Anton Yelchin was doing all the right things to build a breakout career

Anton Yelchin's nearly two decade long career shows the sprawling curiosity of an actor who wanted to try it all. 

As messages of grief and shock poured in following news of the 27-year-old actor's death Sunday morning, one sentiment rose again and again — Yelchin was a prolific young actor on a path to true stardom. Though he's been a familiar name to cinephiles, and something of a household name for Star Trek reboot fans, his lengthy IMDb credits reveal an artist with the mark of something special. 

His oeuvre is varied: meaty indie movies, bloated blockbusters, middlebrow dramas, cult hits, small comedic turns. It's the resume of a performer seemingly at a precipice, either on his way to glorified character actor status, or leading man prestige. 

His first acting role was in ER in 2000, as a preternaturally mature young boy whose parents die in a car accident. Clips of his performance, which you can watch here, have resurfaced since his death, with many people doubling back to acknowledge his acting potential even at such a young age. He hopped from ER to dramas like Hearts in Atlantis, where he starred opposite Anthony Hopkins at the tender age of 12. 

Over the years, Yelchin nabbed more roles that spoke to his onscreen potential, particularly when it came to cult favorites like House of D and Charlie Bartlett. The latter, which earned comparisons to Ferris Bueller, was one of his first true breakout roles. He played the titular lead, a restless and wildly rich high school student who takes it upon himself to be a therapist for his classmates.

In later roles such as Like Crazy, the indie romance directed by Drake Doremus, Yelchin proved he could handle romantic fare, playing the tender lead of a small, beautiful vehicle. He was "pure," to put it in Doremus' words. 

"You could go to school for an entire lifetime to learn all the techniques and still not have what Anton had," Doremus told the LA Times after Yelchin's death. "There’s a moment when we were shooting in London at an old cemetery — it's strange to think of that location now — and the camera just followed them for 20 minutes. Anton didn't say a word. He didn't have to. You just knew what he was getting across."

This year was shaping up to be another big one for Yelchin, particularly because of his continuing role as Chekov in Star Trek Beyond, as well as lead character Pat in indie drama Green Room, which is currently cruising at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

"Not only did he bring a delicate balance of tragic vulnerability and intense physicality to his character on screen, he offered his unending generosity and patience off-screen," Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier told IndieWire.

Yelchin's real-life reputation for being amiable and professional was another sentiment echoed again and again by colleagues. 

"You were brilliant. You were kind. You were funny as hell and supremely talented," J.J. Abrams said in a tweet yesterday. Similar remarks kept pouring in from friends all over the industry. 

The young actor was also prepping to shoot his directorial debut this summer, Saulnier says.

"I was happy to share my experience and, frankly, I was flattered to engage in a mentor-mentee relationship with such an exceptional talent," Saulnier adds. 

At just 27, there are still so many paths someone's career can take. Time could have molded Yelchin's career into a variety of shapes, from prestigious character actor to idiosyncratic movie star who switches up high profile flicks with compelling Oscar bait, à la Michael Fassbender or Jake Gyllenhaal. Or perhaps he'd have opted for lead roles in quirkier fare, like similarly impressive peers Paul Dano or Kristen Stewart. 

It's easy to get too sentimental, or overly hyperbolic, when someone dies so tragically before his time. But by simply observing his career and the outpouring of praise from his peers, one thing is absurdly obvious — Yelchin had something special.

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