Iconic Child Actor Performances, and What We Can Learn From Them

 Following Owen Cooper’s historic Emmy win at just fifteen years old, the topic of child actors has been fresh on everyone’s minds. From Roxana Zal to Saoirse Ronan, child stars have been stealing the limelight from their adult co-stars for decades. Casting children immediately brings a sense of innocence and naivety to a story, and can really ground a film in reality due to children’s tendencies to improvise lines. The following performances prove that there is no right way to be a child actor – some impressed directors with their off-screen personalities, while others demonstrated a talent and work ethic to rival an adult’s. Either way, these iconic performances are all ones for the history
books.

Major Award Winners and Nominees
Tatum O’Neal (Paper Moon, 1973)
In a record that still stands today, Tatum O’Neal became the youngest person
to ever win a competitive Academy Award for her performance in Paper
Moon. Raised in an acting family, O’Neal had no acting experience before
shooting the film, with directors relying on the chemistry she had with her
real-life father onscreen. Her performance was a standout, and it is a
testament to her skills that her Oscar record has never been beaten.
Roxana Zal (Something About Amelia, 1983)
Roxana Zal became the youngest ever Primetime Emmy winner for her role in
Something About Amelia. This made-for-TV movie was groundbreaking,
marking one of the first times something as taboo as incestuous sexual abuse
has been addressed onscreen to a large audience. Zal’s performance as Amelia
is the core of the film, as she plays a brave young girl who finally exposes her
father for the abuse he has inflicted on her. Although she has since left acting
to become a fashion designer, Zal’s performance continues to remain
incredibly significant and powerful.
Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine, 2006)
In a cast featuring powerhouses like Toni Collette and Steve Carrell it is
difficult for newcomers to stand out, but Abigail Breslin makes this look easy
in Little Miss Sunshine. Her role as aspiring pageant queen Olive is the heart of
the film, as she is the glue holding the dysfunctional Hoover family together.
Breslin’s performance reminds audiences of the importance of casting good
child actors – without her bright smile and energy, it is hard to imagine the
heartwarming finale having the same impact.
Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, 2007)
Before she was known for playing the titular precocious teenager in Greta
Gerwig’s Ladybird, Saoirse Ronan starred as Briony in the film Atonement. She
plays a young girl who accuses her sister’s lover of a crime he did not commit,
leading to a dramatic fallout. It is difficult not to despise Briony as we see the
repercussions of her actions, a testament to Ronan’s acting skills.
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild, 2012)
Quvenzhané Wallis made Oscar history with Beasts of the Southern Wild,
becoming the youngest person to be nominated for Best Actress at age nine.
She was also the first African American child actor and first person born in the
21st century to receive an Oscar nomination. Aside from these achievements,
it’s impossible not to smile when you learn one of the reasons why she was
cast in the film: in her audition she refused the director’s command to throw a
water bottle at another actor, believing this wasn’t the right thing to do. Her
charm and morality shines through onscreen, showing young actors that it is
important to showcase your personality as well as just reciting scripts.
Owen Cooper (Adolescence, 2025)
It’s impossible to talk about child actors without mentioning rising star Owen
Cooper, who shot to fame with his role as Jamie in Netflix’s Adolescence. The
role is certainly not a simple one for someone making their screen debut, as
Cooper plays a boy who has recently murdered one of his classmates. His
performance in episode three is particularly impressive, as his demeanor
switches from that of a scared child to a cold-blooded misogynist within
seconds. Cooper recently became the youngest male actor to win an Emmy for
his performance, proving to young, working-class actors that it is possible to
make it in the industry.

Other Iconic Performances
Jodie Foster (Taxi Driver, 1976)
Jodie Foster was already a seasoned actress before 1976, having appeared in
numerous commercials and low-budget Disney films, but it was Taxi Driver
that propelled her to stardom. Foster’s role as child prostitute Iris was
controversial, but she wowed audiences with her ability to portray dark,
complex emotions which matched Robert De Niro’s performance. She had to
undergo a psychiatric assessment in order to do the film, and De Niro acted as
a mentor to her (which Foster later said influenced her later career!). This
proves that, with the right guidance on set, child actors can act in darker roles
while having their wellbeing protected.
Danny Lloyd (The Shining, 1980)
Six-year-old Danny Lloyd was cast in The Shining in 1980, playing the Torrance
family’s clairvoyant son. His onscreen relationship with both Shelley Duvall
and Jack Nicholson anchors the film in reality, preventing it from being an
ordinary horror film and instead raising the emotional stakes. Director Stanley
Kubrick famously prevented Lloyd from knowing anything about the film’s
content, fooling him into thinking it was an innocent drama film. Lloyd has
since retired from acting, becoming a university lecturer.
Ke Huy Quan (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1984)
Before his standout performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once, Ke Huy
Quan made his film debut in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Hailing
from an immigrant, non-actor background, Quan impressed casting directors
with his off-screen personality and charm. He improvised the iconic scene
where his character accuses Indy of cheating at cards, his wit and chemistry
with Harrison Ford still making audiences laugh to this day. After a long hiatus
from acting, he returned to screen as Waymond Wang in Everything
Everywhere All At Once, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. It’s hard
not to feel emotional at his speech: ‘Mom, I just won an Oscar!’
Lindsay Lohan (The Parent Trap, 1998)
Lindsay Lohan’s breakthrough role came in 1998’s The Parent Trap, playing the
dual role of twins Hallie and Annie. Her performance is a masterclass in
comedy acting, as she gives the twins distinct personalities and accents – she
did this so effectively that most of us grew up thinking Lindsay Lohan really
did have a twin. It’s inspiring to see her current career resurgence, returning
to screens with several Netflix originals and a sequel to the iconic Freaky
Friday.
Sunny Pawar (Lion, 2016)
Sunny Pawar plays a young version of Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born man
who embarks on a search for his biological family after being adopted by an
Australian couple. He has big shoes to fill, as Dev Patel (a former child actor
himself!) plays the adult Saroo, but does so with ease. Pawar comes from
humble beginnings, growing up in a home of over 50 extended family
members – his background and success is inspiring to working-class actors all
over the world.
Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight, 2016)
Like Sunny Pawar, Alex R. Hibbert plays a younger version of the film’s main
character. Hibbert is the star of the first chapter, as he introduces us to Chiron’s
chaotic life and draws us into the world of the story. In the famous swimming
scene which won Mahershala Ali his Oscar, Hibbert easily matches the actor’s
emotional range, cementing himself as a talent to rival experienced
performers. Hibbert has since credited his former musical theatre teacher
with creating a safe space for him to explore his talents, something he
particularly valued as a young Black boy – this emphasises the importance of
diversity within the acting world.
Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project, 2017)
The relatively unknown Brooklynn Prince rose to fame after playing the
central role of Moonee in Sean Baker’s The Florida Project. She is often seen
onscreen with other children as they play throughout the local community,
their genuine laughter and innocence grounding this slice-of-life film in
reality. Moonee’s relationship with her mother, played by Bria Vinaite in her
feature film debut, is as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming: her childhood
innocence is juxtaposed with the family’s financial struggles. Moonee is really
the heart of this film, her blissful ignorance carrying the story.
Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit, 2019)
Roman Griffin Davis managed to hold his own against veteran actors like
Scarlett Johansson and Taika Waititi, all while making his film debut in a
comedy-satire about the Nazis. Davis’ performance is layered and complex, as
he plays an indoctrinated member of the Hitler Youth slowly unlearning what
he has been taught. He responds to the controversial material with ease,
eliminating any fears that making such a subject comedic could be distasteful
– we view the horrors of war through a child’s eyes, and Hitler’s power is
diminished as he is portrayed as Jojo’s ridiculous imaginary friend. The tone
shift in the second half of the film is an emotional suckerpunch, and Davis’s
portrayal of grief and portrayal differs starkly from the comedic beginnings.
From comedy to drama, adventure to fantasy, child actors have provided
added depth and reality to projects for decades.
Looking at these performances, we can see the importance of letting a child’s personality shine through in auditions, something that can be applied to adult actors as well.
Childhood innocence can be used in various different ways on screen: it
juxtaposes Jamie’s heinous crime in Adolescence, and proves to be the
emotional heart of Little Miss Sunshine. If your child is inspired by any of these
performances, check out the screen acting classes for children here at IPM –
let’s find the next generation of child actors!

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Author

Lily Pierce