From Basement Audition to BAFTA Nomination: Miles Caton's Meteoric Rise
At just twenty years old, Miles Caton finds himself navigating a reality that still feels somewhat surreal – waking up each morning as one of Hollywood's most promising new talents. The young actor's life transformed dramatically when the film Sinners, in which he makes his striking acting debut, received an astonishing sixteen Academy Award nominations, shattering the previous joint record held by cinematic giants All About Eve, Titanic, and La La Land.
A Humble Beginning to Stardom
Remarkably, Caton learned about this historic achievement not at a glamorous champagne breakfast or exclusive Hollywood party, but in the quiet of his own home. 'I set my alarm for 8.30am Eastern Time, so I woke up out of bed and immediately turned on the Oscars feed,' he recalls. 'Everybody else was in the house watching it in their rooms and as the nominations were read out they started just screaming. It was crazy.'
This BAFTA EE Rising Star nominee's journey to this moment began with an unconventional audition that caught director Ryan Coogler's attention. The filmmaker described finding Caton through a self-taped audition where the young performer appeared in near-darkness. 'He was just in the dark — like he didn't turn his lights on. Something about that was, like, so intriguing,' Coogler told Variety. 'This kid looked like he was in his basement, like in between homework assignments. But he had this voice — a once in a lifetime voice — and he also felt like the character.'
The Role That Changed Everything
In Coogler's 1930s-set vampire horror Sinners, Caton plays Sammie, a preacher's son and sharecropper with extraordinary musical gifts who gets recruited by his gangster cousins (both portrayed by Michael B. Jordan) to perform at their new juke joint. The role demanded both significant emotional depth and a vocal performance that, within the film's narrative, possesses the power to transcend temporal and spatial boundaries.
Caton modestly dismisses suggestions of his casting being mere luck or perfect timing. For him, the film's profound impact stems from its deeply personal origins. 'Because it started with Ryan wanting to make a tribute to his Uncle James,' he explains. 'Ryan put his all into this film, this is his story and I think that made everybody else put their all into the film too.'
A Collaborative Creative Environment
The young actor believes this sense of personal investment permeated the entire production process. 'The environment that was created on set was extremely collaborative,' Caton continues. 'It felt like a family environment. It felt like no ideas were shunned and everybody could kind of express how they felt. Creativity was just flowing consistently every day and I think people can feel that through the screen.'
The film industry has certainly taken notice. Alongside Sinners' remarkable awards season performance, Caton has secured a BAFTA EE Rising Star nomination – an achievement that feels particularly surreal for someone who until recently had limited familiarity with the film world's prestigious award ceremonies.
Navigating New Terrain
'This being my first year in film, a lot of this stuff was super foreign to me,' he admits candidly. 'Now I'm on the flip side, I've done my research, and I've grown more knowledge and respect for acting and learned more about things like the Baftas and stuff.'
While music has always represented a personal form of expression for Caton, acting has offered something distinctly different – an opportunity to explore perspectives beyond his own. 'Film, it's personal to a certain point,' he elaborates, 'because you have to draw from your own personal experiences to be able to understand and embody the character, but you're also playing somebody else. Acting allows you to think from a different perspective, a different point of reference – that's the cool thing about it.'
Drawing from Personal Roots
Those personal experiences proved invaluable when portraying Sammie. Raised in a deeply musical and religious household – his mother is gospel singer Timiney Figueroa – Caton possessed an intuitive understanding of the connections between music and spiritualism. 'You want to make your family proud, but at the same time you want to do your own thing,' he observes. 'Those are a lot of the same subjects that the Sammie was going through.'
Music entered Caton's life at an exceptionally early age. 'I was three,' he says, recalling a moment that still feels formative. 'I have this formative memory where I was at my grandfather's church and I sung A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke and everybody in there went crazy.'
From Viral Sensation to International Tours
This early beginning led to performances at birthday parties and local events, eventually expanding to social media where a viral video of him singing Nina Simone's Feeling Good caught the attention of Jay-Z, who sampled it on his album 4:44. Before completing high school, Caton was already touring internationally with acclaimed artist H.E.R.
Despite experiencing life on the road during his teenage years, Caton maintained a grounded perspective. 'I've always been a "get the work done first and then have fun" type of person,' he says. 'So after shows, there would be some days where I could stay out a little bit later, have fun and chill. And there will be other days where I was like, "All right, I gotta get back to the hotel room and get this assignment done."'
Facing Fears and Embracing Challenges
Given Sinners' genuinely frightening moments, one might wonder what actually scares the young actor. His answer reveals a fearless disposition. 'I literally grew up watching horror films,' he says, listing titles his uncle used in increasingly unsuccessful attempts to frighten him. 'None of them would ever scare me. I've always been like a daredevil type of person. I love adrenaline rush things.'
Preparing for the BAFTA Spotlight
His next significant challenge involves preparing for his first BAFTA red carpet appearance in London. 'I'm working on it with my stylist,' he reveals regarding his outfit plans. 'But yeah, I'm excited. I love London.'
For someone whose initial audition occurred in near-darkness, it's evident that the spotlight now shines brightly on Miles Caton, with the entire film industry watching his every move. The EE BAFTA Rising Star Award represents the only BAFTA category decided by public vote, with voting available through multiple channels until 12pm GMT on February 20.
The 2026 EE BAFTA Rising Star Award Nominees:
- Robert Aramayo (I Swear)
- Miles Caton (Sinners)
- Chase Infinite (One Battle After Another)
- Archie Madekwe (Lurker)
- Posy Sterling (Lollipop)
The winner will be announced on Sunday, February 22, 2026, during the EE BAFTA Film Awards ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall, with Alan Cumming serving as host for the prestigious event.
