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BAFTA rising star: Emma Mackey and Naomie Ackie among nominees for coveted award

BAFTA has revealed its five nominees for this year's EE Rising Star Award, which acknowledges the up-and-coming acting talent of the future.

Naomi Ackie, who portrays Whitney Houston in the recent biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, is in the running alongside Sheila Atim, who stars in The Woman King, and Daryl McCormack (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande).

Also shortlisted are Aimee Lou Wood (Living) and Emma Mackey (Emily), who previously starred together in the hit comedy series Sex Education.

Nominees for the award were selected by a panel of industry jurors including actors Hayley Atwell, Joe Cole and Jason Flemyng, as well as a host of celebrated casting directors, producers and industry experts.

Read more:
Naomi Ackie on becoming one of the greatest music stars of all time
Bill Nighy on possible Oscar contender Living
Viola Davis on her 'magnum opus' The Woman King

Last year's winner Ariana DeBose went on to take home the best supporting actress award at the Oscars.

Speaking to Sky News after the announcement, Atim said: "Being nominated for an award is always made that much sweeter when it's a project that you really love.

"So in some ways it takes the pressure off because you feel like you're representing a wider thing, like you're representing a project and a collaborative effort.

"There's no way I would be anything without Viola (Davis, her Woman King co-star)... without the stunt team, training team - we mesh together and that kind of individualism really kind of melted away. So for me, I'm just excited to be able to talk about the Woman King through this award as well."

For Ackie, she was worried she'd forgotten to tell her dad about her nomination, explaining: "He'll call me and be like 'you'll never guess what - I open the newspaper and who's on the front'.

"And I'm pretty certain I told him about this, but I feel like when it comes out today, he's going to start getting texts, and then he's going to blame me again for forgetting.

"It's surreal, isn't it? And sometimes it's just like split between your work and then your personal life somehow intermingling."

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McCormack told Sky News his nomination alongside Ackie was a full circle moment, explaining: "We worked on Cleaning Up, which was on ITV a few years ago.

"When I first got to London, [it] was one of my first jobs, and we were in the same pickup... I remember just talking to remember her being just really kind.

"So to meet today, it's sort of full circle. That was five years ago, and it just goes to show that we've moved on - that there's been a whole journey involved."

The winner will be announced at the BAFTA Awards on Sunday 19 February, at a ceremony hosted by Richard E Grant and Alison Hammond.