For nearly 80 years, the Cannes Film Festival has been the place where young filmmakers and actors transform from unknowns into bonafide stars. Almost overnight, some of today’s most talked-about artists—among them Adèle Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Xavier Dolan, and Wes Anderson—have become industry stalwarts, whose work cinephiles flock to. In short, the approval of Cannes audiences and critics means something.
In 2024, rising actors from around the globe had their first taste of fame on the Croisette. Here are eight you should be very excited about.
Mark Eydelshteyn
Photo: Getty Images
Sean Baker (The Florida Project) often casts his own films, pulling people from unlikely places into the spotlight. The co-lead of his latest film, the Palme d’Or-winning Anora, has a little bit more experience, but was largely unknown in the west. The film features a magnetic Mikey Madison as a sex worker in Brooklyn falling for one of her clients, but it’s the actor who plays said client—the scrappy and immature son of a Russian oligarch—who feels like the film’s big find. Mark Eydelshteyn, 22, has already been dubbed the “Russian Timothée Chalamet” for his compelling performance (and mop of curly hair).
Mia Tharia and Pascale Kann
Photo: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival
