Oscars rising stars: These hot young talents are the ones to watch

Awards season has thrust a new generation of Hollywood actors and actresses into the spotlight. Check out our pick of eight young stars who are taking the silver screen by storm, and where we'll see them next...
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Alicia Vikander
It's been a whirlwind year for Alicia, whose appearance in seven major films has resulted in Golden Globe nominations for her roles in sci-fi Ex Machina and British biopic The Danish Girl, as well as a Critics' Choice win and an Oscar still up for grabs.

The Swedish actress, 27, first gained international attention for her role as Kitty in the 2012 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. A year later she was shortlisted for the BAFTA Rising Star Award for playing 18th-century Queen Caroline Mathilde in period drama A Royal Affair, which was nominated for best foreign language film at both the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

On her first experience of one of Hollywood's starriest nights, the trained ballerina recalls: "Me and the director were running around like, 'What is this?' We went to these parties, and we were always the people in the corner."

What's in store for the actress? Plenty. Fans can expect to see Alicia later this year in Tulip Fever, Jason Bourne and alongside her boyfriend Michael Fassbender in The Light Between Oceans.

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Rooney Mara
Rooney's performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as troubled computer hacker Lisbeth Salander gained her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in 2011 – and the American beauty is back in the running this year for Supporting Actress for her role as Therese Belivet in Carol.

At 30, House of Cards' actress Kate Mara's little sister has already worked with famed directors including Steven Soderbergh, Terrence Malick and Spike Jonze. She has also starred opposite the likes of Daniel Craig, Jude Law and, most recently, Cate Blanchett – who has been nominated for best actress for her part in the 1950's love story.

It was Cate who inadvertently convinced Rooney to work with her on their recent collaboration. Having initially turned down the opportunity for fear she "wouldn't be bringing enough to it [the script]", Rooney was won over by who would be her co-star.

"I've looked up to Cate Blanchett since I saw Elizabeth when I was 13," she says. "And as soon as I had Cate on the other side as the person I was reacting to, a lot of things made more sense."

Despite quickly becoming one of Hollywood's 'It' girls, Rooney doesn't buy into the waves of stardom.

"The 'next big thing' thing happens all the time," she says. "I guess I don't really measure myself by what others think. So even though I have gotten to work with some amazing directors and you might perceive me to be that girl, that isn't how I see myself."

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Brie Larson
Brie was lauded for her performance in Short Term 12, starred opposite Mark Wahlberg in The Gambler in 2014 and a year later appeared in Amy Schumer's comedy Trainwreck, but it was her take on "Ma" in four-time Oscar-nominated Room that catapulted her to stardom.

At 26, she has already scooped up a Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress, and an Oscar nod may follow.

"This is so incredible. I feel like I was born questioning everything about reality, feeling lost and alone and always worried that I was deeply unlovable," said Brie as she accepted the SAG award.

She added: "And watching your movies – to all of my SAG members – made me feel less alone and made me feel like that was a safe place to explore my creativity." The actress, who took her Swedish great grandmother's surname because her original name Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers is "hard to pronounce", found her calling as an actor when she was six years old.

"My mom was doing the washing up and I said, 'Mom, I know what my dharma is: I'm supposed to be an actor,'" she recalls. "My mom was like,'‘Whoa, where did you learn the word dharma?' She thought I was just repeating something off the TV."

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Saoirse Ronan
Her pivotal role in Atonement won her an Oscar nomination when she was just 13. Eight years later, aged 21, Saoirse is again an Oscar nominee, this time for Best Actress for her performance as Irish immigrant Eilis in Brooklyn.

"She was in the very best sense of the word the obvious choice," says the film's director, John Crowley. "She's sort of like a lightning bolt, and kind of from another time in a weird way."

The tale of immigration isn't too far from her own – Saoirse, who was born in the Bronx to Irish parents and returned to Ireland when she was three, and now resides Stateside – says: "It's so personal – it's my mam's story and my dad's story, and it was what I had gone through when I moved away."

The actress, whose name is pronounced "Seer-sha", adds, "The journey she makes is what I'm still going through."

As for her own journey, with her Broadway debut in Arthur Miller's The Crucible scheduled for March, Saoirse looks set to become a household name in America. Later this year she will also star in Loving Vincent and The Seagull.

Speaking about her early start as a child actor, the actress reveals that having her mother with her on set was key to keeping her feet firmly on the ground – and the pressures of the industry at bay.

"To have someone with you from 10 to 19 when you're on a set, who has perspective and is only there to look out for you, it really means that you have a more realistic way of looking at this entire world."

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O'Shea Jackson Jr.
A starring role in biopic Straight Outta Compton thrust O'Shea into the media spotlight almost overnight.

The actor, 24, has even made it onto the Forbes' inaugural 30 Under 30 Europe list of game-changers in Hollywood and entertainment after portraying his famous rapper father Ice Cube in the acclaimed blockbuster, which chronicles the meteoric rise of ground-breaking hip-hop group N.W.A.

While he was no stranger to the stage – O'Shea, like his father, is a musician – this was his first try at acting. His successful debut, which has already won him an accolade for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People didn't, however, come without plenty of hard work.

To prepare, O'Shea trained for months with acting coaches including Aaron Speiser and Susan Batson, whose celebrity clients include Will Smith and Nicole Kidman, respectively.

"For two years I was going to acting classes, learning techniques, going to auditions, callbacks, and things like that... When you haven't acted before, it’s a big dish. But I couldn't sit in a theatre and think someone is portraying my father the wrong way. If I was thinking 'Oh, he wouldn't have done that,' it would've nauseated me," said O'Shea.

Straight Outta Compton has earned over $200 million worldwide and become the highest-grossing movie from an African-American director ever.

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Jacob Tremblay
Thanks to his phenomenal breakthrough performance starring Jack Newsome opposite Brie Larson in Room, Canadian actor Jacob is the rising Hollywood star that everyone is talking about.

At just nine years old, the handsome young man has won a Critics' Choice Award and has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role, becoming the second youngest performer nominated for the accolade.

Missing out on an Oscar nomination hasn't stopped the adorable youngster from making a splash this awards season.

Taking a selfie with Jennifer Lawrence, mock-punching Sylvester Stallone, rubbing shoulders with Leonardo DiCaprio and melting hearts with his winning speech are just some of his golden moments so far.

This year promises many more golden moments for the fledgling actor. In addition to joining the likes of Charlize Theron and Ryan Gosling in presenting an Academy Award, he has bagged a role starring opposite Kate Bosworth and Thomas Jane in horror film Before I Wake, to be followed by a stint working with Naomi Watts and Oliver Platt in psychological thriller Shut In.

Born in Vancouver to a police officer father and homemaker mother, Jacob kicked off his career at the tender age of five, making his film debut as Blue Winslow in hybrid live action/animated family blockbuster The Smurfs 2 in 2013.

What does he want to be when he grows up? "A script writer, and a director," he told Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen Show.

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John Boyega
John couldn't contain his excitement at the UK premiere of The Force Awakens, declaring: "I'm a boy from Peckham and I'm in Star Wars!"

With his sights now set far, far away from the South London suburb he was born in, he will soon reprise his role as stormtrooper Finn. "John is a very distinct individual, a fascinating guy and very talented," said Star Wars co-star Harrison Ford.

He won the EE Rising Star award at the 2016 BAFTAs. John will be seen alongside Emma Watson in sci-fi drama The Circle later this year.

Like O'Shea, John has also made it onto a Forbes list – the 30 Under 30 list of game changers in Hollywood and entertainment. His feet, though, remain firmly on the ground. "Most of the friends I have made in LA are just normal guys," he says. "The only difference is I'm like, 'I'm going to Planet Jakku now while you go to your office.'"

At 23, it would be easy for John to get swallowed up by Hollywood, which is why he's grateful for the support of his mentor, Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr. "He's helped me prepare for how my life is going to change and that has been inspiring," says John.

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Douglas Booth
Blessed with model good looks and a talent for acting, it comes as no surprise that British actor Douglas has caught the attention of Hollywood directors.

In 2012 he was cast opposite Miley Cyrus in the romantic comedy LOL. Two years later he starred alongside Russell Crowe in Noah and in last year's Jupiter Ascending he appeared with Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum.

"Douglas is just a very well brought-up young man," Hollywood star Russell Crowe has said. "He's always prepared and very charming."

The 23-year-old actor's next role is in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies with real-life couple Lily James and Matt Smith, as well as a host of other Britsh actors.

Douglas is also a sought-after model and in 2009 appeared with Emma Watson in a campaign for British fashion house Burberry.

The following year he landed his breakthrough role as a young Boy George in the film Worried About the Boy. Less than two years later he was playing the lead in the BBC Dickens adaptation Great Expectations.

Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne is his role model. "Eddie is ten years older than me. He's inspiring," says Douglas. "You do think, 'Will I have learnt enough in a decade? Will I be lucky enough to land a script that puts me in a similar position?' I'm still figuring out how to relax in front of the camera, how to be fearless. But I'm young in my career."

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