Young Stars, Big Performances
Age is just a number when you’ve got talent that outshines the entire adult cast. Over the years, child actors have delivered performances so powerful, so magnetic, they’ve turned several projects into Oscar-worthy releases.
Haley Joel Osment – The Sixth Sense
The Academy gave Supporting Actor to Michael Caine in 1999, though Haley Joel Osment’s ghost-seeing child became a cultural landmark. At just 11, Osment balanced terror with innocence so powerfully that his “I see dead people” line is still quoted today.
Buena Vista Pictures, The Sixth Sense (1999)
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Before her 10th birthday, Quvenzhane Wallis stunned critics with raw, untrained brilliance in Beasts of the Southern Wild. She played Hushpuppy, a child facing ecological disaster and personal loss. Though Wallis made history as the youngest Best Actress nominee, the award slipped away.
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Jacob Tremblay – Room
An 8-year-old Jacob Tremblay acted opposite Brie Larson in Room, holding his own against an eventual Oscar winner. His portrayal of a boy born in captivity discovering freedom for the first time felt heartbreakingly authentic. However, Larson’s victory overshadowed Tremblay’s remarkable achievement.
Brooklynn Prince – The Florida Project
Despite universal praise, Brooklynn Prince wasn’t nominated, which left many stunned at the oversight. Critics called Prince’s motel-dwelling child one of the finest performances of 2017. She was only 7, yet captured both the joy of play and the sting of poverty.
A24, The Florida Project (2017)
Noah Jupe – Honey Boy
At 14, Noah Jupe reenacted Shia LaBeouf’s traumatic childhood in Honey Boy, exposing the toll of abusive parenting. His vulnerability shocked audiences and critics with unusual maturity for someone his age. Jupe’s performance stood among the year’s best, though Oscar voters ignored him.
A24, The Florida Project (2017)
Jodie Foster – Taxi Driver
The Academy nominated Jodie Foster at 14, but even that didn’t feel like enough. She played Iris, a 12-year-old trapped in New York’s darkest corners, and never flinched. Foster’s silences carried more weight than most adult performances that year—including the winners.
Columbia Pictures, Taxi Driver (1976)
Abigail Breslin – Little Miss Sunshine
Abigail Breslin’s performance as Olive made people laugh, then made them completely uncomfortable—and that’s why it worked. She flipped a beauty pageant on its head with a single dance. The Oscar should’ve gone to the only kid who didn’t play for applause.
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Linda Blair – The Exorcist
She levitated, swore like a sailor, spun her head, and still made you feel sorry for her. Linda Blair was 14 and possessed every scene. The role made headlines and sparked protests; however, it's exactly what made her performance unforgettable.
Warner Bros. Pictures, The Exorcist (1973)
Ivana Baquero – Pan’s Labyrinth
Her audition was so powerful that Guillermo del Toro adjusted the script for Pan’s Labyrinth, which called for an older actress. That gamble paid off—her performance remains the film’s emotional anchor, and the movie is considered one of the greatest modern fantasies ever made.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Henry Thomas – ET The Extra-Terrestrial
When Steven Spielberg met Henry Thomas, the boy improvised a tearful audition so convincing that the director instantly hired him. That emotional honesty powered ET, especially in the farewell scene. The film went on to break box-office records in the 1980s.
Universal Pictures, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Drew Barrymore – ET The Extra-Terrestrial
At just six, she brought instinct and energy that couldn’t be taught. Drew Barrymore came from a famous acting family, but held her own in every scene. Spielberg often kept the camera rolling, trusting her unscripted reactions more than the script itself.
Universal Pictures, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Christian Bale – Empire Of The Sun
Long before Batman, Christian Bale held down a Spielberg war epic at 13. His transformation from spoiled schoolboy to survivor felt lived-in, not acted. Still, he was snubbed completely. Years later, Spielberg still calls Bale’s performance one of the best he’s ever directed.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Empire of the Sun (1987)
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Saoirse Ronan’s breakout role came in Atonement at just 13. Playing Briony, she exposed the destructive power of a child’s imagination. Her accusatory testimony in the movie didn’t just affect one character. It became the hinge on which the entire wartime drama turns.
Focus Features, Atonement (2007)
River Phoenix – Stand By Me
There’s a moment in Stand by Me when River Phoenix breaks down while talking about a stolen milk money envelope. It lasts seconds. But that scene alone deserved gold for its perfection. He was 15, acting like a kid trying not to cry in front of friends.
Columbia Pictures, Stand By Me (1986)
Asa Butterfield – The Boy In The Striped Pajamas
Asa Butterfield was only 10 when he played Bruno, a boy who befriends another child through a concentration camp fence. The final scene, with Bruno’s confusion turning to terror, demanded recognition the Oscars never gave. His innocent questions drove the story toward its devastating conclusion.
Miramax Films, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
Natalie Portman – Leon: The Professional
Playing Mathilda wasn’t about being tough—it was about being broken without ever saying it out loud. Natalie Portman pulled that off at 12. She made a contract killer look fragile and a child look dangerous. Although the Academy ignored her, no one else did.
Columbia Pictures, Leon: The Professional (1994)
Freddie Highmore – Finding Neverland
Freddie Highmore wasn’t intimidated by acting beside Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. At 12, he gave Peter a fragile strength that powered the film’s emotion. The park bench scene where he finally breaks down felt so real that Depp cried once the camera stopped rolling.
Miramax Films, Finding Neverland (2004)
Isabelle Fuhrman – Orphan
The Academy never acknowledged Isabelle Fuhrman’s work in Orphan, even though she carried that psychological horror on her back at just 12. She performed her own stunt work, stayed in character between takes, and adjusted her own voice pitch to hide her age—the twist only worked because she did.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Orphan (2009)
Sophie Nelisse – The Book Thief
Playing Liesel required mastering both accent and tone. And Nelisse did both while showing the courage of a child growing into rebellion. Director Brian Percival praised her focus, noting she never broke character during long war sequences. The Academy, however, chose not to recognize her.
20th Century Fox, The Book Thief (2013)
Natalie Wood – Miracle On 34th Street
Oscar voters overlooked Natalie Wood, despite her leading the Christmas classic at just eight years old. She played a child who doubted everything—even Santa. To preserve that disbelief, the crew kept Edmund Gwenn (the actor playing Santa) away from her even between scenes. Funny enough, the method worked.
20th Century Fox, Miracle on 34th Street (1947
Roman Griffin Davis – Jojo Rabbit
Roman Griffin Davis did not receive any recognition for Jojo Rabbit, though he carried the satire on his 12-year-old shoulders. His mix of naivety and desperation kept the movie human. And his breakdown when discovering the shoes hanging in the square remains the movie’s most gutting, Oscar-worthy moment.
Searchlight Pictures, Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Millicent Simmonds – A Quiet Place
Deaf in real life, Millicent brought authenticity to A Quiet Place by shaping how the family’s communication was portrayed. Krasinski credited her for designing moments that made the film credible. Her emotional breakdown after discovering her father’s sacrifice carried the movie’s final act without a word spoken.
Paramount Pictures, A Quiet Place (2018)
Chloe Grace Moretz – Let Me In
No nomination recognized Chloe Grace Moretz’s work in Let Me In. At 12, she played Abby with quiet restraint, torn between friendship and monstrous survival. Her underwater rescue scene—bodies thrashing while she stays eerily calm—showed she could control terror and tenderness at once.
Relativity Media, Let Me In (2010)
Macaulay Culkin – Home Alone
Macaulay Culkin wasn’t nominated for an Oscar for carrying a $476 million global hit at age 10. He also improvised several lines, including “Guys, I’m eating junk and watching rubbish!” That kind of improvisation is rare for actors at that age.
20th Century Fox, Home Alone (1990)
Jeremy Blackman – Magnolia
When Magnolia was in Oscar conversations, Jeremy Blackman’s name never came up. He played Stanley, a boy crushed under game-show pressure, with unnerving quiet. His final line, begging adults to treat him kindly, resonated louder than many of the film’s award-nominated performances.
New Line Cinema, Magnolia (1999)
Elle Fanning – Phoebe In Wonderland
Phoebe’s struggles in Phoebe in Wonderland demanded restraint, and Fanning delivered it at ten. What stood out was her ability to shift from defiance to fragility without exaggeration. In the rehearsal scene, she improvised lines that were so natural the director decided to keep them.
THINKFilm, Phoebe in Wonderland (2008)
Lina Leandersson – Let The Right One In
The pool scene remains unforgettable. Leandersson’s Eli doesn’t appear until the water turns red, yet her calm presence dominates it. She wasn’t nominated, though the film’s reputation as one of the greatest horrors of the century rests on her performance.
Magnolia Pictures, Let the Right One In (2008)
Onata Aprile – What Maisie Knew
For What Maisie Knew, Onata Aprile didn’t rehearse key scenes beforehand. The director kept her in the dark about the story’s custody conflict to preserve her natural reactions. Her performance had to bridge every adult conflict, and she did it without a single explanatory monologue.
Millennium Entertainment, What Maisie Knew (2013)
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Lewis had lost his mother months before filming, and that real grief fueled his role as Conor, a boy facing his own parent’s death. Director J A Bayona said that he actually had to cut filming days short because the young actor’s raw emotion left crews shaken. However, no Oscar nod followed.
Focus Features, A Monster Calls (2016)
Julian Dennison – Hunt For The Wilderpeople
Ricky’s haikus, delivered with deadpan wit, were Julian Dennison’s invention. Waititi encouraged him to improvise, and much of it stayed in the script. That looseness made Ricky unforgettable, not a caricature. Oscar voters praised the screenplay but gave no attention to the child actor driving it.
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)
Dakota Fanning – I Am Sam
The courtroom scenes in I Am Sam weren’t simplified for Dakota Fanning. At seven, she handled legal dialogue and improvised responses to Sean Penn’s shifting performance. The director said she memorized both parts of every scene in case lines changed during filming.
New Line Cinema, I Am Sam (2001)
Jamie Bell – Billy Elliot
Jamie Bell wasn’t nominated for Billy Elliot, even though his role demanded both physical training and emotional range. Bell was trained in multiple dance styles for months before filming. The final scene was performed entirely by him and was shot without music to capture every breath and movement in real time.
Universal Pictures, Billy Elliot (2000)
Keisha Castle-Hughes – Whale Rider
Oscar history was made when Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest Best Actress nominee. Her nomination itself was historic. She trained in Maori customs before filming, giving authenticity to Pai’s journey. Her tearful plea during the whale-riding sequence became the film’s emblem.
Buena Vista International, Whale Rider (2002)
Max Records – Where The Wild Things Are
Max Records gave weight to a film built on imagination. Working at 12 without formal training, he turned Where the Wild Things Are into a story about real childhood pain. His portrayal of a boy lashing out, then searching for connection, kept the fantasy grounded.
Warner Bros. Pictures, Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Elijah Wood – Radio Flyer
Before The Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood showed award-worthy talent in Radio Flyer. At 11, he played Mikey, protecting his brother from abuse. His emotional plea for safety was devastating. Reviews predicted awards, but his name never appeared when nominations were announced.
Columbia Pictures, Radio Flyer (1992)
Thomas Turgoose – This Is England
Shaun is 12, alone, and easy to manipulate. Thomas Turgoose gave him an authenticity that didn’t feel performed because, at the time, he had never acted before. Despite delivering the most honest performance in the film, Turgoose was completely ignored by the Academy.
Optimum Releasing, This Is England (2006)
Sean Nelson – Fresh
Most of Fresh played through long silences and subtle expressions. Sean Nelson, just 13, carried a lead role with no acting experience and little rehearsal. His final scene opposite Samuel L Jackson held tension with no music, no cuts—just a child outmaneuvering every adult in the film.
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Road
Playing a child raised in post-apocalyptic ruins, Kodi Smit-McPhee had no stunt double for emotionally intense scenes. He filmed the moment he begs to feed a stranger in one take, without direction between setups. He was about 13 and was central to the plot.
The Weinstein Company, The Road (2009)
Jared Gilman – Moonrise Kingdom
Most of Moonrise Kingdom hinged on how Sam was played. Jared Gilman, 13, had never acted before, yet handled the blocking, timing, and deadpan tone across full-length takes. In fact, Wes Anderson cast him because he read with no expression—and told him not to change a thing.
Focus Features, Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Georgie Henley – The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe
The entire emotional arc of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe hinged on Lucy’s reactions. Georgie Henley, just 9, acted opposite green screens and costumed stand-ins while maintaining full emotional clarity. Plus, her first on-screen scene—meeting Mr Tumnus—was filmed with no second take.
Walt Disney Pictures, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
Zain Al Rafeea – Capernaum
Filmed without rehearsal, the courtroom scene in Capernaum was shot in one long take. Zain Al Rafeea, a Syrian refugee with no acting background, improvised most of his dialogue. His final speech to the judge stunned critics and drove the film’s international acclaim.
Alex Hibbert – Moonlight
Hibbert’s performance introduced audiences to Chiron’s life. He had never acted before, yet the director cast him after one audition. The swimming lesson scene was filmed with minimal direction, relying on his instincts. Though Moonlight won Best Picture, Hibbert’s contribution was left unacknowledged.
Sunny Pawar – Lion
At six, Sunny Pawar carried Lion’s first half. The Oscars ignored him, though his performance was central to the film’s global success. Pawar filmed in multiple languages, learning lines phonetically. Garth Davis praised his instincts, saying he never needed more than two takes.
The Weinstein Company, Lion (2016)
Ana Torrent – The Spirit Of The Beehive
Few actors carry symbolic films, let alone at age six. Ana Torrent gave The Spirit of the Beehive its eerie stillness without knowing the political subtext. Her long take with the imagined monster was filmed without direction—just raw reaction—anchoring one of Spain’s most acclaimed films.
Janus Films, The Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
