Summer Movies: 11 breakout actors to watch

Independent

01-05-2025

Many of the big movies this summer might come from familiar places – whether they're franchises, sequels or hybrid adaptations of beloved animated classics. But look closer and there are quite a few fresh faces making a splash with memorable characters new and old.
The Associated Press spoke to 10 of the actors about the roles.
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong and Maia Kealoha in 'Lilo & Stitch'
Maia Kealoha was 6 years old when she saw an advertisement for an open casting call for the new hybrid 'Lilo & Stich' movie and promptly told her parents that's what she wanted to do. Now, 8, Kealoha, who was born on Hawaii's Big Island, is making her film debut as the spirited Lilo in Disney's new live-action adaptation, hitting theaters on May 23.
'It was so amazing,' Kealoha said. 'I was really proud of myself.'
Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, who plays Lilo's older sister and caregiver Nani praised her young co-star.
'It was amazing building a world with her,' Agudong, 24, said. 'It's a lot of CGI and we're working with aliens and such and she was full of imagination and creativity.'
A Kaua'I native, Agudong also came to the role from an open casting call. Being part of the film has been a special experience as a lifelong fan of the animated version and a proud Hawaii resident.
'Hawaii's very much like tough love and soft heart,' Agudong said. 'We truly created a family and hopefully people can see that.'
The Gilmore Boys in 'Happy Gilmore 2'
Happy Gilmore is a dad in the sequel coming to Netflix July 25. The Gilmore boys, played by Ethan Cutkosky ('Shameless'), Conor Sherry ('Shake Shack'), Maxwell Jacob Friedman (a pro-wrestler) and newcomer Philip Schneider, 'are just goons,' Schneider said.
All came to the project strangers, though intimately familiar with a film they'd all grown up with. And everyone but Friedman, 29, had to prove they had a little skill on the ice.
'I looked like a goon so they just assumed I'd be fine on the rink,' Friedman laughed.
The four actors quickly found their rhythm together on set in Jersey City playing the rambunctious, troublemaking Gilmore spawn during the four-month shoot.
'The fast pace of stupidity that we got to and what made us family was such an amazing thing,' Cutkosky, 25, said. 'It's really hard to come by.'
Friedman added: 'In between scenes, we could like look at each other and know what we were thinking and make each other laugh without talking.'
Schneider, 24, attributed the atmosphere to their on-screen dad Adam Sandler, who made the whole set feel like a family. His genius, Schneider said, 'is that he gets people he wants to work with and just sees what happens. He trusts the chemistry.'
For Sherry, it was helpful so early in his career to get to see how Sandler could be both a giant in the industry and so humble.
'That's the dream, right? To balance both,' Sherry, 24, said.
Eva Victor in 'Sorry, Baby'
One of the breakout films from Sundance was 'Sorry, Baby,' a poignant drama that's both funny and shattering about the aftermath of a traumatic event. It's the feature debut of triple threat Eva Victor who wrote, directed and stars as Agnes, a graduate student at a New England school.
'I wanted to make a film that was about feeling stuck when everyone around you keeps moving that really didn't center any violence,' said Victor, 31, who goes by they/she pronouns.
Victor, who had a recurring role on 'Billions,' was making short comedy videos online and writing for the satirical website Reductress when Oscar-winning 'Moonlight' filmmaker Barry Jenkins messaged them and asked if they had any scripts. Now, that script is going to be in theaters on June 27, through A24.
'I hope the film finds people when they need it,' Victor said.
Ben Wang in 'Karate Kid: Legends'
Ben Wang didn't know he was up against some 10,000 people vying to play the new Karate Kid.
The 25-year-old actor, best known for his role on the Disney+ series 'American Born Chinese,' learned that after the fact. But it was a stressful month of not sleeping very well while waiting to hear if he got it, he said.
'Karate Kid: Legends' (out May 30) brings together Jackie Chan's Mr. Han and Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso for this new entry, about teenager at a new school, Wang's Li, who has to learn from both.
'It's a fun one to play,' Wang said. 'And I get to try to kick Jackie Chan which is new and exciting for me.'
Nico Parker in 'How to Train Your Dragon'
Nico Parker grew up with both the 'How to Train Your Dragon' books and movies, so it was a dream come true when she got the chance to play Astrid in the new live-action adaptation (June 13).
'It's a difficult thing when there's already such a brilliant version of Astrid out there,' Parker, 20, said. 'The main thing that I really wanted to be prevalent in everything was how driven she is and how it doesn't come easy. It takes effort and skill and determination."
Parker, the daughter of actor Thandiwe Newton and director Ol Parker, has been on sets her whole life. She was only 11 when she filmed Tim Burton's 'Dumbo.' But this feels different, she said, because she really understands the scale and scope of being in a major franchise.
'To be older I feel as if I'm acknowledging way more what it means and doesn't mean,' she said. 'And I get much more stressed about it.'
Benjamin Pajak in 'The Life of Chuck'
You can't blame filmmaker Mike Flanagan for assuming Benjamin Pajak was a skilled dancer. Pajak made his Broadway debut as Winthrop in 'The Music Man' with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. But ask Pakaj, now 14, and he demurs that dancing is not exactly his strong suit.
But you would never guess to see him waltzing and sambaing across the floor (thanks to Mandy Moore's choreography) in 'The Life of Chuck' (out June 6).
'Film is so different from theater,' Pajak said. 'But there were just so many people kind of lifting me up and helping me throughout the process.'
One of those was Mark Hamill, who plays his grandfather. Perhaps even more exciting than being in the movies? Sharing scenes with Luke Skywalker.
Krypto in 'Superman'
Superman's very good boy Krypto might be a computer-generated creation, but the inspiration was a very real dog: Filmmaker James Gunn's rescue Ozu. It was difficult transition to life in a home —- Ozu destroyed shoes, furniture and even his laptop. Gunn, who was at work writing 'Superman,' thought, 'How difficult would it be if Ozu had superpowers?'
That was how Krypto came to be part of the newest 'Superman" (out July 11) changing the story and the script. The white pup features prominently in the film's trailer. At the Puppy Bowl earlier this year Gunn said that Krypto is lovable and mischievous and has all of the powers of Superman — and, yes, he can fly too.
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