Jahi Di'Allo Winston is rapidly rising as one of the most promising young actors of his generation. After beginning his career on the 2016 TV series Feed the Beast, Di'Allo Winston has gone on to star in several acclaimed movies and TV shows across a wide range of genres.
Whether playing the lead character in hard-hitting dramas like Charm City Kings or a supporting part in absurd comedies like The Dead Don't Die, Di'Allo Winston continues to showcase his immense talent. With 13 credits and counting, Di'Allo Winston is set to appear next in the dramatic film Outdoor School and the podcast series Free to Fall. Until then, it's time to single out the best movie and television performances of Di'Allo Winston's young career.
10 The Resident (2018)
Di'Allo Winston appeared in the medical drama The Resident Season 1, Episode 5, "None the Wiser." The plot concerns the hospital dealing with three simultaneous surgeries, putting the staff to the absolute limits of their abilities. Di'Allo Winston plays Trevor Conforth, who attends the hospital to support his mother Christine.
In likely his shortest screen performance on record, Di'Allo does more with less on The Resident. When he and his mother talk to Nicolette and Irving, he expresses terrifying concerns for his family member's wellbeing. Caring for his mother at her bedside until her surgery results in a success, the heartfelt hug of gratitude Trevor gives to Nicolette is sure to leave a lasting smile on those who expected Christine's fate to end tragically on the riveting medical TV drama.
9 The Dead Don't Die (2019)
Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don't Die is an absurd zombie comedy full of dry wit. When zombies overrun a small town, it's up to the local police to put an end to the bloody trail of terror. Di'Allo Winston stands out as Geronimo, an inmate at the local juvenile detention center who makes a ridiculous joke about fracking as the possible cause of the zombie apocalypse.
Despite appearing briefly among a star-studded ensemble, Di'Allo Winston makes the most of his limited screen time. His big moment comes when he helps fellow prisoners Stella and Olivia flee from harm and return to the detention center, proving that he can nail a funny line of dialogue and play physical comedy at once.
8 The New Edition Story (2017)
The New Edition Story is a TV miniseries charting the rise and fall of the R&B music group New Edition. Di'Allo Winston plays the young version of band member Ralph Tresvant and gives an exuberant song-and-dance performance in just the second acting gig of his career.
Determined to be the lead singer of the group, Ralph gets into heated conflicts with fellow members Johnny Gill and Bobby Brown. Di'Allo delivers a knock-out turn as an egotistical artist willing to fight for what he believes in, unafraid to confront his closest friends and family members in the process.
While brief, Di'Allo Winston gives such a memorable turn in the musical biopic about Black icons that it's no surprise he was cast in his first immediately afterward.
7 Queen & Slim (2019)
Queen & Slim is a powerful romantic drama that doubles as a scathing indictment of police brutality. The story follows Queen and Slim, two strangers who meet on a Tinder date and have nothing in common. When they are pulled over by the police and violated, Queen and Slim go on the run, learn more about each other, and end up falling in love.
In a brief but memorable supporting role, Di'Allo Winston stands out as Junior, the son of a mechanic who helps the couple on their road trip. In one of the most disturbing moments in the movie, Junior is told to leave a protest supporting Queen and Slim, resulting in a devastating tragedy most viewers will never forget. Even in brief roles, Di'Allo Winston leaves lasting impressions with his convincing performances.
6 The Violent Heart (2020)
Written and directed by Karem Sanga, The Violent Heart is a dramatic thriller that concerns Daniel, a man haunted by the brutal death of his sister 15 years earlier. As Daniel tries to join the Marines, he becomes distracted by Cassie, an intriguing teenager with her own domestic strife. Di'Allo Winston plays Aaron, Daniel's bitter and jealous younger brother.
Although a small supporting role, Di'Allo Winston never portrays a false moment as Aaron, an angst-ridden teen almost everyone can relate with. The feelings of envy and resentment that Aaron expresses when his mother continually favors Daniel instead of him are completely credible and help shade the central performances by Jovan Adepo and Grace Van Patten.
5 The Upside (2017)
Di'Allo Winston made his big screen debut in The Upside, an American remake of the inspirational French film The Intouchables. The story follows Philip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston), a paraplegic billionaire who makes an unlikely bond with Dell Scott (Kevin Hart), an ex-con hired to take care of him. Di'Allo Winston plays Dell's son, Anthony. Uplifting, life-affirming, and feel-good, the tale of lasting friendship is hard to resist.
In his first film, Di'Allo Winston is asked to do some heavy emotional lifting. For instance, Anthony is happy living with his single mother Latrice, and deeply resents Dell's attempts to reenter his life. Later, when Dell takes Anthony out on the town with Philip, Anthony expresses disappointment in his father for asking him to return a book he got from Philip. While a small supporting role, Di'Allo Winston shines opposite bona fide movie stars like Cranston and Hart.
4 Everything Sucks! (2018)
Everything Sucks! is one of the best Netflix shows canceled after one season. Set in Boring, Oregon in 1996, the show follows a group of junior high school drama students coming of age as the new millennium approaches. In his most significant TV role to date, Di'Allo Winston stole the show as Luke O'Neil, a nerdy AV club member who develops a crush on his classmate Kate.
With ten episodes to flesh out the character, Di'Allo Winston gives an achingly relatable turn as an adolescent dealing with growing pains. Luke discovers a series of VHS tapes left behind by his father before leaving him and his mother, allowing Di'Allo Winston to showcase his tremendous dramatic range. The way in which Di'Allo Winston conveys Luke's heartbreak upon discovering that Kate has a crush on another classmate is truly special.
3 Proud Mary (2018)
Proud Mary is a throwback action thriller that concerns Mary (Taraji P. Henson), a ruthless assassin who kills a mark in Boston. Racked with guilt, Mary takes in the victim's son Danny, played brilliantly by Di'Allo Winston. The way in which Di'Allo Winston plays Danny as a boy torn between staying with his criminal uncle and accepting Mary's guardianship is subtle, nuanced, and far ahead of his years.
Although Henson is the clear standout MVP of the movie, Di'Allo Winston proved he can go toe-to-toe with the Oscar-nominated actress every step of the way. His performance as Danny is honest, believable, and sympathetic, especially when he slowly realizes that Mary is more of a mother figure than he ever could have hoped for. Moreover, Danny is the character who catalyzes the plot, making Di'Allo Winston's performance crucial to setting the dramatic stakes.
2 We Have a Ghost (2023)
In the popular Netflix horror-comedy, We Have a Ghost, Di'Allo Winston gives a heartfelt turn as Kevin Presley. After moving into a new house with his family, Kevin discovers a ghost named Ernest living in the attic. Frightened at first, Kevin makes a tender and touching connection with Ernest after learning about his past.
In addition to having great onscreen chemistry with David Harbour as Ernest and Anthony Mackie as his father Frank, much of the movie is seen through the eyes of Kevin. As such, Di'Allo Winston vicariously guides viewers nearly every step of the way, tasked with landing huge emotional scenes that require the young actor to be sentimental without being maudlin.
The soulful performance proves what a precious talent Di'Allo Winston possesses and why he's such a promising new actor.
1 Charm City Kings (2020)
In a dominant tour-de-force lead performance, Di'Allo Winston stars as Mouse in the acclaimed coming-of-age drama Charm City Kings. Mouse has an affinity for riding dirt bikes and wants to join the Midnight Clique of racers, something his mother forbids him from doing after his older brother died from racing motorcycles. But when a veteran racer named Blax begins training Mouse, the boy must decide between living the fast life or heeding his mother's advice and avoiding danger.
Despite some dubious third-act plot twists in the stellar Black coming-of-age movie, Charm City Kings lives and dies with Di'Allo Winston's emotionally fraught and deeply sympathetic performance as a young boy at an existential crossroads. It's a breakthrough performance for the ages that requires Di'Allo Winston to appear in nearly every scene and carry the thematic weight of the piece on his shoulders throughout. Viewers can sense Mouse's salient internal conflict as a boy forced to grow up too fast and do right by his brother's memory.
Comments
Post a Comment