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LOS ANGELES — Variety celebrated the hottest names taking the industry by storm at their 2026 Power of Young Hollywood event, presented by Disney+.
Among the honorees were actors Malachi Barton (Rising Star Award) and Tyriq Withers (New Leading Man Award) along with Grammy-nominated musicians Tate McRae (Triple Threat Award) and Sombr (Songwriter of the Year Award).
Beginning his Disney career on Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Middle,” Barton has quickly made his way from mischievous little brother roles to leading-man status. From “ZOMBIES 4: Dawn of the Vampires” to “Camp Rock 3,” Barton is no stranger to a Disney franchise. He also stars in Disney’s “Coven Academy,” an upcoming witchy YA series, premiering later this year.
It doesn’t stop there. The star is about to set off on the “Worlds Collide Concert Tour,” which brings talents from “Descendants,” “ZOMBIES” and “Camp Rock” together for a high caliber concert experience.
On The Red Carpet spoke with Barton about the award and the whirlwind moment he’s having in his career.
“Keep it on the DL, because I’m trying to be nonchalant about it, but like, I’m nervous. Like, are you kidding me? 100%. I’m about to stand up and like, talk, in front of a bunch of people? That’s scary,” he told us. “I usually just talk behind a camera, and then that’s enough, so. I’m excited though. It’s going to be fun. It’s gonna be super chill. I’m like, beyond grateful for it.”
As a rising star, Barton has been endlessly compared to his predecessors, but he’s letting that fuel him.
“It’s such an amazing opportunity to be compared to somebody. I think there’s such a, a negative, like ideal of comparison, but it, like, it can be really cool because like, I take it as a compliment because they’re all so amazing. They’re all so talented. And for me to be able to be the next generation of that is so cool,” he explained. He hopes the generation that follows him will be “looking up to me in the same way, I hope.”
When it comes to those leading men, Barton said the Jonas Brothers have given him some words of wisdom.
“They just told me to like, not take things too seriously, enjoy myself. And it’s such a basic piece of advice. But like in this business, it means more than you know. Like, being able to actually not take things seriously. Just have fun, enjoy yourself, and live in the moment and like, truly cherish every single memory is so, so important.”
You can watch Barton star in “Camp Rock 3,” premiering Aug. 13 on Disney Channel and the next day on Disney+.
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