The China Mail - Five budding stars to watch at Cannes

Here are five names to watch as they walk the red carpet on the French Riviera.

- Sebastian Stan -

Bound to be the most talked-about role at the festival, Stan finds himself in the skin of Donald Trump in "The Apprentice" about the early years of the property mogul, reality TV star and US president.

The 41-year-old Romanian-born actor's biggest role to date has been as the Winter Soldier in a number of Marvel films, but he received critical acclaim for his performance as rocker Tommy Lee in miniseries "Pam and Tommy" and won best actor at this year's Berlin Film Festival for "A Different Man".

- Barry Keoghan -

Keoghan emerged from a difficult childhood -- his mother died aged 12 from a drug overdose and he was raised in foster homes -- to become one of Ireland's most sought-after actors.

He earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, and won a BAFTA for his role in "The Banshees of Inisherin" and reached new levels of fame with the heavily-memed hit "Saltburn".

Keoghan, 31, comes to Cannes with "Bird", a coming-of-age tale set in suburban England from Oscar-winner Andrea Arnold, having reportedly given up a part in "Gladiator 2" for the role.

He has plenty of blockbuster fame to come as he plays Joker in "The Batman Part II", due in 2026.

- Anya Taylor Joy -

The lead of pandemic-era Netflix hit "The Queen's Gambit", for which she won a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award, Joy has appeared in a number of creepy and supernatural films like "The Witch", "Split" and "The Menu" -- as well as lighter fare such as "Emma" and "The Super Mario Bros Movie".

The 28-year-old tries her hand at full-blown action in the latest "Mad Max" installment, "Furiosa", which premieres at Cannes on May 15, playing a younger version of Charlize Theron's character from "Fury Road".

- Margaret Qualley -

Still regularly referred to as the daughter of Andie McDowell, Qualley may soon eclipse her mother's fame.

The 29-year-old has already had scene-stealing moments in films by Quentin Tarantino (as a Manson Family member in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood") and Ethan Coen ("Drive-Away Dolls"). She earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for Netflix hit "Maid" and mini-series "Fosse/Verdun".

Now she features in two competition entries at Cannes: Yorgos Lanthimos's "Kinds of Kindness" -- she already had a small part in his "Poor Things" -- and slasher horror "The Substance" alongside Demi Moore.

- Karla Sofia Gascon -

The film with the most intriguing premise at Cannes is "Emilia Perez", a musical about a Mexican cartel boss undergoing a sex change to escape the authorities and affirm her identity.

For the starring role, French director Jacques Audiard chose 52-year-old transgender actor Gascon from Madrid, known for a number of Spanish-language soap operas and films.

B.Chan--ThChM