The Movie Star Draft: Predicting Hollywood's Next Stars
By Jacob Skubish
With movie theaters closed it remains an uncertain time in the film industry, but as long as they keep making movies we’ll keep getting new movie stars. So I rounded up my friends Audrey, Fran, and Sam to create the Movie Star Draft in an attempt to predict who will be Hollywood’s biggest future stars.
What are the rules? Well, the biggest challenge this game raised was figuring out who was already too famous to draft. After considering age caps, box office gross, and awards, we couldn’t settle on any criteria that felt right. So we dove right in, and rejected any picks the group thought were too famous.
The Movie Star Draft is also, by its nature, a long-term game. We’ll check back in next year to see how our teams are performing, and we may even add or drop additional actors.
Without further ado, here are the results of the 10-round draft, along with an abridged version of our running commentary.
Round 1
| Jake | Thomasin McKenzie |
| Audrey | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II |
| Fran | Julia Garner |
| Sam | Richard Madden |
Jake: I have to pick Thomasin McKenzie, the breakout star of Jojo Rabbit, first overall. She’s a great actress, and has Edgar Wright and M. Night Shyamalan movies coming up.
Sam: I feel like Jake is way more prepared than I am.
Audrey: Yeah, because he’s a crazy person. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II was my immediate number one. Everybody loved him in Watchmen, he’s going to be in Candyman, and he’s incredibly good looking.
Fran: I’m already losing faith in my list … but I’m going to stick with my list and go with Julia Garner. She was just in The Assistant and Modern Love, and I think after Ozark she might have big box office appeal.
Sam: All of the people at the top of my list are definitely too famous. Is Richard Madden too famous?
Jake: I think I’d give a thumbs up to him. And it’s a good pick because he’s going to be in The Eternals.
Sam: Nice! I just watched Bodyguard, it’s so good.
Round 2
| Sam | Kathryn Newton |
| Fran | Margaret Qualley |
| Audrey | McKenna Grace |
| Jake | Anthony Ramos |
Sam: I’m going to go with Kathryn Newton. I couldn’t feel better after these two picks!
Fran: I’m going with Margaret Qualley from Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.
Jake: AUGHHH
Fran: I put all of the Manson girls from that movie on my list, and having a parent in the industry could help.
Jake: I thought about drafting only children of famous people, which you could definitely do.
Audrey: I’m picking McKenna Grace, who plays the younger version of everyone in movies.
Jake: I’m not feeling confident so far, folks. But I’m taking Anthony Ramos, if y’all will allow it. He’s the star of Hamilton on Broadway and will be in In the Heights.
Fran: I feel like that will be a big movie theater movie.
Jake: Yeah, you have to put a musical in theaters. So maybe it’s a bad bet, we’ll see.
Round 3
| Jake | Austin Butler |
| Audrey | Haley Lu Richardson |
| Fran | Daisy Edgar-Jones |
| Sam | Kaitlyn Dever |
Jake: Just completely abandoning my ranked list, I’m going with Austin Butler, who will be Elvis in a Baz Luhrmann biopic. He’s also dating Vanessa Hudgens!
Fran: I feel like I could have chosen my list solely from people in Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.
Audrey: Alright Jake, you’re going to be mad. I’m taking Haley Lu.
Jake: She should be so much more famous than she is, this is a great pick.
Fran: Ok, still sticking with the list. I’m going with Daisy Edgar-Jones, who is currently in Normal People.
Sam: I’m going to pick Kaitlyn Dever. She’s not too famous, right?
Audrey: Yeah, that’s allowed.
Round 4
| Sam | Stephan James |
| Fran | Julia Fox |
| Audrey | Lashana Lynch |
| Jake | Jessie Buckley |
Sam: Is Lucas Hedges too famous?
Jake: Yes.
Sam: Is Glen Powell too famous?
Jake: Yes.
Sam: Is John David Washington too famous?
Jake: Way too famous.
Sam: Hmm. Is Stephan James too famous?
Audrey: Ohhh, I like that pick.
Sam: I like my strategy of throwing out names to see if they’re too famous or not.
Fran: I’m going to go with Julia Fox, who plays Julia in Uncut Gems.
Audrey: My turn? Lashana Lynch, baby! Who I can only take because No Time to Die hasn’t come out yet.
Jake: Oh god, two picks for me. First I’m going to take Jessie Buckley, who was so great in Wild Rose.
Round 5
| Jake | Kiersey Clemons |
| Audrey | Betty Gilpin |
| Fran | Diana Silvers |
| Sam | Liu Yifei |
Jake: And next I’m taking Kiersey Clemons, who I had as my number one person overall. She was great in Hearts Beat Loud, and she’s about to be in Antebellum with Janelle Monáe, which I think will be a big movie.
Audrey: I’ve got Betty Gilpin next. I just watched The Hunt, which was … something, but I think she’s a good actress.
Fran: Ok, I’ll say Diana Silvers from Booksmart just to mess with Jake.
Jake: AUGHH. She’s so good.
Audrey: Continuing to just take the cast of Booksmart and Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.
Sam: Can I take Liu Yifei?
Jake: I think so, because Mulan hasn’t come out yet.
Round 6
| Sam | Dafne Keen |
| Fran | Julia Butters |
| Audrey | Justice Smith |
| Jake | Lily-Rose Depp |
Sam: Now I have to pick another person?? Ugh. I’ll take Dafne Keen, who was in His Dark Materials and Logan.
Fran: Ok, I’m going to go with Julia Butters, from Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood again. She’ll be a star when she’s older, but I think she’ll have some great roles in the interim.
Jake: We may have to play this game for a very long time.
Fran: Somehow half my picks so far are named Julia.
Audrey: I’m making an audible for this one and taking Justice Smith.
Jake: Can I take Lily-Rose Depp?
Audrey: Sure.
Jake: I don’t feel great about that pick because I’ve literally never seen her act, but she has a bunch of big movies she’s going to be in.
Round 7
| Jake | Kiki Layne |
| Audrey | Maya Hawke |
| Fran | Paul Mescal |
| Sam | Emma Mackey |
Jake: Now we’re getting to the part of my list where I could pick from like 10 different people. I’m taking Kiki Layne, the other star of If Beale Street Could Talk, and she’s also going to be in this Netflix Charlize Theron action movie called The Old Guard.
Audrey: I’m going with Maya Hawke. She’s really good in Stranger Things.
Jake: I love the Hawke family so much.
Fran: Ok, I’ll do Paul Mescal, also from Normal People.
Sam: Oh man, I’m really stuck now. I’m going to pick Emma Mackey. She’s in Sex Education.
Audrey: She looks identical to Margot Robbie.
Round 8
| Sam | Barry Keoghan |
| Fran | Millie Bobby Brown |
| Audrey | Jodie Comer |
| Jake | Jordan Fisher |
Sam: Well, I’m just going to pick that creepy-looking guy from The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Barry Keoghan.
Fran: She might be too famous, but … Millie Bobby Brown? Is she too famous?
Audrey: I don’t think for movies she is.
Jake: She’s so famous from Stranger Things, but that’s really all she’s known from, so I think it’s ok.
Sam: I’m outvoted, so it doesn’t matter, but I feel like she’s way too famous.
Audrey: I’ve got four that I’m debating between … I’m taking Jodie Comer. She’s going to be in that Ben Affleck-Matt Damon movie The Last Duel.
Jake: Ok, I’m going to take Jordan Fisher. He was in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway and he’s also the alternate love interest in To All The Boys: P.S. I Love You. He’s so good, and so charming.
Round 9
| Jake | Billie Lourd |
| Audrey | Noah Jupe |
| Fran | Kiernan Shipka |
| Sam | Ferdia Shaw |
Jake: I’m going to take Billie Lourd. More of the cast of Booksmart! Not only is she Carrie Fisher’s daughter, but her dad is the head of the biggest talent agency in Hollywood.
Audrey: I’m going to go with Noah Jupe. He’s in A Quiet Place, Honey Boy, and Ford v Ferrari. I anticipate his role in A Quiet Place II will be much larger.
Fran: I’ll take Kiernan Shipka from Mad Men and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. She was incredible all the way through Mad Men.
Sam: This might be a dumb pick, but since we are down to the last pick I’m going to go with Ferdia Shaw. He hasn’t been in anything, but he’s going to be Artemis Fowl. So I’m going to bank on that maybe being good.
Round 10
| Sam | Ashton Sanders |
| Fran | Talia Ryder |
| Audrey | Lili Reinhart |
| Jake | Grace Van Patten |
Sam: Is Brian Tyree Henry too famous?
Jake: I feel like Brian Tyree Henry is the line for who is too famous.
Sam: Ok, I’ll pick Ashton Sanders from Moonlight. Born four days before me!
Jake: We should have all picked by our horoscopes.
Fran: I’m going to pick Talia Ryder, who’s in Never Rarely Sometimes Always and has a minor role in the upcoming West Side Story.
Audrey: I’m going way further down on my list, because I think I need to pick people who I actually think will be famous and not just people that I like. I’m going with Lili Reinhart. She’s in Riverdale, and I think once they let her out of that contract she’ll do actually good movies and already have a fanbase.
Jake: Last pick of the draft. It’s really between two people here, and I’m going to go with Grace Van Patten. She’s in The Meyerowitz Stories, she looks a lot like Shailene Woodley, and she’s really great.
Final teams
| Jake | Audrey | Fran | Sam |
| Thomasin McKenzie | Yahya Abdul-Mateen II | Julia Garner | Richard Madden |
| Anthony Ramos | McKenna Grace | Margaret Qualley | Kathryn Newton |
| Austin Butler | Haley Lu Richardson | Daisy Edgar-Jones | Kaitlyn Dever |
| Jessie Buckley | Lashana Lynch | Julia Fox | Stephan James |
| Kiersey Clemons | Betty Gilpin | Diana Silvers | Liu Yifei |
| Lily-Rose Depp | Justice Smith | Julia Butters | Dafne Keen |
| Kiki Layne | Maya Hawke | Paul Mescal | Emma Mackey |
| Jordan Fisher | Jodie Comer | Millie Bobby Brown | Barry Keoghan |
| Billie Lourd | Noah Jupe | Kiernan Shipka | Ferdia Shaw |
| Grace Van Patten | Lili Reinhart | Talia Ryder | Ashton Sanders |
And there you have it, folks. We can only hope we can get enough movies in the future to let us see how it all plays out.