KEEP AN EYE ON THEM
Ah, to be young and in love on-screen. Or young and in grief, in guilt, in the family way, in search of life’s meaning. Basically, it’s the young part that counts. A preponderance of actors and actresses under the age of 25 have stood out this year at the cineplexes and in the awards races thus far.
The Golden Globes have nominated Saoirse Ronan (age 13) for her supporting role in “Atonement,” while that film’s Keira Knightley (22), “Hairspray’s” Nikki Blonsky (19) and “Juno’s” Ellen Page (20) were also named for their leading roles. The IFP Independent Spirit Awards also have nominated Page, and the group’s supporting acting nods include Anna Kendrick (22) for her work in “Rocket Science” and Marcus Carl Franklin (14) for “I’m Not There.” The Broadcast Film Critics Assn. nominated Emile Hirsch (22) for a Critics’ Choice Award for his role in “Into the Wild.” They also gave Page a nod. The Screen Actors Guild nominated both as well, in addition to the cast of “Hairspray” -- of which five of the 13 actors are younger than 25. Other critically acclaimed performances came from Paul Dano (23) for “There Will Be Blood” and Michael Cera (19) for “Juno.”
But how unusual is this concentration of youth? Like last year’s media celebration of Helen Mirren as a shining example of the return of women of a certain age to the big screen, this trend may be less than the sum of its young parts.
Talented young actors have been integral to great movies since the beginning of the industry. But nowadays they actually tend to get short shrift. Time was, there were so many child stars that the Academy Awards used to single out impressive performances with special Oscars. A dozen such awards were handed out over the years between 1934 and 1960, to such performers as Deanna Durbin, Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. A miniature one was created for Margaret O’Brien, outstanding child actress of 1944. After those awards ended, the youngest actors saw fewer chances to head to the podium. And in recent years, seeing a teenager up against venerated and veteran actors in their categories seems to cause a stir. In 2004, Bill Maher’s “New Rules” included a response to Keisha Castle-Hughes’ nomination, at age 13, for her splendid work in “Whale Rider.”
“Children can’t be Oscar nominees,” he said on his HBO show “Real Time With Bill Maher,” adding, “watching actors like [Diane] Keaton and [Jack] Nicholson bring it to a new level late in their careers tells me it’s wrong to give it to a kid. For a child actor, it’s not the same kind of achievement. They’re just sad little puppets who want to be loved and do whatever they’re told.” Sean Astin, a guest on the show, rebutted by pointing out that his mother, Patty Duke Astin, won an Oscar at age 16 for her supporting role in “The Miracle Worker” in 1962.
Jeanine Basinger, the Corwin-Fuller Professor of Film Studies at Wesleyan University, dismisses any notion of a new trend of young talent, “but what makes us notice them this year is that a lot of these people, with the exception of Keira Knightley, are newcomers,” she said. “So, suddenly a lot of people are saying, ‘Ellen Page, who is that?’ ”
Basinger, author most recently of “The Star Machine,” pointed out that most of the blockbuster movies with traditional box office stars -- “Sweeney Todd,” “I Am Legend,” “Charlie Wilson’s War” -- were held back until the end of the year, allowing the smaller movies to get more attention than usual. “So we are discovering a lot of people that we might not have noticed before.”
And according to Trevor Groth, senior programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and artistic director of the CineVegas Film Festival, these relative newcomers don’t stay new for long. “I think with the selling of young actors as commodities in magazines, on television shows and online, they’re becoming household names in a much shorter time,” which in turn adds to their award cachet, he said.
At film festivals, he added, “you see independent films made by young people telling their stories and, inevitably, there’s some brand new faces telling these fresh stories, so we see a plethora of really great performances by young actors.” As a result, he’s known about Page’s talent for years.
“We showed a film last year at Sundance called ‘American Crime’ -- an incredibly challenging film, so much so that it got a mixed reaction, but her performance was fantastic in that,” said Groth. “The shift over to ‘Juno’ really shows her range; she’s one of the most exciting new actresses to come along in a long time.”
Groth also touted Reece Thompson (22), star of “Rocket Science.” “We just saw him in another film that we’re going to be showing at Sundance this year, called ‘Assassination of a High School President’ -- that performance will show that he’s really got the goods.”
A talented family
He noted that any talk of young talent would need to mention the Fanning family, citing Dakota Fanning (13) and her work in last year’s Sundance film “Hounddog.” “The subject matter pushed a lot of buttons,” he said, “but if you really look at that performance, what she was able to do, it’s almost freakish how talented she is, and at that age.” Her sister Elle (9) is in an upcoming Sundance film, “Phoebe in Wonderland,” and, Groth said, “she shows equally impressive range and talent.” Perhaps the Fanning children merit a trend piece all on their own.
And if history is any indication, the Fanning sisters have something else in their favor. This year’s Globes nominations pointed up one trend that is incontrovertible: When it comes to notice for the young ones, girls beat the boys hands down. Actresses younger than 25 have garnered seven supporting role Oscar wins (other than special Oscars), the youngest being Tatum O’Neal, at age 10, for “Paper Moon.” The only man under 25 to win in that category was Timothy Hutton, at 20, for “Ordinary People.” In the leading category, the score is women, four, men, zip. The youngest man to win was Adrien Brody, at age 29, for “The Pianist.” The youngest woman? Marlee Matlin, at 21, for “Children of a Lesser God.” The academy voters just love their ingenues.
Ah, to be young and beautiful on-screen.
