La Chimera

He got the cover of Variety magazine, became a fashion icon after absolutely rocking those plaid tennis shorts in “Challengers”, and landed prominent roles in the upcoming Knives Out instalment and the next sci-fi blockbuster by Steven Spielberg. Now he’s tipped to be playing James Bond.

It’s still not too late to hop on the Josh O’Connor hype train, but if you’re still unsure what all the fuss is about, catch him at his most rugged best in Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher’s breakout hit to understand why Hollywood can’t get enough of this man. The former “The Crown” alumnus is an understated powerhouse as a crestfallen English archeologist reeling from a tough breakup and a brief prison stint. In order to turn a quick profit, he roams through 1980s Italy sniffing out and plundering ancient relics with his ragtag team of tomb raiders before selling the loot on the side.

“La Chimera” was a major left-field discovery and one of the buzziest premieres at the 2023 Cannes festival, but the film somehow didn’t head stateside until last spring, so technically speaking, we’re not breaking any rules here by including it in our ballots.