Ansel Elgort Is Augustus Waters in "The Fault in Our Stars" Opposite Shailene Woodley

From siblings to star-crossed lovers! EW reports rising star Ansel Elgort has been offered the male lead in "The Fault in Our Stars" opposite Shailene Woodley - who plays his sister in the currently-filming dystopian adaptation "Divergent." The two Read more

Dylan O'Brien Lands "The Maze Runner" Lead; Ki Hong Lee Also Joins

UPDATE: Director Wes Ball tweets that Ki Hong Lee has also joined the cast as Minho, a fellow Glader and ally to Thomas throughout the series. Lee is probably best known as a regular on short-lived ABC Family Read more

Shailene Woodley Confirmed for "The Fault in Our Stars"

I mean, duh, we called it. It has now been officially confirmed with glowing quotes from director, producer and author in tow that the increasingly in demand Shailene Woodley will play the lead role of Hazel Grace Lancaster Read more

Up and Comers Presents: 20 Faces to Watch in 2013

After a somewhat unpredictable year in which the stars we expected to break out largely didn't but fresh faces came out of nowhere to surprise us all, we are ready to look ahead to the new talent waiting to Read more

Up and Comers Presents: The Breakout Stars of 2012

Another year, another new crop of fresh talent. Just like last year, the hardest part is narrowing down which of the dozens of the year's rising stars shone the brightest. This year we heralded the arrival of the unlikeliest Read more
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chris o’dowd

Chris O’Dowd Joining “Girls” Co-Star Adam Driver in “The Coward”

April 29, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

Chris O’Dowd may be moving to 18th Century England with co-star Adam Driver. The two guys of HBO’s “Girls” are gearing up to star in “The Coward”, the period comedy to be directed by “Ceremony”‘s Max Winkler, according to The Wrap.

Driver joined the project in February, and is set to play a nobleman whose family has a long history ending up on the losing side of to-the-death duels. When he’s challenged to such a duel, he hires a criminal to take his place. The criminal (prsumably O’Dowd?) ends up rather liking the lifestyle of the rich and steals Driver’s character’s identity. Winkler wrote the script with Matt Spicer and it’s adapted from the Nick Jones play.

O’Dowd broke out in a pair of Judd Appatow films, “Bridesmaids” and “This is 40″, then turned in a memorable recurring appearance on Lena Dunham’s HBO series “Girls” and will also star in upcoming documentary-style comedy series “Family Tree” for the network. He also stars in crowd-pleasing Cannes premiere “The Sapphires”, out now, and will star in hot indie comedy “St. Vincent De Van Nuys” with Bill Murray and “Bridesmaids” co-star Melissa McCarthy.

Chris O’Dowd May Join “Bridesmaids” Co-Star Melissa McCarthy in “St. Vincent De Van Nuys”

March 22, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting Leave a comment

chris-odowd Caution: “Bridesmaids” reunion ahead. Deadline reports Chris O’Dowd, who played Kristen Wiig’s love interest in the bawdy 2010 comedy, is in early talks to join Bill Murray and fellow “Bridesmaids” alum Melissa McCarthy in highly sought-after dramedy “St. Vincent de Van Nuys.”

The Ted Melfi project became hot after Murray attached himself to the lead role of a cantakerous neighbor to McCarthy’s character, who takes her impressionable 12 year old son under his wings and corrupting him in the process. McCarthy’s character is a single mother who works double shifts at a hospital to support herself and her son, and believes the guy next door is harmless enough a babysitter, which becomes “the worst parenting decision ever made”, according to Melfi. O’Dowd is eyeing the role of a sympathetic priest who is aghast at the influence Murray’s character is having on the boy. Filming is set to begin in July.

McCarthy and O’Dowd have already worked together once since “Bridesmaids”, in Judd Apatow’s “This is 40.” O’Dowd then turned in a memorable recurring appearance on Lena Dunham’s HBO series “Girls” and will also star in upcoming documentary-style comedy series “Family Tree” for the network. He also stars in crowd-pleasing Cannes premiere “The Sapphires”, which opens in limited theaters today.

BAFTA Orange Wednesdays Rising Star shortlist is announced with surprise omissions

January 11, 2012 | Posted by Rebecca Lewis in Awards 1 Comment

In a year of high profile female actresses, BAFTA’s Orange Rising Star longlist featured three of the best – Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence and Felicity Jones.

Alongside Adam Deacon, Chris Hemsworth, Chris O’Dowd, Eddie Redmayne and Tom Hiddleston, the above eight were chosen by a panel of “influential names from across the film and media industry” and it is then down to the public to decide the shortlist – and eventual winner.

Well, today at BAFTA HQ the shortlist was announced and has surprised us all here at UpAndComers – as it doesn’t feature any of the above three female actresses.

Instead the shortlist of five rising stars is made up of Deacon, Hemsworth, O’Dowd, Redmayne and Hiddleston. All are deserved nominees for sure, yet we have to wonder – O’Dowd over Chastain, who is a certain Oscar lock and received critical praise for all seven of her films in 2011? Deacon over Lawrence, who became an Oscar nominee for her first leading role only to land the role that all young Hollywood actresses wanted, that of Katniss in Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games?

Previous winners of the award include Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, James McAvoy and Eva Green.

Now, it goes back to the public as all Orange customers can vote to pick their Rising Star of 2012. The winner will be announced during the live ceremony on Sunday 12th February 2012.

UPDATED: Click below for the official BAFTA press release which includes biographies for the five nominated actors.

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Up and Comers Podcast #6: “Hugo”, “We Bought a Zoo” and some of our favorite Aussie rising stars

November 29, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge and Rebecca Lewis in Podcast 1 Comment

Thank you for joining us again if you listened to our earlier podcasts or if you are new to the program, welcome! Once a week, Linda and Rebecca will take to the internet airwaves to discuss a variety of subjects, including all the latest news, movies we’ve seen recently, the Oscar season and more topics that interest us (or you! Please send us your suggestions for topics to talk about).

• 00:00 – 19:00 – Slow news week, so we dissect each and every one of BAFTA’s Rising Star longlist, as well as the high profile castings of Amber Heard in “Motor City” and Chris Evans in “The Iceman”.

• 19:00 – 25:40 – Linda talks about two movies she saw and loved this week: Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” and Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo.”

• 25:40 – END – We discuss just a few of Australia’s many rising stars making a mark in Hollywood, from the almost-A-listers like Sam Worthington, Chris Hemsworth and Mia Wasikowska, to the barely known names like Bella Heathcote, Elizabeth Debicki and James Frecheville, and plenty in between.

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Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Hemsworth, Felicty Jones, more longlisted for BAFTA Orange Wednesdays Rising Star

November 23, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards 5 Comments

Some of our favorites (and some less familiar to us) have been unveiled as this year’s longlist for BAFTA’s annual Orange Rising Star award, honoring up and coming talent and voted on by the public. Adam Beacon, Chris Hemsworth, Felicity Jones, Tom Hiddleston, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris O’Dowd, Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne make up the Class of 2012, and you will get to help decide who becomes the final five nominees, and ultimately who joins the ranks of previous winners including Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, James McAvoy and Eva Green.

This year’s longlist were chosen by a judging panel of “influential names from across the film and media industry” including actors Simon Pegg and Sienna Miller, director David Yates, casting director Nina Gold and more. More info about each of the longlisted actors and how to vote for them are below.

Personally, my final five would be (after much deliberation): Jones, Hiddleston, Lawrence, Chastain and Redmayne. Who’s your final five?

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