6. Barry Keoghan

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It has taken years of bit parts and low-budget television for Barry Keoghan to forge a path into the entertainment industry. He grew up in Ireland’s gritty Dublin 1 neighbourhood and, following his mother’s heroine overdose when he was only five, traipsed through a series of foster homes before being raised by his grandmother. Keoghan credits his difficult upbringing for his current success, saying he draws on his own life experience to nuance his characters. The 25-year-old solidified his one-to-watch status in 2017 with two landmark (and wildly different) roles: as a boatman rescuing stranded soldiers in the war epic Dunkirk and a suspicious teenager in the disturbing horror flick The Killing of a Sacred Deer. The coming months will see the rising star appear in the crime drama American Animals, and Black 47 with Hugo Weaving and Jim Broadbent. Given that his ultimate goal is to “win three Oscars in three different categories”, Barry Keoghan certainly has his work cut out for him.