‘Newport Beach Film Festival Honors,’ Featuring Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, to Air Tonight on PBS SoCal

Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch annual list now boasts over 35 actors who have gone on to be nominated for or win Academy Awards, including Mahershala Ali, Timothée Chalamet and Brie Larson. This year’s honorees include contender Chase Infiniti of “One Battle After Another,” who spoke about the life-changing experience. “Just getting the opportunity to be in a room with Paul Thomas Anderson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, like it’s insane to think,” she revealed. “And I took every single moment, and I treated it like a master class.”

Like Infiniti, “Sinners” breakout Miles Caton made his film debut last year and spoke about how he never expected such a warm response to the film. “I feel like once I reached a certain point my music career, I would venture off into different things,” he noted. “So I feel like I eventually would, you know, get into acting. I grew up like the family clown and stuff, but not like this.”

Mari Yamamoto took a moment to pay tribute to her “Rental Family” co-star, Brendan Fraser, who was present at the honors to receive the Icon Award. She told a story about how they shot a scene on a tiny balcony in Japan, and Fraser insisted on being present for her, risking his safety. “He’s just leaning out so much to put his face as close as he can to me, and he’s worried about that, but I’m worried about the Oscar winner falling from the balcony,” she recalled. “It’s just a story that tells you how he is as a person and as an actor that you know he will do anything to catch you if you fall; he will always be there for you. So now I’m crying, but I learned that that’s how I want to be as a person and as an actor.”

Other 10 Actors to Watch feted include Milly Alcock (“Supergirl”), Ella Anderson (“Song Sung Blue,”) Edmund Donovan (“Late Fame”), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas  (“Sentimental Value”), Jay Lycurgo (“Steve”), Guillaume Marbeck (“Nouvelle Vague”) and Tonatiuh (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”).

Alumni from past 10 Actors to Watch lists were also recognized at the festival, with “Hedda” star Tessa Thompson (class of 2015) receiving the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award, “Dying for Sex” scene stealer Jenny Slate (class of 2014) honored with the Artist of Distinction Award and Kerry Condon (class of 2022) presented with the Artist of Distinction by her “F1” producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Condon told the crowd, “I left at 16 with no money in the dark and got on a train; 25 years later here I am. So my whole career has literally been a dream come true.”

Icon Award honorees included Brendan Fraser, Diane Lane and Mark Hamill. Hamill, who starred in both “The Life of Chuck” and “The Long Walk” in 2025, admitted that prior to such projects, he thought his career was slowing down. “As much as an actor likes a good entrance, you also eye a dignified exit. And a few years ago, I reached a platea. I’m not a spring chicken anymore,” he said. “So I didn’t say I’m retired, and I always thought, ‘Well, I’ll do voiceover,’ but I don’t care about being on camera anymore. Once that feeling came over me, out of nowhere, I was sort of in demand again.”

Former Variety editor Steven Gaydos, who retired last year after more than 30 years with the publication, received the Arts Champion Award and gave a shout-out to Hamill when he began his speech. “I’m very proud to be here, to be able to say something I’ve wanted to say for 50 years, which is I could have been Luke Skywalker,” he revealed, saying he auditioned for the part. “Thank god this amazing man created an immortal role and spared me screwing it up.”