From left: Barry Keoghan in American Animals; Letitia Wright in Black Panther; Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose; Lakeith Stanfield in Sorry To Bother You and Cynthia Erivo in Widows |
Irish actors Barry Keoghan and Jessie Buckley will vie against British-Guyanese star Letitia Wright and American names Cynthia Erivo and Lakeith Stanfield for the prize voted for by the public.
Wright, 25, hit the big time last year when her films - including Black Panther, Ready Player One and Avengers: Infinity War - helped her to become the star that earned the highest box office of the year at $1.55 billion. It was also a breakthrough year for Erivo, who attracted critical plaudits for her roles in Widows and Bad Times At The El Royale, while Stanfield followed up on the success of his starring role in Get Out with the lead in Boots Riley's Sorry To Bother You.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer star Keoghan continued to take on challenging roles, including adopting a US accent for his role in Bart Layton's American Animals, while Jessie Buckley received plenty of critical heat for her role as a Glaswegian musician in Wild Rose at this year's Toronto and London film festivals, with the film due for release this April.
Voting is now open to the public at ee.co.uk/BAFTA and the winner will be announced on February 10.