--- description: Find out how Tyler James Williams is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2023 TIME100 Next: Tyler James Williams image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71d4c0461538a063/698a4012cabb1d7ef3e51b9c/time100-next-tyler-james-williams-2023-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 13, 2023 # Tyler James Williams by Terry Crews  Tyler James Williams Tyler James WilliamsSage East I met a 13-year-old Tyler James Williams on my first TV show, and I was _nervous._ I’d always heard the biggest obstacles on set were kids and animals. We were delving into the great Chris Rock’s past, and this kid would need to be a superstar. But as a dad myself, I also worried about the pressure children in Hollywood face. --- ### More from TIME --- Then we had our first scenes together. Tyler delivered his lines effortlessly, his comedic instincts razor-sharp. And when he was done working, he broke out into a big, beautiful smile. That Tyler has grown into a [brilliant talent](https://time.com/6214182/abbott-elementary-season-2-review/ "undefined") is no surprise. I ran into him last year and told him how proud and thankful I am to have worked with someone who, at such a young age, carried the show. He gave me that smile. There’s nothing harder than going from child star to adult star, but Tyler has always been comfortable with himself, and it’s why he’ll continue to shine. _Crews is an actor and former NFL player_ Tyler James Williams Is on the TIME100 Next 2023 List ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308502/tyler-james-williams/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308502/tyler-james-williams/"},"headline":"Tyler James Williams","datePublished":"2023-09-13T11:00:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:19:12.304Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308502/tyler-james-williams/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next","sponsorshipblock","time100nextartists23"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71d4c0461538a063/698a4012cabb1d7ef3e51b9c/time100-next-tyler-james-williams-2023-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt71d4c0461538a063/698a4012cabb1d7ef3e51b9c/time100-next-tyler-james-williams-2023-1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308502/tyler-james-williams/","name":"Tyler James Williams"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"See Everyone on the TIME100 Next List","description":"TIME100 Next, our annual franchise recognizing the rising leaders in health, climate, business, sports, the arts and more.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/QxIk3IJu/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2023-09-13T11:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QxIk3IJu.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308502/tyler-james-williams/","duration":"PT1M58S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2023/6308502/tyler-james-williams/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```