Hutcherson
Jennifer Lawrence has enough awards, people. Give this guy a Golden Globe.
