Actress Rosamund Pike has said she has “pretty strong opinions” on her picks as she joined Bodyguard star Richard Madden on the jury to choose the shortlist of nominees for the EE Bafta Rising Star Award.
The panel that will choose the five-strong list also included Marcella star Ray Panthaki, producer Georgina Lowe and casting director Lucy Bevan and Leo Davis.
Pike told the Press Association: “I’ve never actually been on the jury before but thus far I have been taking it really seriously, it’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know actors’ work that I might not otherwise have got to know until I worked with them.
“I’ve just been watching lots of films that are current and also catching up on the longlist nominees’ previous work, but when we get in there I’ve got pretty strong opinions at this point, but I could probably have my mind changed.
“It will be interesting how much you stick to your own opinions and how much other people’s viewpoints influence yours, but it’s inspiring and I suppose I am looking for someone not just who has done a brilliant performance in something recent, but somebody I can really see developing and somebody I feel I can imagine the roles they will play in the future and how they might mature into somebody interesting and inspiring.
“The history of this award is so exciting because it’s often really right that the person who is nominated and then often the person who goes on to win, they often really do make a lasting impact on the industry, so it’s a responsibility.”
Previous winners include Daniel Kaluuya, John Boyega, Kristen Stewart and Tom Holland.
Pike added: “We could go in and it’s like 12 Angry Men – maybe we will be unanimous and it will take five minutes, or maybe we will be in there for three hours.
“I’ve never even been on a jury or done jury service yet so this will by my first foray. We have seen all our evidence.
“The really great part of it would be if we nominated or put on the shortlist somebody whose film or films are perhaps not blockbusters necessarily so the public would have to seek out films they might not otherwise see, whether the public will do that is another matter.
“I always think film festivals and awards should be a platform for opening up the conversation about film in general and encouraging people to spread their net a little wider than what they think their taste is or what their taste is limited to.”
Madden said he had been particularly moved by films with small casts, adding: “It has been great to see lots of things that wouldn’t pop up on my radar, seeing actors doing their own thing uniquely that maybe you don’t get a chance to when it’s huge studio movies.
“There is a different weight on you that maybe restricts you and limits confidence I think, whereas smaller things that haven’t got a big budget, I think actors can be more relaxed and end up getting better performances.”
Discussing the performers he has looked at, he said: “There is a total balance, there are people I didn’t know at all and people that I go, ‘You’re not a rising star, you’re already a star’, and they have done some absolutely great work.”
The shortlist for the award will be announced on January 3 and the winner will be revealed at the Bafta film awards on February 10 2019.