7 black actors under 40 who are ready for the A-list

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This summer has seen major releases featuring notable A-list black actors: Will Smith starred in After Earth, Jamie Foxx‘s White House Down, and Denzel Washington will be closing out the blockbuster season with the action-comedy 2 Guns this week. But with Smith and Jamie Foxx in their mid-40s and Denzel almost 60, where are the next generation of A-List black actors?

For every aging Tom Hanks there’s a Shia LeBeouf primed as the next “everyman”; as Robert De Niro has inched closer to 70, Leonardo DiCaprio has become the go-to for brooding, conflicted characters. But with so many well-known black actors past 40 years of age, it seems like there hasn’t been a push to elevate the younger stars into the spotlight. But there are some talented 30-somethings and 20-somethings who are just one Oscar nod or big-budget starring role away from cracking into the Hollywood A-list.


Here are seven black actors who could become the next A-listers if given the opportunity to shine.

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Stereo Williams
Todd "Stereo" Williams, entertainment writer based in New York City. He co-founded Thirty 2 Oh 1 Productions, an indie film company.
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