Whishaw, Murphy vie for Star award
Nominees for talent prize include Blunt, Green, Harris
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The award, which is voted for by the public, honors a young actor or actress of any nationality who has demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition and has begun to capture the imagination of the British public as a film star in the making. Nominees must have appeared in a pic that qualified for this year's BAFTA awards.
The five nominations were drawn up by a jury of industry professionals that included Anthony Minghella, Thandie Newton and James McAvoy from a long list of recommendations submitted by BAFTA members and film bizzers.
The nominations were announced Jan. 8 at BAFTA's Piccadilly, London, headquarters by McAvoy, winner of last year's inaugural Orange Rising Star kudos. This year, the Scottish thesp is on the long list of nominees for the BAFTA best supporting actor award for his role in "The Last King of Scotland."
After parts in 2004's "Enduring Love" and "Layer Cake," Whishaw toplined this year's German box office smash "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer."
Irish thesp Cillian Murphy burst onto the scene in Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" in 2002 and drew rave reviews for his lead perf in Ken Loach's 2006 Cannes Palme d'Or winner "The Wind That Shakes the Barley."
Blunt came to attention in Brit indie "My Summer of Love" in 2004 before landing a part in "The Devil Wears Prada."
Green made her debut in Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Dreamers" in 2003 before wowing auds in 2006 as Daniel Craig's cerebral love interest in "Casino Royale."
Harris appeared in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and "Miami Vice" last year.
The award was created in honor of the late Mary Selway, the BAFTA-winning British casting director who launched the careers of many thesps.
Fans are able to vote for the award via the Orange Web site or via text message.
