Variety Announces 10 Brits to Watch for 2020
By Variety Staff
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Variety has selected its annual list of 10 Brits to Watch, an honor the publication has bestowed since 2013. For the fourth year, Variety is partnering with the Newport Beach Film Festival and Visit Newport Beach to honor those selected at the sixth annual Newport Beach U.K. Honours evening, to be held at the Langham Hotel in London on Jan. 29. Honorees will also be profiled in the Jan. 15 issue of Variety.
Those selected include writers, actors and singers working in all media.
“Variety first wrote about the London entertainment scene 115 years ago, back in our first year of Variety,” said Variety vice president, executive editor Steven Gaydos. “Despite all of the monumental changes in entertainment, London and the U.K. remain critically important and dynamic centers of entertainment arts creativity. This year’s are wonderful proof!”
The 10 Brits to Watch will be feted alongside several honorees at the event, held prior to BAFTA weekend. “We are so proud to be partnering with Variety and Visit Newport Beach on our annual U.K. Honors event in London,” said Todd Quartararo, co-founder and director of marketing of the Newport Beach Film Festival. “The Festival has always celebrated the best and brightest in British cinema since our inception in 1999. The U.K. has a treasure-trove of talent and it’s an honor to recognize their rising stars alongside industry notables and icons.”
This year’s 10 Brits to Watch are:
Zawe Ashton – The actor and playwright’s busy year included a breakout turn in “Velvet Buzzsaw,” her Broadway debut in “Betrayal,” the publication of her book “Character Breakdown,” and productions of her play “For All the Women Who Thought They Were Mad” in both London and New York.
Sheila Atim – An Olivier Award winner for “Girl From the North Country,” Atim has been seen in “Harlots” and onstage opposite Mark Rylance in “Othello.” She will next be seen in Barry Jenkins’ Amazon series “The Underground Railroad,” the Netflix series “The Irregulars” and BBC One’s “The Pale Horse.”
Honor Swinton Byrne – Byrne made her feature lead debut (after a non-speaking cameo in “I Am Love” with her mother Tilda Swinton) in Joanna Hogg’s acclaimed drama “The Souvenir.” She will be seen reprising her role in the upcoming “The Souvenir Part II.”
Dean-Charles Chapman – Known for his work on “Game of Thrones” and “Into the Badlands,” Chapman appeared in “Blinded by the Light” and “The King,” and is currently starring in Sam Mendes’ WWI drama “1917.”
Jessica Henwick – The busy actor will soon be seen in the films “Underwater” with Kristen Stewart, “Monster Problems,” Sofia Coppola’s “On the Rocks” and “Godzilla vs. Kong.” She has also booked a role in the new “Matrix” movie.
Chance Perdomo – A BAFTA nominee for his work in “Killed by My Debt,” the actor has become a fan favorite as Ambrose Spellman, the pansexual warlock cousin of the title character in “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.”
Laura Solon – The co-creator and co-writer of the acclaimed BBC comedy “Back to Life,” which will return for a second season. She previously created and starred in “Laura, Ben and Him” for the U.K.’s ITV2.
Nathan Stewart-Jarrett – Recently seen in the Tony Award-winning revival of “Angels in America” on Broadway, Stewart-Jarrett is part of the reboot of “Candyman,” produced by Jordan Peele.
Stormzy – The rapper, singer and songwriter’s single “Vossi Bop” hit number one in the U.K. He also headlined the 2019 Glastonbury Festival and just released his second album, “Heavy Is the Head.”
Jodie Turner-Smith – After memorable roles on the series “The Last Ship” and “Jett,” Turner-Smith earned raves for her lead role in “Queen & Slim” opposite Daniel Kaluuya.
