Considering the amount of young talent on the rise right now, you would be hard-pressed to find a better time to be an Irish actor in Hollywood.
That has been solidified if you happen to be a listener of 'The Big Picture' podcast from The Ringer. Every year, hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins talk through their list of the 35 most exciting actors under 35 on the popular movie podcast. And this year we were very happy to hear that 4 Irish stars were chosen for the list.
I’m pleased to share @TheBigPic’s updated, scientifically conducted, incontrovertible 35 Under 35 Movie Stars Ranking. Please file all complaints to @akdobbins.https://t.co/gC3xQHXANn
— Sean Fennessey (@SeanFennessey) November 8, 2022
#33 Paul Mescal
(Photo by Enda Bowe/Hulu)
Scraping it on to the list this year was the Maynooth man himself, Paul Mescal. The 25-year-old 'Normal People' star has enjoyed a rise into Hollywood's most coveted actors and has opted for some unusual and arthouse choices of late.
"He certainly feels like someone who is right on the brink of a massive breakthrough," said host Fennessey. "Because he's going to be in a lot of movies in the next couple of months."
"He holds the frame, in that Jennifer Lawrence way, in a very quiet film," added Dobbins about Mescal's movie 'Aftersun'. The host then made the classic mistake of calling him British. But look, we'll let it go just this once.
#22 Barry Keoghan
Jumping down the list is 'The Banshees of Inisherin' star Barry Keoghan. Fennessey noted that the 30-year-old is "probably the person who is best navigating the complex world of young stardom in my mind."
Keoghan has enjoyed a similar meteoric rise to Mescal over the past couple of years. Initially catching attention across the pond with his terrifying performance in 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer', Keoghan went on to feature in 'Dunkirk', 'The Green Knight' and Marvel's 'Eternals'. His brief role as Joker in Matt Reeves' 'The Batman' has also garnered massive attention and praise. "When you look at what his roles have been, I think he's been very very smart at simultaneously building a hive, I think there's are a lot of hardcore fans of this young actor, and also doing really interesting work."
Fennessey added, "He's pretty well set up to be a big movie star."
#22 Jessie Buckley
Following up Keoghan is Kerry native Jessie Buckley. Fennessey listed her as one of his favourites and said, "I'm quite fond of her as an actor and she really hasn't let me down. She's drawn to stuff that I'm drawn to storytelling wise that makes people kind of uncomfortable. She has a really challenging part in 'Women Talking' and she's tenacious in that movie."
Buckley's performance in 2021's 'The Lost Daughter' earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
#19 Saoirse Ronan
Very closely following Buckley is the one and only Saoirse Ronan. The hosts both noted that the 28-year-old hasn't been in as many big films as of late. Her latest role alongside Sam Rockwell in 'See How They Run' garnered some praise but nothing near the likes of 'Lady Bird' or 'Little Women'. "She's 28, she's had four Oscar nominations. She was wonderful in 'The French Dispatch' but was only in it for like 20 minutes."
Dobbins gave her a bit of a break and said that, "some of this feels like Saoirse Ronan just wanted to take a little time to just be a person, which I think is great for her as a person and also great for your acting, so she'll be fine."
Other stars on the list included the likes of Harry Styles, Jenna Ortega, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh. Daniel Kaluuya, Timothée Chalamet and Margot Robbie were the top 3 picks respectively.
SEE ALSO: There Was A Lot Of Support For Paul Mescal After He Did Not Wear The Poppy On The Graham Norton Show
