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.
