The Farewell star Awkwafina is the headline nominee for BAFTA’s 2020 EE Rising Star Award.
The Golden Globe winner will be joined the phenomenal lead of Booksmart Kaitlyn Dever, Kelvin Harrison Jr, who’s getting early Oscar buzz for his performance in Waves.
Meanwhile, Jack Lowden, who has had a standout career so far working on Dunkirk, Mary Queen of Scots and Fighting With My Family, and the final nominee is Michael Ward. after getting praise for his performances in Netflix’s Top Boy and British drama Blue Story.
Compare to previous years, this isn’t the strongest list as you have a clear front runner in the form of the better known Awkwafina, but the love for Booksmart is strong which could help Dever.
Image via BAFTA 
Image via BAFTA
But would winning this award help their career in the long run? Probably not and especially in Awkwafina’s case having just won the Golden Globe and likely nominated for an Oscar.
Sadly, I don’t think Harrison Jr has a chance for the sole bases it’s a public vote and a lot of British public won’t see Waves and isn’t starred in something that breaks into the UK film scene or cast in a major film.
As for the two Brits, I’d personally love to see Lowden win as I see him as a fantastic talent and has a great career in front of him which could include playing James Bond in the future. However, does Lowden need it? Probably not.
The actor who could seriously benefit from winning is Ward because how Blue Story was treated by Vue cinema and the fact it was a massive success earning just over £4 million at the box office.
The fact it’s a public vote will help Ward as well.
At the end of the day, it’ll all depend on who has the strongest presence on social media to promote the award getting the public to vote for them.
The Bear Cave 