Actors Marisa Abela, Mikey Madison among BAFTA Rising Star Nominees

 Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
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Actors Marisa Abela, Mikey Madison among BAFTA Rising Star Nominees

 Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo

Marisa Abela, who portrayed late singer Amy Winehouse in biopic "Back to Black", and "Anora" star Mikey Madison are among the five nominees for the EE Rising Star Award at next month's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards.

Abela is nominated alongside fellow "Industry" actors David Jonsson, most recently seen in sci-fi horror "Alien: Romulus", and Nabhaan Rizwan.

Rizwan's credits include film "In Camera" about an aspiring actor facing constant audition rejections and Netflix series "Kaos", a modern re-imagining of Greek mythology, Reuters reported.

British television drama "Industry" follows a group of graduates competing for jobs at a top investment bank.

Jharrel Jerome, known for Oscar winning film "Moonlight", animated superhero movie "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and most recently biographical sports drama "Unstoppable", completes the list made public on Tuesday.

In "Anora", winner of the top prize at last year's Cannes film festival, Madison plays a young exotic dancer who becomes involved with a Russian oligarch's son. Her performance earned her a nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy film at last Sunday's Golden Globes.

The BAFTA Film Awards will take place on Feb. 16 in London.

BAFTA will announce the full list of the 2025 awards nominees next week.



Jennifer Lopez Identifies with Real-Life Mom in ‘Unstoppable’ Film

Cast member Jennifer Lopez attends a photo call for the film "Unstoppable" during AFI Fest, in Los Angeles, California, US, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Cast member Jennifer Lopez attends a photo call for the film "Unstoppable" during AFI Fest, in Los Angeles, California, US, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Jennifer Lopez Identifies with Real-Life Mom in ‘Unstoppable’ Film

Cast member Jennifer Lopez attends a photo call for the film "Unstoppable" during AFI Fest, in Los Angeles, California, US, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Cast member Jennifer Lopez attends a photo call for the film "Unstoppable" during AFI Fest, in Los Angeles, California, US, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Jennifer Lopez found herself in tears as the real-life mom Judy Robles, whom she portrayed in the sports drama film "Unstoppable", showered her with compliments for her performance.

The two real-life mothers formed a special bond while working in tandem to take Lopez's role to the next level and connected on how mothers inevitably make mistakes.

"I don't know of a human being who doesn't make mistakes," Lopez said.

"But for moms, it really is a thing where you're always putting up the front of, like, 'everything's perfect,' 'everything's OK,' to protect your children, to give them safety," she added.

For Lopez, women, especially moms, have so much going on behind the scenes, which is a belief that helped her performance.

"Unstoppable," distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, had a limited theatrical US release on Dec. 6 and will be available for streaming on Prime Video on Jan. 16.

The American biographical sports drama film, directed by William Goldenberg, follows wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg, and joins the Arizona State University wrestling team as a walk-on, eventually earning a spot on the team and making a name for himself.

His mother must find ways to not only advocate for her son, but also for herself.

Goldenberg aimed to add authenticity to the film by having the real-life Robles serve as the body double of the "Moonlight" actor Jharrel Jerome, who portrays Anthony.

Jerome said he became a changed man after working so closely with Anthony Robles.

"You hear actors say it all the time, I learned something, I learned something, but this truly shaped me and changed me as a growing person, as a growing man, all the way down to my physicality, how I move, my posture, my gym routine," Jerome said.

He and his mother being so close to the production made things feel especially nostalgic for Anthony Robles.

"I feel like I go through the roller coaster of emotions all over again and I'm just traveling back in time, just watching the film and especially when I'm sitting next to my mom, because there are certain moments where she's gripping my arm in the audience," Anthony Robles said.

"It's painful for us to relive those moments. But also, there's other moments she's grabbed my arm again, just happy moments. And so that's something special for us," Robles added.