I've already named the most overlooked performer of 2018, and that title goes to Pose's MJ Rodriguez. But there are countless other actors who've put Hollywood on notice this year, emerging as up-and-coming legends of stage and screen.
The folks on this list delivered some of the best acting the industry has seen since Viola Davis' snot-riddled turn in Fences. But many of them haven't garnered the kudos they're due as critics groups and awards voting bodies continue to ignore them. Below are my picks of the actors that deserved more attention in 2018. Their performances grabbed me and won't let me go.
The 'Dear White People' Cast
The cast of Justin Simien's Dear White People is like a healthy serving of okra soup. Logan Browning is the tomato base: earthy, hella present, and nuanced. DeRon Horton is the okra: tender, necessary, and fresh. Marque Richardson and Brandon P. Bell are the neckbone and pigtail: rich, succulent, and hearty. Antoinette Robertson and Nia Jervier are the shrimp and the corn: firm, crisp, and silky. And then there's Ashley Blaine Featherson, the secret ingredient that lifts the whole dish, hot sauce: covert, spicy, and biting. I want to eat whatever they're serving.
Angelica Ross, 'Pose'
If I had to choose just one person from Pose that is bringing the laughs and the drama, it would have to be Ross as Candy. It doesn't matter if she's getting a botched butt job or starting her own house, she knows how to deliver the memorable one-liners that keep us begging for more.
Anthony Ramos, 'Monsters and Men'
While most will remember Ramos as Lady Gaga's possibly-gay best friend in A Star is Born, the actor didn't really have much to work with in the Bradley Cooper-directed picture. In Reinaldo Marcus Green's Monsters and Men however, Ramos shines. Playing someone who witnesses the police killing a black man, parallel to the real life Ramsey Orta who filmed the death-by-chokehold of Eric Garner, he taps into the very real experience of being Black (and brown) in America to deliver a revelatory performance.
Shamon Brown Jr., 'The Chi'
Let the record reflect that The Chi's MVP is Brown as Papa. In a show about the ups and downs of living on the South Side of Chicago, he's the comedic relief we need. Brown's got the swag and energy of someone many years his senior, but still a child I'd like to call my own.
Danai Gurira, 'Black Panther'
The best scene in Black Panther, of which there are many, involves Gurira's Okoye single-handedly rejecting colonialism and European beauty standards. When a fight breaks out in an underground casino, she uses the wig she's wearing as a weapon, throwing it in the face of her opponent. This is just one of many moments in which she makes me want to be a Dora Milaje too.
Forrest Goodluck, 'The Miseducation of Cameron Post'
While much of the attention paid to The Miseducation of Cameron Post focused -- deservedly so -- on Chloe Grace Moretz, and to a lesser degree, Sasha Lane, it's the third person in their leading trio that I most remember. As a teen forced to cut his "feminine" hair in an early '90s gay conversion therapy camp, the Native actor delivered a restrained, yet enthralling performance.
Justina Machado, 'One Day at a Time'
As Penelope Alvarez, a single mother of two and military vet, Machado is the kind of mother any queer kid wishes for. And her performance in this past season is the work of a true artist as she explores the effects of PTSD on our veterans. As the child of an Army vet, I found it to be very authentic and moving.
Brian Tyree Henry, 'If Beale Street Could Talk'
In just 12 minutes, Henry displays an entire life of emotions in Barry Jenkins' adaptation of James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk. It's so vastly different from both his Atlanta role and his turn in Steve McQueen's Widows this year that we must take notice of this talent. After all, he is Tony- and Emmy-nominated.
Cynthia Erivo, 'Widows'
I'm not sure why Widows isn't doing as well as expected at the box office, but what I do know is that Erivo, who won her Tony leading Broadway's The Color Purple, is one of the best parts of an already stellar film. Sure, she's up against vets Viola Davis and Michelle Rodriguez, but when she hits the screen, her performance is undeniable. She's currently filming a Harriet Tubman biopic and I already can't handle it.
Marsai Martin, 'Black-ish'
Since Black-ish first began in 2014, Martin has had a place in my heart. The 14-year-old mogul-in-the-making not only holds her own against comedy heavyweights Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Jenifer Lewis, but she's often the most memorable part of each episode. I know she's young, but give her her trophies!
Amandla Stenberg, 'The Hate U Give'
Of all the movies released this year in the Black Lives Matter Cinematic Universe, The Hate U Give is the one that affected me the most. Stenberg, as a teenager who witnesses the death of her best friend at the hand of a white, trigger-happy cop, is the most believable she's ever been on screen. She delivers a raw, emotionally poignant performance that should've been recognized among this year's awards season nominations.
Daniel Kaluuya, 'Widows'
As the lead of Jordan Peele's Get Out, we knew Kaluuya was talented. The Oscar nomination is also proof. But in Widows, he is sinister and evil beyond what I think most people thought he was capable of. It's a gripping, hair-raising performance that I still have nightmares about.
Angel Bismark Curiel, 'Pose'
Pose's Lil Papi is a character that can easily be seen as tertiary comedic relief, and, for the most part, he is. But in episode seven, when Curiel is confronted by MJ Rodriguez's Blanca, his plea to be accepted and understood by his house mother punches you in the gut. I bawl my eyes out every single time.
Kiersey Clemons and Sasha Lane, 'Hearts Beat Loud'
It's not often that we get a coming-of-age story starring two biracial queer women but that's exactly what Brett Haley's Hearts Beat Loud is. Kiersey Clemons and Sasha Lane play girlfriends in the film about a father and daughter who form a band the summer before she goes off to college. Together, they delivered impassioned, tear-inducing performances.
Natasha Rothwell, 'Insecure' and 'Love, Simon'
I will follow Rothwell to my death if it means I'll get more of her comedic brilliance. From her character Kelly in Insecure to a laugh-out-loud role as the drama teacher in Love, Simon, she knows how to squeeze a cackle from the smallest time on screen. She's a scene-stealer for sure.
