I actually had a difficult time with this award because I had several choices to become the 2022 I See Kid Actors Award but there was not any that really jumped out at me. I mean, there were several decent performances and several solid work by the youngster of the movie world, but I did not think there was that real standout.

In fact, I found a lot of serious contenders who just did not made the age cut. For our purposes, a “kid actor” is a performer who was under the age of 18 during the calendar year. I had considered Sadie Sink from Stranger Things 4, but she was 20 years old. Her work on “Dear Billy” was brilliant (and you’ll see her name later in the Year in Review, I am sure). Then I thought a shoo-in would be Jenna Ortega for her work in the new Netflix series, Wednesday, but, she too, was 20 years old.

Then I found the winner.

I See Kid Actor Award 

Previous Winners:  Emjay Anthony (Chef), Jacob Trembley (Room), Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Dafne Keen (Logan), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Noah Jupe (Honey Boy), McKenna Grace (Troop Zero), Jeremy T. Thomas (Antlers)

Runners-Up: Marlow Barkley did a solid job in the under appreciated Slumberland on Netflix. She carried much of that film with Jason Momoa. Real life twin brothers Nicholas and Cameron Crovetti played twins in the horror remake of Goodnight Mommy. They were the best part of that movie. Walker Scobell appeared in two films this year, the biggest being The Adam Project with Ryan Reynolds. He looks to be a star of the future. Then there was Banks Repeta who starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in Armageddon Time and looked like he belonged. How many adult actors could say that? Mason Thomas and Madeleine McGraw were so epic in Black Phone that one or both nearly took this award. In fact, they were probably the frontrunners until just recently. Then, Rueby Wood was fun in the surprisingly entertaining Disney + show Better Nate Than Ever.

However, I saw a film today that, 15 minutes into the film, I knew this would be my “I See Kid Actors” Award winner for 2022.

The I See Kid Actors Award for 2022 goes to…

Alisha Weir (Matilda the Musical)

She was so spectacular in this movie that I knew that she was going to take home this award. She sang beautifully and provided so much emotion and energy that she could hold her own with Emma Thompson and make a character that was beloved by many from a 1996 movie and make it her own.