This summer's movies are spotlighting fresh talent, from the new Moana to a 20-year-old wunderkind filmmaker, multi-Tony Award winners, Saturday Night Live comedians, and Australians at the heart of Sundance hits. The Associated Press spoke to 11 up-and-coming actors and directors to watch.
Catherine Lagaʻaia, Moana
Catherine Lagaʻaia (lung-uh-aye-uh) learned she got the role of Moana on a school day, around 8:15 a.m., after a stressful year of auditions. The celebration had to wait—it was swimming carnival day, and she was set for the 400-meter backstroke. Lagaʻaia, 20, grew up in Sydney, Australia, in a family of actors; her father played Captain Typho in Star Wars prequels. She attended a performing arts high school, and many siblings are in theater. Two sisters also auditioned for Moana. The animated film meant a lot to her as someone of Samoan heritage, and she feels the weight of expectations for the live-action film (July 10). I felt impostor syndrome stepping into it, she said. We've made great changes while keeping the heart of the film.
Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, Leviticus
In Leviticus, a conversion therapy horror that broke out at Sundance, teenage boys Ryan (Stacy Clausen, 21) and Naim (Joe Bird, 19) are drawn together in a backwater Australian community. The film hits theaters June 19. It's about growing up queer and how fear can block desires, Clausen said. But it's also about love, for everyone. Bird noted a YouTube commenter who wished they had this film when younger. It takes one person to be inspired to know you've done your job, Bird said.
Kara Young and Mallori Johnson, Is God Is
Aleshea Harris chose two-time Tony-winner Kara Young and relative newcomer Mallori Johnson for the film adaptation of her Obie-winning play Is God Is. The story follows twin sisters seeking their abusive father. Young plays Racine the Rough One; Johnson is Anaia the Quiet One. The film is in theaters May 15. Anaia depends on Racine for protection, Johnson said. They have a codependent dynamic since childhood. Young added: Getting into this world feels like an ancestral calling. It's an epic road trip, a Greek tragedy, a love story between sisters.
Kane Parsons, Backrooms
Kane Parsons was a teenager when signed to direct his first feature, based on his viral YouTube series Backrooms. Inspired by an internet creepypasta, he created unnerving videos from his bedroom using Blender software. James Wan and Shawn Levy's companies backed the film, out May 29. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a furniture store owner slipping from reality; Renate Reinsve co-stars. I don't think of this as horror-driven, Parsons, 20, said. I'm interested in the man looking in the mirror version.
The Bachelors, 72 Hours
SNL cast members Kam Patterson, 27, and Ben Marshall, 30, play Gen Z guys on a bachelor trip with Marcello Hernández, groom-to-be Mason Gooding, and a middle-aged colleague (Kevin Hart) in Netflix's 72 Hours (streaming July 24). It was the most fun shooting a movie, Marshall said. They goofed off in a New Jersey mansion and Miami, with Hart as counselor. We didn't say one word from the script, Marshall laughed. Patterson added: We threw the script out the window.
The New Assistants in The Devil Wears Prada 2
Simone Ashley (Bridgerton) plays Miranda Priestly's first assistant Amari in The Devil Wears Prada 2 (now in theaters). Amari's comedy comes from sassiness and quiet confidence, Ashley, 31, said. She's secretly the next Miranda. Comedian Caleb Hearon, 31, plays second assistant Charlie, who never leaves his desk. I thought about why he wouldn't mind staying at the desk all day, Hearon said. Helen J Shen, 26, makes her big screen debut as Andy's assistant Jin. Jin knows exactly what she's doing, Shen said. She's intelligent and wants to help Andy.
