The Breakout Actors of 2023 Awards Season (2024)

The Golden Globes kick off awards season when the show returns Tuesday for its 80th edition. Held at its usual home at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, the ceremony will air on NBC — its network since 1996.

Following controversy over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s operational standards and lack of diversity, the Globes held a private ceremony in 2022 without a host or presenters. After unveiling plans for reform and admitting new voters, six of whom are Black, the show is making its comeback with multihyphenate creative, comedian-actor-filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael as its host and a slew of A-list presenters, including Ana de Armas, Billy Porter, Jamie Lee Curtis and Quentin Tarantino. (And with Ryan Murphy honored as the fourth recipient of the Carol Burnett Award.)

The Critics’ Choice Awards will be next, airing Jan. 15, followed by the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Film Independent Spirit Awards and, on March 12, the coveted Oscars (with nominations revealed Jan. 24).

From Cate Blanchett and Viola Davis to Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, familiar names are nominated this year across ceremonies. But there are also some fresh faces, Hollywood newbies and seasoned actors who are finally getting the spotlight.

Here are the actors — some first-time nominees — to watch this season:

Emma D’Arcy

Thirty-year-old English actor Emma D’Arcy, who identifies as nonbinary, broke out as the older Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the HBO fantasy series “House of the Dragon,” the “Game of Thrones” prequel and adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s “Fire and Blood.”

They appeared in several theater productions before making their television debut in Nick Payne’s 2018 BBC One and Netflix series “Wanderlust” and Amazon Prime’s “Truth Seekers,” the British series starring Nick Frost. In film, D’Arcy played in Philippa Lowthorpe’s 2020 comedy-drama “Misbehaviour” and Eva Husson’s 2021 drama “Mothering Sunday.”

A graduate of Ruskin School of Art at the University of Oxford, their portrayal of Rhaenyra Targaryen in “House of the Dragon” earned D’Arcy a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Actress in a Drama Series.

Dolly de Leon

The 53-year-old Filipina actress is a standout in Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning satire “Triangle of Sadness,” playing toilet-cleaner-turned-captain Abigail. A single mother of four, born and raised in Manila, de Leon reportedly worked various jobs through the years between her auditions and acting gigs. Filipino audiences have known her from a number of plays, shows and films; prior to “Triangle of Sadness,” she appeared in the HBO Asia series “Folklore.”

Trained in theater with a bachelor of arts degree from the University of the Philippines, de Leon makes history as the first Filipino to be nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture at the Golden Globes. De Leon has also been recognized by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, receiving the 2022 Best Supporting Performance award.

Barry Keoghan

After his breakout role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” in 2017 and appearance in Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” that same year, Barry Keoghan gave another memorable performance in Martin McDonagh’s 2022 drama-comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin.” The role has earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

An ambassador for Dior, the 30-year-old Irish actor previously snagged nominations at the BAFTA and Spirit Awards. Other notable performances include playing in Bart Layton’s “American Animals,” David Lowery’s “The Green Knight,” Marvel’s “Eternals” and (briefly) in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” Keoghan will next star in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” with Jacob Elordi and Rosamund Pike.

Jenna Ortega

Acting since she was 8 years old, Jenna Ortega got her big break in Netflix’s “Wednesday” — created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar with four of the eight episodes directed by Tim Burton, who also serves as executive producer. Her take on teenage Wednesday Addams got her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Television Actress in a Musical/Comedy Series.

Some may remember Ortega’s role as young Jane in The CW’s “Jane the Virgin.” Ortega also played in the Disney Channel show “Stuck in the Middle” and later in the second season of “You” as well as “Yes Day,” both Netflix productions.

Critics took notice of the 20-year-old actress, a California native of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, for her performance in the HBO Max teen drama “The Fallout.” She then went on to try her hand at horror, playing in “X” and “Scream,” before snagging the starring role in “Wednesday,” where Ortega’s dance in one episode went viral across social media and beyond.

Jeremy Allen White

“Shameless” fans will recognize Jeremy Allen White as Phillip “Lip” Gallagher, the second-eldest child in the long-running Showtime show (which got him a Critics’ Choice nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2014). The 31-year-old actor is now a leading man, starring in the FX on Hulu series “The Bear,” a comedy-drama created by Christopher Storer. The part has earned him nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy Series at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Television Award.

White also played in Amazon Prime Video’s “Homecoming,” and films “Afterschool,” “Twelve,” and “The Rental.” He’ll next be seen (alongside Zac Efron) as professional wrestler Kerry Von Erich in A24’s “The Iron Claw,” directed by Sean Durkin.

Stephanie Hsu

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” quietly became the hit of the year, and Stephanie Hsu is receiving critical acclaim for her role. She holds her own as Joy Wang, daughter of a couple played by Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan. The part has gotten her a Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress and Independent Spirit Award for Best Breakthrough Performance.

Born in California, Hsu relocated to Brooklyn to study theater and graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, then went on to train at the Atlantic Theater Company. She got her start on Broadway as Karen the Computer in “The SpongeBob Musical” and as Christine Canigula in “Be More Chill.”

Hsu’s notable TV gigs have been as Joy Armstrong in Hulu’s “The Path” and Mei Lin in the third season of Amazon Prime’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (getting her and the cast the 2020 SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series). In film, she starred in the indie “Asking for It” and will next be in Rian Johnson’s TV show “Poker Face” (starring and executive produced by Natasha Lyonne). She’ll also be in “Crazy Rich Asians” writer Adele Lim’s upcoming untitled project and Disney+’s “American Born Chinese” (reuniting with both Yeoh and Quan).

Diego Calva

Mexican actor Diego Calva landed his big role in 2021 as Arturo Beltrán Leyva in Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico.” But it’s his part as Manny Torres in comedy-drama “Babylon” that’s gotten the 30-year-old a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. Directed by Damien Chazelle, the film costars Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.

Calva studied directing and screenwriting at the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica in Mexico City, where he was born. He went on to direct shorts before venturing into acting, and his first major role came in 2015 in Julio Hernández Cordón’s Mexican drama “I Promise You Anarchy.”

Taylor Russell

Canadian actress Taylor Russell has made a splash with her fashion choices as she promotes Luca Guadagnino’s romance horror film “Bones and All,” in which she stars with Timothée Chalamet. The part, playing protagonist Maren Yearly, has gotten her acclaim and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Lead Performance. At the Venice International Film Festival, she received the Marcello Mastroianni Award.

Designer Jonathan Anderson has snagged the 28-year-old actress as Loewe’s new global ambassador; she opened the brand’s spring 2023 women’s runway show and appears in campaigns.

The 2019 drama “Waves,” directed by Trey Edward Shults, was Russell’s first notable role, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. She’s also been in Adam Robitel’s “Escape Room” and its sequel. On television, she’s among the cast in Netflix’s science fiction series “Lost in Space.”

Gracija Filipović

Croatian actress Gracija Filipović has only been in three credited productions – Barbara Vekaric’s “The Little Raccoon” in 2013, followed by Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s award-winning projects: the short “Into the Blue” in 2017 and the director’s feature “Murina” in 2021. The latter has earned her a Gotham Independent Film Award win for Breakthrough Performer and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance. In 2021, the film received the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

A rising talent who received her theater training in Dubrovnik, Filipović was selected as one of 10 Berlinale Shooting Stars of 2022.