The five best performances from child actors
Throughout the ages, Hollywood producers have consistently warned directors against working with animals and children. There are an endless number of complications that can arise from this creative pursuit, such as the limiting hours on set due to child labour laws, the infectious level of restlessness that plagued the early Harry Potter films and the sometimes unpredictable nature of their behaviour.
Yet despite this, filmmakers have continued to do both, leading to chaotic productions that somehow defy the odds and create ingenious performances. Children often have a level of spontaneity and lack of self-consciousness that can be beautiful and intuitive to watch, with some stories managing to capture this on screen.
However, it isn’t always an easy feat to achieve, and many people are generally against the idea of children being employed in any capacity, even if it’s by Hollywood. There are many reasons to argue against this.
On the flip side, there are also some child actors who have proved how crucial it is to see the interior world of young people in cinema, creating touching and timeless stories that transcend their age. And so, without further ado, here are some of the top performances by child actors.
The five best performances from child actors:
Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet, 2023)
There is nothing more gripping than a well-made whodunnit, and Anatomy of a Fall only proved that when done tastefully, a courtroom drama can revitalise cinema and reinvigorate each corner of our mind as we attempt to solve the mystery. However, while there were many standout elements of the film, including a notable canine character and chilling rendition of 50 Cents 2003 song ‘PIMP’, perhaps the most moving performance came from Milo Machado-Graner in the role of Daniel.
While the underlying tension within the film hinges upon whether or not Sandra actually killed her husband, it also comes from Daniel’s moral dilemma as he questions the truth and whether or not he believes his mother is a murderer. There is one moment where Daniel seems to convince himself that he just has to pick one truth and choose to believe in it, regardless of whether he has conviction in that idea, leading to an emotional and heart-wrenching monologue as he testifies in court to the innocence of his mother. It leaves us on an ambiguous note as we ponder the nature of truth itself and whether objective truth exists, which Daniel beautifully captures as he wrestles with this in the most brutal way.
C’mon C’mon (Mike Mills, 2021)
Few filmmakers truly respect children’s perspectives and inner world, but Mike Mills is one of those rare people. He is able to tap into this youthful perspective and highlight the wisdom we can gain from observing the young people around us and listening to what they have to say. However, in his 2023 film C’mon C’mon, much of this is done through Woody Norman’s stellar central performance and his natural chemistry with Joaquin Phoenix, creating an introspective and nostalgic portrait of childhood and the ways we can infuse this into our adult lives.
When sharing the script for C’mon C’mon, Mills was told that it would be incredibly tricky to find a child actor who could capture Jesse’s character’s essence and emotional intelligence. But miraculously, Norman was the first actor they auditioned for the part and immediately fell in love with him. He is razor-sharp and incredibly aware, beating most adults to the punch with his insightful observations about human behaviour and the adult world. It remains one of the most bittersweet and beautiful articulations I’ve ever seen of the clash between children and adults and how we could all be much better if we reconnected with our younger selves.
Paper Moon (Peter Bogdanovich, 1973)
Some films have an indescribable feeling of old Hollywood magic, but in the case of Paper Moon, that magic comes from one character in particular. The film follows a bible salesman who finds himself stuck with a young girl who could potentially be his daughter, forging an unlikely criminal partnership with her as they con their way around Kansas.
Tatum O’Neal stars alongside her father, Ryan O’Neal, creating a heartwarming and electric chemistry as the pair quarrel and clash over the course of the film. Tatum is a pure genius, consistently outshining her father as she scrambles around town searching for new money-making schemes and outsmarts the adults around her. She is a complete delight from start to finish, scowling in her oversized dungarees and making it impossible not to smile whenever she’s on-screen and completely devastated by the end.
The Florida Project (Sean Baker, 2017)
Despite recently receiving critical acclaim for Anora, Sean Baker has been a key figure within the indie filmmaking scene for many years. Many people remain die-hard fans of his 2017 film The Florida Project. The story takes place at a motel in Florida just around the corner from Disneyland, following a precocious six-year-old named Moonee and her friends who also live at the motel.
Baker has always been a fierce advocate for sharing the stories of working-class people and those who live on the margins of society, breaking free from the stereotypes that typically define these characters and showing them in a multi-dimensional and complex way. However, Brooklynn Prince (who plays Moonee) is the true star of the show in The Florida Project, capturing the unbounded imagination, curiosity and mayhem of being young and our awareness of the adult world around us, even when it is harsh and seemingly inescapable.
The Tree, the Mayor and the Mediatheque (Éric Rohmer, 1993)
Éric Rohmer is a genius at articulating experiences that most people cannot find the words to describe. He creates a nuanced universe in which he explores the emotional minutiae of everyday quandaries and emotional dramas. While many of his films maintain a slightly cynical tone, one of his films is boldly optimistic and hopeful, partly due to the central performance by a child.
The Tree, the Mayor and the Mediatheque follows the socialist mayor of a small French village who faces many objections when trying to build an arts centre. It is one of Rohmer’s most politically charged and humorous films, exploring the conflicting perspectives of everyone in the town that eventually grinds to a half after the mayor speaks with a young girl, played by Jessica Schwing.
While all the adults are endlessly debating and arguing over petty things and clinging to the hollow remains of their political ideologies, this young girl exposes his stupidity and corrupt motivations after asking him questions about the purpose of this venture. It is scathingly funny and surprising, highlighting Rohmer’s unsuspecting sense of humour and ability to bring colour to every aspect of a story.
