Young stars are ascending the Hollywood ladder. With streaming platforms bringing in fantasy shows like ‘Stranger Things‘, Wednesday‘, and ‘Young Sheldon‘ among others, young actors are getting an early chance to try their careers in acting on well-established platforms.
Many such young actors are making it big swiftly by not only dominating the charts but by actively ruling Hollywood. Here’s the list of top 10 Hollywood stars who entered the Hollywood arena at a quite young age and turned out to be exceptional stars.
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1. Millie Bobby Brown
While many know her as Eleven from ‘Stranger Things‘, Millie Bobby Brown began her acting journey in 2013 with a guest appearance on the ABC fantasy drama ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘ as Young Alice. A year later, she landed a leading role in the BBC America paranormal series ‘Intruders’, wherein she played Madison O’Donnell. Throughout 2014, she also made guest appearances on television shows including ‘NCIS’, ‘Modern Family‘, and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. In 2016, Brown got her big break after she secured the iconic role of Eleven in the Netflix series ‘Stranger Things‘, a performance that garnered widespread critical acclaim. After gaining heavy recognition, she also starred in films like ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters‘ and its sequel ‘Godzilla vs. Kong‘. She also starred in and produced the Netflix films ‘Enola Holmes‘, its 2022 sequel, and ‘Damsel‘.
2. Oakes Fegley
Oakes Fegley started his acting career at the age of 7 by starring in a short film called ‘Glass‘. He hit the silver screens with the drama film ‘Fort Bliss‘ in 2014, where he played Paul Swann. He also starred as the young Judd Altman in the comedy-drama ‘This Is Where I Leave You‘ under Warner Bros production. Fegley’s versatility shone as he portrayed Young Elias “Eli” Thompson in the fifth season of HBO’s ‘Boardwalk Empire’ and Gabriel Hayward in CBS’ ‘Person of Interest‘. His standout performance came as Pete in Disney’s ‘Pete’s Dragon‘, released in August 2016. Further, he appeared in ‘The War with Grandpa’ and Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ in 2022.
3. Abby Ryder Fortson
Abby Ryder Fortson is an actress and singer from the United States. She started her career early by taking on various roles in big production films. Her initial career includes roles like Ella Novak in ‘Transparent‘, Harper Weil in ‘The Whispers‘, and Sophie Pierson in ‘Togetherness‘. She got big recognition for her role as Cassie Lang in ‘Ant-Man‘ and ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp‘. Her most recent project that’s gaining traction for her work is as Margaret Simon in ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’.
4. McKenna Grace
McKenna Grace is an American actress and singer who began her professional career at age five and later relocated to Los Angeles from Texas. Her early roles include shows like ‘Crash & Bernstein’ and ‘The Young and the Restless’ among others. After playing a considerable amount of roles on various TV shows and films, her breakout as a child prodigy came with the film ‘Gifted’ in 2017. She acted alongside Chris Evans in the film which also got her a Critics’ Choice Movie Award nomination. She later transitioned into horror with projects like ‘The Bad Seed‘ and ‘Annabelle Comes Home‘. Her versatility further shone in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ and self-penned ‘The Bad Seed Returns’. As a singer, she also signed a contract with Photo Finish Records and released ‘Haunted House‘ album as well as two EPs, ‘Bittersweet 16′ and ‘Autumn Leaves‘, in 2023.
5. Jack Dylan Grazer
Jack Dylan Grazer is an American actor acclaimed for his diverse roles. He notably played Eddie Kaspbrak in the horror blockbuster ‘It’ released in 2017 and its sequel, as well as Freddy Freeman in the DC Extended Universe’s ‘Shazam!’ in 2019 and its 2023 follow-up. Grazer also lent his voice to the character Alberto Scorfano in Pixar’s ‘Luca’ released in 2021. The actor has also played lead roles in the television series ‘We Are Who We Are‘ and the thriller film ‘Don’t Tell a Soul’. Grazer also voiced characters in Ron’s ‘Gone Wrong’ and ‘Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons’ released in 2022. Grazer was recognized by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the top 30 stars under 18 in 2018.
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6. Ariana Greenblatt
Ariana Greenblatt began her career as a child actress with a starring role in the Disney Channel sitcom ‘Stuck in the Middle‘. Her first film role was Lori in ‘A Bad Moms Christmas‘ followed by her role as the young Gamora in ‘Avengers: Infinity War‘. She also appeared in the films ‘In the Heights‘, ‘The One and Only Ivan’, and ‘Love and Monsters‘. In 2023, she co-starred in the science-fiction film ‘65‘, also recently featured in ‘Barbie’, and played young Ahsoka Tano in ‘Ahsoka‘. Her performance in ‘Barbie’ earned her nominations for a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture.
7. Roman Griffin Davis
Roman Griffin Davis, born in March 2007, is a British actor renowned for his role in the acclaimed film ‘Jojo Rabbit‘ released in 2019. His role also earned him a Golden Globe nomination along with widespread recognition. Son of cinematographer Ben Davis and writer-director Camille Griffin, Davis grew up alongside his twin brothers, Gilby and Hardy, in East Sussex. He began his acting journey with ‘Jojo Rabbit‘, where his brothers also featured as Hitler Youth clones. He won the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer and the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. Davis further starred in the 2021 comedy ‘Silent Night‘. Recently, he was announced to star in the upcoming film ‘500 Miles’ alongside Bill Nighy, to be directed by Morgan Matthews, and set for release in February 2024.
8. Jacob Tremblay
Jacob Tremblay first gained recognition for his role as Jack Newsome in ‘Room’ released in 2015 and earned him a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer, a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor, and a historic nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award. Tremblay also showcased his talent as August Pullman in ‘Wonder‘, ‘Max in Good Boys’, and in a cameo in ‘Doctor Sleep’. He also lent his voice to Damian Wayne/Robin in ‘Harley Quinn’, and portrayed the titular character in Pixar’s ‘Luca‘, as well as Flounder in Disney’s live-action remake of ‘The Little Mermaid’ released in 2023.
9. JD McCrary
Jaydon McCrary is an American actor, dancer, and singer best recognized for his role as Kenny Payne in ‘The Paynes’ on the Oprah Winfrey Network. McCrary started his acting journey in 2015 with appearances on ‘K.C. Undercover‘. He also lent his voice to young Simba in ‘The Lion King’. Signed to Hollywood Records, McCrary released his debut extended play ‘Shine’ in April 2019. His popular track ‘Keep In Touch‘, also appeared in the video game Just Dance 2020. Renowned for his live performances, McCrary has showcased his singing talent on ‘Little Big Shots‘, ‘The Ellen Show‘, and the 60th Annual Grammy Awards, where he supported Childish Gambino’s performance of ‘Terrified‘.
10. Maxwell Jenkins
Maxwell Jenkins is an American actor known for his notable roles in film and television. He began his acting journey at the age of eight in ABC’s ‘Betrayal’ in 2013. He gained recognition with recurring roles in series like ‘Sense8‘ and ‘Chicago Fire’, playing J.J. Holloway. In 2016, he landed the role of Will Robinson in ‘Lost in Space’, a Netflix remake. He also starred in ‘Joe Bell’ as Joseph Bell alongside Mark Wahlberg in 2020. A year later in 2021, Jenkins took on the role of the young ‘Jack Reacher’ in the Amazon Prime series.
While these stars have managed to successfully navigate the world of glamour and glitz, there are many other child actors who are on their way to Hollywood fame. As for these listed actors, they have by now grown up into young Hollywood stars and are perhaps on their journey to bigger and better projects in their careers.
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