Celebrating its 20th Anniversary of this famed event, Variety partnered with Newport Beach Film Festival and Visit Newport Beach to bestow industry honors to 10 Actors to Watch at a swank reception held at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, CA on November 11. This event marked the 20th anniversary of Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, and the kicked off of Newport Beach Film Festival’s year-long celebration of its 20th anniversary.
The 10 Actors to Watch honorees were also featured in the November 6 issue of Variety and include Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2), Gemma Chan (Mary Queen of Scots), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians), Anthony Ramos (A Star is Born), Cailee Spaeny (On the Basis of Sex), Marina de Tavira (Roma), John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman), Letitia Wright (Black Panther) and Russell Hornsby (The Hate U Give).
In addition to the 10 Actors to Watch, the Newport Beach Film Festival also honored Robert Forster (What They Had) as an Icon and Colman Domingo (If Beale Street Could Talk), Topher Grace (BlacKkKlansman) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (All About Nina) as Artists of Distinction.
The Newport Beach Film Festival brings classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world to Orange County, showcasing a diverse collection of international studio and independent films from all film categories; embracing the passion, vision, and independent spirit of both emerging and seasoned filmmakers. The 20th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival will take place from April 25th – May 2nd, 2019, presenting hundreds of films to over 50,000 attendees.
Checkout the complete list of honorees below:
2018 10 Actors to Watch
Zazie Beetz: An Emmy nominee for “Atlanta,” Beetz stole scenes in “Deadpool 2” and will reprise the role of Domino in the “X-Force” spin-off. She will next be seen in Noah Hawley’s “Pale Blue Dot” and “The Joker.”
Gemma Chan: Currently on screens in “Crazy Rich Asians,” she’ll be seen opposite Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie in “Mary Queen of Scots” and in next year’s “Captain Marvel.”
Elsie Fisher: The breakout star of Bo Burnham’s indie hit “Eighth Grade,” Fisher has been earning raves since the movie’s Sundance debut.
Henry Golding: Making his film debut as the leading man of “Crazy Rich Asians,” Golding also stars with Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in September’s “A Simple Favor.”
Russell Hornsby: Previously seen on Broadway in “Fences” and the film adaptation, Hornsby will appear this year in “The Hate U Give” and “Creed 2.”
Anthony Ramos: A member of the original “Hamilton” Broadway cast, Ramos appears this fall opposite Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born” and in the film “Monsters and Men.”
Cailee Spaeny: The actress-singer will be seen this fall as Jane Ginsburg in “On the Basis of Sex,” opposite Jeff Bridges in “Bad Times at the El Royale” and as the young Lynn Cheney in Adam McKay’s untitled biopic.
Marina de Tavira: Soon to be seen in Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma,” de Tavira recently appeared in the series “Ingobernable” for Netflix and “Falco” for Amazon.
John David Washington: Now starring in the lead role of Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansmen,” Washington will be seen this fall in David Lowery’s “The Old Man and the Gun” and “Monsters and Men.”
Letitia Wright: The actress quickly became a fan favorite as Shuri in the Marvel films “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War” and is Emmy-nominated for her role in the “Black Mirror” episode “Black Museum.”
Newport Beach Film Festival Fall Honorees
Colman Domingo: Artist of Distinction: The “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Fear the Walking Dead” actor is also a writer, director and producer whose early career included a stint in the circus as an aerial web artist.
Topher Grace: Artist of Distinction: Recently landed the role of former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke in Spike Lee’s film “BlacKkKlansman.”
Mary Elizabeth Winstead: Artist of Distinction: This year, this talented actress took on one of her most challenging roles as a troubled standup comedian in “All About Nina.”
Robert Forster: Icon: While he’s played scores of roles over the years, earning an Oscar nomination for “Jackie Brown” and appearing in the recent reboot of “Twin Peaks,” Forster sees his latest film “What They Had” as a standout. During his illustrious career, he’s worked with talents including John Huston, Quentin Tarantino, Alexander Payne and David Lynch.
By Kinya Claiborne, STYLE & SOCIETY
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