Sex Education stars Emma Mackey and Aimee Lou Wood have both been announced on the shortlist for this year’s BAFTA Rising Star Award.
The shortlist – which was revealed this morning (Tuesday 17th January) – also includes Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker star Naomi Ackie, The Woman King’s Sheila Atim and Peaky Blinders actor Daryl McCormack.
The nominees were chosen by a panel that included actors Hayley Atwell, Joe Cole, and Jason Flemyng as well as a host of casting directors, producers, and industry experts, with the winner set to be unveiled at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony on Sunday 19th February after a public vote.
In a statement, BAFTA said that each of the nominees had “demonstrated their remarkable talent in film over the past year, having captured the imagination of both the public and film industry alike”.
Meanwhile, BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip said: “Recognising and supporting creative talent is of the upmost importance to us at BAFTA which is why we are delighted to continue our partnership with EE and the EE Rising Star Award.
“This year’s five nominees have displayed a breath-taking ability to tell stories and create characters that resonate with their audiences, and it’s now up to the British public to decide who will take home the award on 19th February.”
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Interestingly, both Wood and Ackie are previous BAFTA winners at the TV Awards, with the former having won the Best Female Comedy Performance gong in 2021 for her performance in Sex Education season 2, and the latter winning the Best Supporting Actress prize in 2020 for her turn in the second run of The End of the F**ing World.
All five of the nominees have won critical acclaim for their roles in hit films released in the past 12 months – Mackey starred in the lead role in Emily, Frances O’Connor’s film about Emily Brontë, while Wood had a key role opposite Bill Nighy in Living and Ackie starred as Whitney Houston in biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Meanwhile, Atim starred alongside Viola Davis in the historical action film The Woman King and McCormack played opposite Emma Thompson in the comedy-drama Good Luck to You, Leo Grande.
Voting is now open on the BAFTA website and viewers can watch the winner being announced on BBC One, on which the awards ceremony will be broadcast in full.
The full list of nominations for the awards will be unveiled on Thursday 19th January, with the longlist having previously been announced earlier this month.
The EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 will take place on Sunday 19th February 2023. Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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