10 Up-and-Coming Actors of Color to Watch Right Now

Remember that embarrassing period in Hollywood when two white actors played Moses and Ramses in a biblical epic set in ancient Egypt? No, I'm not referring to Cecil B. DeMille’s 1956 work, The Ten Commandments. Moviegoers will watch history repeat itself as Christian Bale (a Welshman) and Joel Edgerton (an Australian) star in Ridley Scott’sExodus: Gods & Kings this December. So much face, not enough palm.

The lack of representation for actors of color in film is still a problem. Whitewashing—the complete erasure of characters of color from their own stories—continues to infect narrative. Yet, progress has been made. There's an emerging class of young actors of color who are ready switch up the Hollywood game.

Erik Abriss is a contributing writer. He tweets here.

Most notable project: Star Wars: Episode VII (2015)

Attack the Block is probably the greatest alien invasion movie you didn’t see. It's unequivocally beloved by critics for its sharp social commentary and homage to the genre. John Boyega, as the protagonist named Moses, played the leading role he needed for his versatility to shine.

Following Block, the 22-year-old British actor found himself starring next to Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor in Half of a Yellow Sun. Boyega then landed in millions of American living rooms each week with an arc on24: Live Another Day alongside Keifer Sutherland. 2015 is shaping up nicely for him with a major role in Star Wars: Episode VII, as well as a turn as Titinius in an upcoming Caesar remake. The young man from across the pond has officially arrived.

Most notable project: That's What I'm Talking About (2015)

Remember when common sense told us Channing Tatum would forever be just “that guy” from the first two Step Up movies? Remember how further from the truth that turned out to be? Well Ryan Guzman, star of the last two Step Up movies (Revolution and All In), is already following a similar path. And that path is leading towards A-list status.

The Mexican-American actor, who recently completed an arc on Pretty Little Liars, will prove he has the range to match the looks with a 2015 lineup that can only described as "major." First, he is starring alongside Jennifer Lopez in the sexual thriller The Boy Next Door. Then, Guzman gets to dabble in some American cult-classic material with the live-action remake of Jem and the Holograms, directed by Jon M. Chu. The trifecta of greatness is completed with the Richard Linklater-helmed baseball drama, That's What I'm Talking About, which is already one of the most buzzed about films of next year.

Most notable project: Beyond the Lights (2014)

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is only 31 and has a filmography that could make a veteran twice her senior a bit envious. With diverse TV appearances (Dr. Who, Undercovers, Touch) to match her eclectic movie roles (most recently the lead in the beautiful period piece, Belle), the English actress has showcased she can balance gravitas with grace.

She'll solidify her status as a lead in this year’s Beyond the Lights (from Love and Basketball director Gina Prince-Blythewood) as well as in the Wachowski's sci-fi epic Jupiter Ascending in 2015. She'll also star in a recently announced NFL concussion-drama alongside Will Smith and Alec Baldwin. If you don’t recognize the name, that will all change very soon.

Most notable project: The Maze Runner (2014)

What do you do when your first major American acting gig is canceled after a mere 10 episodes? Well, if you are Ki Hong Lee, you hustle your ass off and earn your stripes quickly so you can go on to star in a box office goliath that’s grossed $250 million worldwide.

That’s exactly what Lee, a 24-year-old, South Korea-born actor did. After the ABC Family supernatural drama The Nine Lives of Chloe King failed to connect with audiences, Lee went back to the drawing board, relegating himself to smaller one-off roles on shows like Blue Bloods and NCIS. It wasn’t long before Lee was called up to the big leagues when he was cast as Minho in the action-packed YA hit The Maze Runner, where he shows off his skills in ass-kicking and acting.

Now that the Maze Runner sequel is in pre-production and will inevitably continue to rake in hefty box office receipts, it’s safe to say Ki Hong Lee is a face you better get familiar with.

Most notable project:Codes of Conduct

You’ve definitely never heard of Devon Terrell, and that is in no way a dis—he has no prior screen credits. That is, until a director by the name of Steve McQueen discovered the California native. Terrell has just been tapped by the Academy Award-winning auteur to be the lead in his upcoming HBO pilot Codes of Conduct. The show will focus on race, class, and the darker sides of upper social circles in New York City, and Terrell plays the lead. McQueen is a notorious perfectionist/hard-ass when it comes to casting, so Terrell's convincing of McQueen and the bigwigs at HBO that he can carry the weight of a series speaks volumes.

And as Lupita Nyong’o proved before him, linking up with Steve McQueen for your first major project generally leads to an extremely fruitful future. Let’s toast to the new guy.

Most notable project: Jane the Virgin

Gina Rodriguez built an impressive résumé with her appearances on popular shows like The Mentalist and Rizzoli & Isles and the lead in indie darling Filly Brown. Now, the 29-year-old American actress of Puerto Rican descent is the star of CW’s new seriesJane the Virgin, which has been garnering rave reviews so far. Disarmingly likeable, Rodriguez possesses the gift of being able to ground over-the-top sitcom shenanigans to reality.

Jane the Virgin gave the CW its highest ratings in the 9 p.m. Monday slot in two years, which means Gina Rodriguez is setting up shop as a household name.

Most notable project: Dear White People (2014)

Unlike the first three people on this list, Teyonah Parris is still virtually off the mainstream radar, which actually works to her advantage. Whereas most actors bring residual elements of their last character to their current role, mildly coloring our interpretation of them (try watching any Keanu Reeves movie without thinking about Neo or Johnny Utah), Parris’ anonymity offers her much more freedom to explore her characters.

The actress, who hails from Washington, brought depth and dimension to Dawn Chambers, the lone black secretary in Mad Men during a season when the show desperately needed a fresh arc. But its her turn as Coco Conners in Dear White People, the breakthrough comedy at last year's Sundance Film Festival, that Parris shines the brightest. She has the edge, comedic timing, and emotional resonance to make her a well-rounded star to be reckoned with.

Most notable project: Lucas Bros Moving Co.

Real-life identical twins, Kenny and Keith Lucas' affinity for weed and playing “jinx” delivered some of the biggest laughs in 22 Jump Street. But they're no one-trick twin ponies.

The Lucas Bros. are both former law school students (Kenny at NYU, Keith at Duke) who moved through the New York stand-up and improv scene, and are now tackling the television world. Their love letter to '90s pop culture, Lucas Bros Moving Co., was just renewed for two more seasons on FXX, and it’s one of the funniest cartoons on cable. With a brand new sketch comedy show called Friends of the People on TruTV, the Lucas Brothers appear to have big things in their future. And nothing will jinx that.

Most notable project: Teen Wolf

Arden Cho is the epitome of what it means to be a star in the digital age. The Korean-American actress took her talents to social media to become the star of the independently produced Agents of Secret Stuff, which currently has over 25 million views on YouTube. Cho used that momentum to gain millions more views showcasing her singing talents, both covers and originals alike. No easy feat, considering how over saturated that lane already is.

Cho could’ve easily stopped there, but her role in MTV’s show Teen Wolf came next. Cho is the newest addition to the cast, playing the powerful Kitsune, Kira Yukimura, and she’s able to shed her sweet YouTube persona for some serious ass-kicking.