Which Gen Z Actresses Will Win Oscars Someday?
This year’s Oscars got me thinking about the future.
Namely, about which gen z actresses would go on to become the great Oscar winners of the future and which would fade away like our high school crushes.
So, I got out my crystal ball, called on the spirits of the Hollywood haunts of yore, and asked them for their thoughts/feelings/concerns.
JK.
I just made a bunch of educated guesses based on hours of research.
Enjoy.
READ ALSO: Dakota Johnson & Jamie Dornan Made Everyone Cringe at The Oscars
Zendaya
How old is she: 20
Where you might know her from: The Disney Channel, being graceful in the face of Giuliana Rancic’s racism
Will she win an Oscar? Yes
Zendaya is emerging as Disney’s biggest breakout star in recent memory, which means she has the visibility to land the big roles that get people nominated for Oscars.
For instance, she just got cast in a lead role in the new Spiderman franchise and she’ll be starring in an Oscar bait circus musical coming out on Christmas.
So depending on how that goes, she could actually be nominated for an Oscar in 2018.
But if Zendaya really wants to make the leap to A-list status, she should probably ditch the Disney Channel ASAP.
Disney Channel stars do go on to win Oscars (Brie Larson), just not while they’re currently, you know, on the Disney Channel.
READ ALSO: Our Cover Story With Zendaya
Tavi Gevinson
How old is she: 20
Where you might know her from: She’s the editor-in-chief of Rookie
Will she win an Oscar? Yes
I’m convinced Tavi Gevinson could run for President if she wanted to, so scoring an Oscar nod should be NBD for her.
She started running her first fashion blog when she was 11, and it was so successful the freakin New York Times interviewed her about it.
Now she’s 20, she’s already starred in three Broadway shows — for which she’s received mixed reviews — and she’s been in a movie that got long-listed for an Oscar, whatever that means, so it’s literally only a matter of time.
Oh, and she’s a writer/editor/literally has every job you ever wanted, so maybe she’ll get one for writing, producing, or directing.
Plus, she’s gorgeous, which a young actress should be if she wants to book the Vogue covers and beauty campaigns that come with true A-list status.
Kiernan Shipka
How old is she: 17
Where you might know her from: Playing Sally Draper in Mad Men
Will she win an Oscar? Definitely, maybe
Kiernan Shipka went through a season or two of strained acting choices on Mad Men, but by the show’s final season, she was actually kind of amazing at channeling teen angst while looking fab in vintage fashion.
Goals, right?
Although her career hasn’t exactly skyrocketed in the two years since Mad Men ended, she has been staring in a lot of independent artsy films, so she could conceivably emerge as an art house butterfly in her early twenties, becoming the next Chloe Sevigny.
Or she could drop off the face of the universe and become a painter in the south of France, or something.
She’s 17 and impossibly chic-looking, so either way, the world’s kind of her oyster.
Chloe Grace Moretz
How old is she: 20
Where you might know her from: Getting in a massive internet feud with the Kardashians
Will she win an Oscar: No
Picking fights on social media with the Kardashians is a good way to get your name out there, but the Academy prefers their starlets keep it classy.
Maybe she can become the next tabloid fixture/SmartWater spokeswoman like Jennifer Aniston, but she’s not winning any statuettes anytime soon.
READ ALSO: Khloé K’s Graphic Tweet About Chloë Moretz Was Way, Way Too Much
Ariel Winter
How old is she: 19
Where you might know her from: She played the nerdy daughter on Modern Family
Will she win an Oscar: No
Ariel Winter will likely keep nabbing headlines so long as she keeps preaching the body positive gospel and looking thotty on Instagram, but she was never that impressive on Modern Family, so unless she magically books the role of a lifetime, it’s not happening.
Bella Thorne
How old is she: 19
Where you might know her from: Saying weird things, causing boy drama, any of the one million movies she’s been in
Will she win an Oscar: Maybe
Bella Thorne may be the hardest working actress in young hot Hollywood, but I see her going down more of an Emma Roberts path than a Julia Roberts one.
While there’s no end to her film credits, they’re kind of all over the place, ranging from a Nicolas Sparks-style romance called “Midnight Sun” to “Boo! A Madea Halloween.”
It’s almost like she says yes to everything, which is a great deal for a working actress, but that’s just not the kind of work ethic the Academy embraces.
They like their actresses to hunker down and focus on serious biopics where the actresses involved either have to lose 25 pounds, gain 25 pounds, or be Jennifer Lawrence.
I see her starring in a handful of popular television shows and thrillers over the course of her career and being beloved by millions, but unless she sets her sight on just the boring Oscar baity films of the world, I just don’t see a golden man in her future.
READ ALSO: Yes, Bella Thorne Has Hairy Legs, No, She Doesn’t Care
Hailee Steinfeld
How old is she: 20
Where you might know her from: Getting an Oscar nomination for “True Grit” when she was a baby, being Taylor Swift’s friend
Will she win an Oscar: Yes
Hailee Steinfeld already has an Oscar nomination under her belt and nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for her role in “Edge of Seventeen” this year, so unless something goes really wrong with her career, she’ll win an Oscar by the time she’s 30.
But while we’re speaking about things that could go wrong with her career, let’s take a moment to acknowledge that trying to make her pop star career pop off probably isn’t the smartest move.
Granted, J. Lo did it and life turned out pretty well for her, but Hailee Steinfeld is not Jennifer Lopez.
Besides, once J. Lo became a pop star, she never got an A-list acting nomination again.
So tread carefully, Hailee.
Rowan Blanchard
How old is she: 15
Where you might know her from: Explaining intersectional feminism on the Internet
Will she win an Oscar: Maybe
Rowan Blanchard is great at explaining intersectional feminism, but so far there’s nothing on her resume that proves she’s destined for Oscar glory.
Although she did manage to get cast in the upcoming film adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, so there’s probably at least one HBO series in her future.
On the other hand, she’s hella smart. As long as she focuses more on acting than tweeting, she could pull it off.
READ ALSO: Rowan Blanchard Understands Intersectional Feminism
Sophie Turner
How old is she: 21
Where you might know her from: Playing Sansa in Game of Thrones
Will she win an Oscar: No, but maybe
Sophie Turner is gorgeous and while she may be destined for style stardom, she’s not even the breakout gen z star of Game of Thrones.
There are no Oscars in Sophie’s future, unless she dumps Joe Jonas and stars dating Oscar Isaac, or something.
Still, my colleagues don’t agree with me because Sophie is a class act and a pretty solid actress. So, we’ll see.
READ ALSO: Sophie Turner Is Officially A Style Star In the Making
Maisie Williams
How old is she: 19
Where you might know her from: Playing Aria in Game of Thrones
Will she win an Oscar: No
Unlike Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams is the break out gen z star of Game of Thrones, and while she’s genuinely a good actress, the biggest role she’s booked since becoming a thing is a role in yet another X-Men movie.
As popular as Game of Thrones is, it’s a ridiculous show that’s stayed on the air past its prime, so it’s probably not gonna be doing its stars any favors in the career department.
Elle Fanning
How old is she: 19
Where you might know her from: “Super 8,” “Maleficent,” being Dakota Fanning’s younger sister
Will she win an Oscar: Yes.
Elle Fanning is a good actress who’s pretty much surpassed her older sister Dakota in terms of Fanning visibility, even though most people probably haven’t seen a movie she’s made since “Super 8.”
Still, Elle’s already been the star of numerous films that have actually gotten Academy Award nominations and she’s gonna be a lead in the next Sofia Coppola film coming out this summer, so depending on how that goes, she could be thanking the Academy with Zendaya in 2018.
Abigail Breslin
How old is she: 20
Where you might know her from: Playing the a-la-modey princess in “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Scream Queens”
Will she win an Oscar: Maybe, maybe not
Sure, she got an Academy Award nomination when she was a little baby for her role in “Little Miss Sunshine,” but ever since then, the films she’s been in have been kind of all over the place.
On the one hand, she got a Screen Actor’s Guilt nomination for her role in “August: Osage County” and she’s playing Baby in the upcoming “Dirty Dancing: Live,” but she was also in “Definitely, Maybe,” which isn’t exactly a rom com anybody foams at the mouth to watch.
Will she keep working?
Sure.
Why not.
But will she go down as one of the best actresses of her generation?
Definitely, maybe, not.
Yara Shahadi
How old is she: 17
Where you might know her from: Black-ish
Will she win an Oscar: No
Yara Shahadi is genuinely adorable on Black-ish and a rising star in her own right, but odds are she won’t rise beyond the teen sensation stratosphere.
After all, Sarah Hyland became a quasi-household name by playing the adorable older daughter on a popular network family TV show, and so far the biggest movies she’s landed have been “Scary Movie 5” and straight to Netflix film called “XOXO.”
Yara might fare better than Sarah, but chances are, she’ll meet a similar fate.
Amandla Stenberg
How Old Is She: 18
Where You Might Know Her From: Playing Rue in “The Hunger Games”
Will She Win An Oscar: No
Everybody loves Amandla Stenberg, but she hasn’t booked a major role since “The Hunger Games,” and even that wasn’t exactly Oscar-worthy material. She has time to switch it up, but at this rate, a statuette’s not in her future.
Millie Bobby Brown
How Old Is She: 13
Where Might You Know Her From: Playing Eleven in Stranger Things, Calvin Klein ads
Will She Win An Oscar: I LITERALLY DON’T KNOW AND IT’S DRIVING ME CRAZY
Millie Bobby Brown is barely a teenager and the world is so obsessed with her.
She’s the breakout star of everybody’s favorite Netflix show Stranger Things, her face is in every magazine right now thanks to Calvin Klein, and she’s gonna be in the new Godzilla movie, which will probably make a zillion dollars.
All signs seem to point in the direction of super stardom, but there’s something intense about MBB that makes me think she’s gonna flame out hard.
Or maybe it’s just that universally adored child stars almost always have a tough time later on and there’s a part of me that’s foaming at the mouth for a celebrity to crash and burn because I’m a horrible person.
Either way, MBB isn’t going away anytime soon, unless she decides to give up acting once puberty hits to go off and be a rocket scientist, or something equally impressive.
READ ALSO: Stranger Things Tween Tells Mom to ‘Chill,’ Shaves Her Head On Camera
Lily-Rose Depp
How old is she: 17
Where You Might Know Her From: Chanel advertisements, the Internet
Will She Win An Oscar: Yes
I personally bow down to the teenage waif flawlessness that is Lily-Rose Depp, so I might be biased when I say I think there’s nothing LRD can’t accomplish.
When LRD isn’t walking down the Chanel runway or flaunting her impossibly flat stomach on Instagram, she’s starring in artsy film festival movies that don’t end up going anywhere, but look fabulous.
One day she’ll book her “Blue Is the Warmest Color” and awards shows will literally be falling over themselves to give her everything. Mark my words.
READ ALSO: Lily-Rose Depp Looked Like a Goddess At Prom By Avoiding These Major Mistakes
