The best child actors/actresses today...

Exir · Jun 24, 2009

Who do you think are the best current child actors/actresses, in terms of skill, presence and potential?

For the purposes of this thread, let's just set the cutoff line at 12 years old to separate them from teen/adult actors.

CaroGirl · Jun 24, 2009

Dakota Fanning. She's still under 12, isn't she?

Exir · Jun 24, 2009

Good choice. However: 23 February 1994

Oops

Blame the practice of casting older actors/actresses in younger roles.

maestrowork · Jun 24, 2009

Fanning is entering the teenage "awkward" years, and growing up fast. Her sister, Elle (Benjamin Button) is catching up.

Child actors who impresses me (but have yet to see some "breakout" roles):

- AnnaSophia Robb
- Abigail Breslin (although she's very good in Little Miss Sunshine)
- Jaden Smith (he was good in Pursuit of Happyness with his dad; but annoying in The Day the World Stood Still... let's see how he does in the Karate Kid remake)

Apart from Fanning and maybe Breslin, we haven't seen any true breakout stars like Macaulay Culkin or Elijah Wood.

Kitty Pryde · Jun 24, 2009

I like Luke Benward, but he's a little older than you're looking for (14). "How to Eat Fried Worms" was a bit silly, but I thought he was very earnest and captured the savagery and friendship of little-boy-hood really well.

All the kids, but especially the one playing Wellington, in Number 1 Ladies' Detective Agency really blew me away. They'll have a hard time getting exposure because they live in Botswana (though I think Wellington will be back in season 2). But their acting is incredible and totally natural.

I can't think of anyone else. The problem is that most tv and most movies for the mainstream audience seem to encourage kid actors to be as smarmy and precocious as humanly possible, with pasted on grins and excruciatingly bad one-liners (see any live show at all on Nick or Disney Channel, or any sitcom). So we don't often get a chance to see a kid acting like a human child. (Daveigh Chase and Abby Breslin are two exceptions that come to mind, though they are both teens now)

katiemac · Jun 24, 2009

The kids from Slumdog. Danny Boyle said, since they were using the kids, a lot of what they worked on, aside from the scripted basics, was improvised. Part of me wonders if I still think they would be as good as I think they were if I understood their language, though. But the proper inflections, emphasis, etc. all of that - are kind of lost on me.

childeroland · Jun 24, 2009

Fanning and Breslin, Seychelle Gabriel.

maestrowork · Jun 24, 2009

Freddy Highmore. How could I forget him? He was heartbreaking in Finding Neverland and pretty good in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and August Rush (the film, however, is soaking with sap -- Oliver Twist would be ashamed of it). Hopefully as he grows up, he will transition well and not follow the footsteps of Linsay Lohan or Haley Joel Osment (both very talented, but riddled with personal problems).

Daniel Radcliffe is not the best of actors, but he seems to have a good idea of how to grow his career as he becomes a teen idol and soon a young adult. If he continues to improve, his good looks and talent could carry him much as it did for Christian Bale.

katiemac · Jun 24, 2009

maestrowork said:
Daniel Radcliffe is not the best of actors, but he seems to have a good idea of how to grow his career as he becomes a teen idol and soon a young adult. If he continues to improve, his good looks and talent could carry him much as it did for Christian Bale.

The other kid is good, though. Rupert Grint, I think, is his name.

Enzo · Jun 24, 2009

Dakota Fanning is like THE kid actress of the past decade, she's everywhere. But I saw her in Push earlier this year, and yes, she's growing up fast.

Exir · Jun 24, 2009

Kitty Pryde said:
The problem is that most tv and most movies for the mainstream audience seem to encourage kid actors to be as smarmy and precocious as humanly possible, with pasted on grins and excruciatingly bad one-liners (see any live show at all on Nick or Disney Channel, or any sitcom). So we don't often get a chance to see a kid acting like a human child. (Daveigh Chase and Abby Breslin are two exceptions that come to mind, though they are both teens now)

That's certainly so true. I wonder whether it is the dynamic between an adult producer/director and a child actor. The director would feel almost obliged to "instruct" the "uninformed" child how to do it "properly", instead of trusting them to act naturally.

Living in China, I can also think of one Chinese child actor whose name unfortunately escapes me. I remember the very first time he appeared on TV in a Mother's Day ad, and his acting was incredibly natural and down-to-earth. Then he started appearing in those cheesy sitcoms. And now his acting is self-conscious as hell -- it's all in his body language and gestures. And he's entering his "teenage awkward years". Which means his cute factor is running out fast. Which means his career is effectively over unless something super-drastic happens. Grrrrrrr.......

All: thanks for the replies! Keep 'em coming!

jodiodi · Jun 24, 2009

Kitty Pryde said:
The problem is that most tv and most movies for the mainstream audience seem to encourage kid actors to be as smarmy and precocious as humanly possible, with pasted on grins and excruciatingly bad one-liners (see any live show at all on Nick or Disney Channel, or any sitcom). So we don't often get a chance to see a kid acting like a human child.

I totally agree with this statement. One reason I loathe watching movies or TV shows with kids in them is the fact they seem to think they're being cute when in fact they're grating my nerves so much, I just turn whatever's on, off.

Oddly, I enjoy the HP movies even though they're full of kids. The kids aren't obnoxious (even that blonde brat Malfoy).

Dakota Fanning and Haley Joe Osmat were OK as kids too. But God save us from those Disney brats and other Saturday morning brain-killers.

BigWords · Jun 26, 2009

I wasn't as annoyed by the kids in School Of Rock as I thought I would be. Maybe having Jack Black and Sarah Silverman in the cast diluted the saccharin I normally expect of child actors. The girl who played the "manager" was actually quite good.

Dale Emery · Jun 26, 2009

Enzo said:
Dakota Fanning is like THE kid actress of the past decade, she's everywhere.

So far, every time I see her, she's the best actor on the screen. She floored me in "Taken" and everything since.

Dale

BigWords · Jun 26, 2009

Her screaming in War Of The Worlds went right through me, a noise that is indescribable... Totally took me out of the viewing experience.

Agreed on her performance in Taken, but I haven't seen much of her recent work.

Dale Emery · Jun 26, 2009

BigWords said:
Her screaming in War Of The Worlds went right through me, a noise that is indescribable... Totally took me out of the viewing experience.

Yeah, her talent was totally wasted in War of the Worlds. And still she was the best actor on the screen.

Dale

Ciera_ · Jun 26, 2009

Dakota Fanning was in Taken?
What?
Um . . . anyway, I thought she was amazing in War of the Worlds but otherwise I'm not a huge fan.
Noah Gray-Cabey is fourteen or fifteen, I think, but he was great in the first few seasons of Heroes. Now he's in fully-fledged awkward teenager mode, and painful to watch. But he's a really cool kid if you see him interviewed and stuff.
Who else . . . oh, the same goes for the kid who played Walt on Lost. Actually, he always irritated me as a character, but I think the actor was good. Until they brought him back in a later season and . . . facial hair? Six feet tall? Deep, booming voice? This isn't the sweet little kid who was, well, 'token child character' for so long!
Adair Tishler was pretty great when she was on Heroes, too. And I'm starting to see just how narrow my viewing circle is.

ETA: he's only 13! Noah, that is.

BigWords · Jun 26, 2009

Ciera_ said:
And I'm starting to see just how narrow my viewing circle is.

Don't feel too bad. I just learned today that I have only read about half of the "essential" SF novels, and not only that there are authors I have never even heard of.
All the time I've wasted on comics, computer games, crappy old tv shows and cartoons...

Dale Emery · Jun 26, 2009

Ciera_ said:
Dakota Fanning was in Taken?

Not Taken (the recent movie) but "Taken" (the TV miniseries from 2002 or so).

Dale

The best child actors/actresses today...

Exir

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CaroGirl

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Exir

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maestrowork

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Kitty Pryde

i luv you giant bear statue

katiemac

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childeroland

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maestrowork

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katiemac

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Enzo

Exir

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jodiodi

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BigWords

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Dale Emery

is way off topic

BigWords

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Dale Emery

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Ciera_

BigWords

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Dale Emery

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