Superhero battling Oscar hopefuls for BAFTA’s rising star honour

BAFTA has announced its shortlist of stars in the running for its Rising Star honour, to be handed out at next month’s film awards ceremony.

Tom Holland is the latest young actor to wear the Spider-Man outfit

Marvel’s latest incarnation of Spider-Man, 20 year old Tom Holland, says it’s a huge honour to be nominated for the prize, whose winner is chosen in a public vote.

He’ll face competition from the American Lucas Hedges, who’s also 20, who’s already collecting nominations for his supporting role in the upcoming drama Manchester By The Sea. His big break came through being seen in a school play by Wes Anderson, who cast him in Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Anya Taylor-Joy starred in the LFF Best First Film winner The Witch

Another Oscar-hopeful, the Ethiopian-born and Irish-raised Ruth Negga, is also on the short-list. At 34, she’s the oldest nominee, and is hoping for recognition during awards season for her performance as a black woman, prosecuted for marrying a white man, in the 1950s true-story, Loving.

Also in the running is Anya Taylor-Joy, another 20 year old, last seen in the 2015 London Film Festival prize-winner, The Witch.

The final nominee, 31 year old Laia Costa, the Spanish star of last-year’s one-take Berlin-set Victoria, said she was “honoured to be considered in this company.”

BAFTA has been handing out the Rising Star award since 2006, to honour “a young actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition and has begun to capture the imagination of the British public.”

Previous winners have included James McAvoy, Noel Clarke and John Boyega. Clarke, who beat stars including Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Hall to take the honour in 2009, said he would not have the career he had today if he had not won.