Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch Discuss Craft, Confidence — SkimNews
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- Variety staged its 2026 “10 Actors to Watch” conversation at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, California, on October 18, with Newport Beach Film Festival as its moderation partner.
- 10 Actors to Watch selected Jaafar Jackson for “Michael,” Inde Navarrette for “Obsession,” Ray Nicholson for “The Mosquito Bowl,” Esmé Creed-Miles for “Sense and Sensibility,” Mariana Di Girólamo for “Wild Horse Nine,” Rosalind Eleazar for “Misty Green,” Guitarricadelafuente for “La Bola Negra,” Summer H. Howell for “Carrie,” Ruth Madeley for “Being Heumann,” and Joseph Zada for “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.”
- Inde Navarrette said “Obsession” gave her freedom to develop Nikki because so little of the real person appears; she also said women connected with the character’s complexity and the idea that people are “multiple people.”
- Jaafar Jackson said portraying his uncle Michael Jackson required confidence as well as performance: he wanted an experienced presence, the awareness to adapt when plans changed on the day, and the ability to remain in Michael’s mind.
Why it matters: The October 18 panel gives Variety’s 10 selected performers a public, awards-season showcase and makes their working methods visible: Navarrette built complexity from limited source material, while Jackson described preparation for on-the-day changes. The practical takeaway is a definition of readiness that includes creative freedom, adaptable confidence and psychological nuance.
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