Bafta Rising Star 2026 nominees including Game of Thrones actor | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

This morning, the nominees for the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award were announced at The Savoy hotel in London. 

Mia McKenna-Bruce, who won the prestigious award in 2023 for her role in How to Have Sex, hosted the event before conducting a Q&A with the actors who had been nominated.

British nominees Posy Sterling, Archie Madekwe and Robert Aramayo were all present at the ceremony, while American nominees Chase Infiniti and Miles Caton were unable to attend.

Many winners of the BAFTA EE Rising Star Award go on to enjoy success in the acting world. Previous recipients of the award include Tom Holland, Kristen Stewart, Tom Hardy, Letitia Wright, James McAvoy, Juno Temple and Daniel Kaluuya.

London-born actor Archie Madekwe, 30, has been nominated for his role in the 2025 American psychological thriller film, Lurker. As a teenager, Archie attended the prestigious BRIT School and performed in the National Youth Theatre, before attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA).

He made his TV debut in 2014 on the BBC medical drama Casualty before starring in two episodes of Fresh Meat in 2016. Since then, he has appeared in high-profile films like Midsommar, Beau is Afraid, Voyagers and Saltburn.

TV fans may also recognise Archie for playing Kofun in the Apple TV+ science fiction series See and for his appearances in BBC mini-series Les Miserables and Netflix’s Love, Death and Robots.

25-year-old actress Chase Infiniti, who hails from Indiana in the US, has been nominated for her role as Willa Ferguson in Paul Thomas Anderson’s hit 2025 film One Battle After Another.

The Indianapolis-born star attended Columbia College Chicago, graduating in 2022. She landed a role in Apple TV+ limited series Presumed Innocent in 2023, securing a main character role as Jaden Sabich.

The Handmaid’s Tale fans will also be excited to hear that Chase is taking on the main role of Agnes in upcoming Hulu spin-off series, The Testaments. 

The youngest nominee, 20-year-old New Yorker Miles Caton, has made this year’s list thanks to his breakout role in Ryan Coogler’s hit horror film, Sinners. He has already won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Young Performer for his part as Samuel “Sammie” Moore in the movie.

Miles was also nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. The star is relatively new to acting, having previously gained viral fame for singing Nina Simone’s 1964 hit ‘Feeling Good’ back in 2017.

He has since gone on to tour with music artist H.E.R. and released a single, ‘Somethin’, in July of last year.

33-year-old actress Posy Sterling has been nominated for her role as Molly Brown in 2024’s Lollipop. The Manchester-born star rose to fame the previous year when she starred alongside Saoirse Ronan in addiction drama The Outrun and opposite Jonah Hauer-King in BBC One’s World On Fire. 

Since starring in Lollipop, the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts graduate has appeared as female lead Alice Khan in Channel 4’s Person of Interest opposite Asim Chaudhry. She also acted alongside James Norton in 2025 thriller Playing Nice.

Yorkshire-born actor Robert Aramayo, 33, has been nominated for his role as John Davidson in 2025 Scottish biographical drama film I Swear, which also stars Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan.

The star already has an impressive acting resume, having appeared in several high-profile TV shows including Mindhunter and Behind Her Eyes. Game of Thrones fans might recognise Robert as the young Ned Stark, while The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power viewers will remember him for playing Elrond. 

Robert also has several film credits, including Matthew Vaughn’s The King’s Man, Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals and horror film Antebellum.