A frisky first lady, a sensitive android, and the king of Westeros: These are just a few of the diverse characters that Hollywood’s most promising actors took on this year. Here, we highlight some of the budding talents who made a lasting impression on stage and screen in projects ranging from spine-chilling horror flicks to Tony-winning musicals.
Lily Collias
“Good One”
Collias made her feature debut in Jamie Dack’s 2022 coming-of-age film “Palm Trees and Power Lines.” Two years later, she got her big break in “Good One,” which received critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival. The first feature from writer-director India Donaldson follows Sam (Collias), a queer, college-bound teen who goes on a camping trip with her father (James Le Gros) and his longtime friend (Danny McCarthy). Collias turns in a quiet, powerful performance, especially when Sam must come to grips with an unexpected betrayal. Next up, the actor will star in Egor Abramenko’s A24 horror flick “Altar” alongside January Jones, Kyle MacLachlan, and David Krumholtz.
“Good One” Courtesy Metrographic Pictures
Cole Escola
“Fantasmas,” “Oh, Mary!”
Unless you’ve been living under a pop-culture rock, you probably already know who Escola is. Their irreverent play “Oh, Mary!” was the talk of the town when it premiered Off-Broadway earlier this year. Now, the historical farce is one of the hottest tickets on the Great White Way. In addition to writing, Escola stars as an embittered, alcoholic Mary Todd Lincoln, whose attentions wander the longer her husband (Conrad Ricamora) ignores her. Escola began their career as a downtown cabaret performer before booking zany roles on shows like “Search Party,” “Big Mouth,” and Julio Torres’ trippy Max series “Fantasmas.” Their past writing credits include cult comedy faves “The Other Two,” “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” and “ZIWE.” With all the hype surrounding Escola, it’s guaranteed that their star will only continue to rise.
“Oh Mary!” Credit: Emilio Madrid
Nell Tiger Free
“The First Omen”
If this English actor looks familiar, you may be recalling her turn as Myrcella Baratheon on “Game of Thrones” at age of 15. Free went on to land major roles on the Prime Video’s “Too Old to Die Young” and Apple TV+’s psychological horror series “Servant.” She continued down the creepy road this year with Arkasha Stevenson’s criminally underrated supernatural prequel “The First Omen.” Free gives one of the most impressive turns of the year as Margaret Daino, a young nun who uncovers a devilish conspiracy. Her performance recalls horror icons like Isabelle Adjani and Mia Farrow, even as she asserts her own singular talent.
Courtesy Apple TV+
Tom Glynn-Carney
“House of the Dragon,” “The Jetty”
This British actor cut his teeth in historical epics like “Dunkirk” and “The King.” Last year, he ascended the throne (the Iron one) himself on Ryan J. Condal and George R.R. Martin’s fantasy prequel “House of the Dragon.” Glynn-Carney plays Aegon Targaryen, a hedonistic prince whose sexual escapades are a regular source of gossip on the streets of King’s Landing. But his life takes a turn after he’s crowned Lord of the Seven Kingdoms—and on Season 2, he’s forced to navigate the complex realities of ruling the continent. He also gets to dig deeper into his character as Aegon recovers from a debilitating injury later in the season. And that isn’t all the actor’s been up to: He also starred on the BBC crime drama “The Jetty” earlier this year.
Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO
Ethan Herisse
“Nickel Boys,” “The American Society of Magical Negroes”
“Nickel Boys,” RaMell Ross’ radically impactful adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel, garnered critical acclaim when it opened the New York Film Festival last month. Herisse stars as Elwood Curtis, a student at the real-life Dozier School for Boys in 1960s Florida; the majority-Black reform school was notorious for rampant abuse and a high student death rate. Ross shoots the film entirely through Elwood’s point of view, making for an intimate night at the cinema. Earlier this year, Herisse appeared in a very different take on the Black experience—Kobi Libii’s “The American Society of Magical Negroes.” Before that, he was best known for his work on Ava DuVernay’s Emmy-winning 2019 miniseries “When They See Us” as a teen who’s punished for the crime of existing while Black in America.
Credit: Jeff Vespa
David Jonsson
“Alien: Romulus,” “Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.”
Jonsson began his career on the stages of London’s West End. Since then, the 31-year-old actor has starred in a string of film and TV projects, including HBO’s “Industry” and the recent BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder Is Easy.” He made his big-screen debut in Raine Allen-Miller’s buzzy 2023 indie rom-com “Rye Lane.” This year, Jonsson made the leap to franchise star in Fede Alvarez’s grisly “Alien: Romulus” in the role of a well-intentioned android; he’s also costarring in Todd Komarnicki’s historical drama “Bonhoeffer.” And there’s plenty more coming down the pike for the actor, including roles in a film adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Long Walk” and the upcoming Paramount+ romance “The Road Trip.”
Courtesy 20th Century Studios
Sky Lakota-Lynch
“The Outsiders”
Lakota-Lynch made his Broadway debut in “Dear Evan Hansen” in 2018, taking over the role of Jared Kleinman. Now, he’s making waves in Adam Rapp, Justin Levine, and Jamestown Revival’s “The Outsiders,” which won the Tony for best musical earlier this year. In the adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s 1967 coming-of-age novel, Lakota-Lynch stars as Johnny Cade, a teenage gang member who goes into hiding with his best friend after a brawl with a rival gang goes terribly wrong. With a 2024 Tony nod under his belt, Lakota-Lynch’s future is undoubtedly bright.
Sky Lakota-Lynch and Brody Grant in “The Outsiders” Credit: Matthew Murphy
Brigette Lundy-Paine
“I Saw the TV Glow”
This nonbinary actor landed the role of a lifetime in Jane Schoenbrun’s acclaimed sophomore feature “I Saw the TV Glow,” delivering a performance that’s equal parts heartbreaking and unsettling. The trippy homage to ’90s media features Lundy-Paine as Maddy, a troubled teen who’s obsessed with a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”–esque TV series called “The Pink Opaque.” For the shy Owen (Justice Smith), Maddy becomes a symbol of courage in the face of societal prejudice. Lundy-Paine previously starred on the Netflix series “Atypical” as the autistic protagonist’s younger sister; their other creative endeavors include singing in the improv voice band Subtle Pride and co-founding Waif Magazine.
Courtesy A24
Jinkx Monsoon
“Doctor Who,” “Chicago,” “Little Shop of Horrors”
Since winning Season 5 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” over a decade ago, Monsoon (aka Hera Hoffer) has carved out a singular career in theater and TV by harnessing her unique flair for the dramatic. She made her Broadway debut in 2023 as prison big shot Matron “Mama” Morton in “Chicago,” a role she reprised this year. Monsoon made history when she starred as Audrey in the current Off-Broadway revival of “Little Shop of Horrors”—the first drag queen to play the part in a major production of the show. The actor also made a splash on the latest season of the BBC’s “Doctor Who” as Maestro, an all-powerful cosmic entity with the ability to control music itself. With her scenery-chewing performance, Monsoon created an instantly iconic villain.
Credit: Jeremy Daniel
Katy O’Brian
“Love Lies Bleeding,” “Twisters”
Up until recently, O’Brian was chiefly known for her turns in genre projects like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Mandalorian.” In 2024, the bodybuilder and martial artist got to flex her acting chops and her (very pronounced) muscles in Rose Glass’ ’80s-set erotic crime thriller “Love Lies Bleeding.” She stars as Jackie Cleaver, an aspiring bodybuilder who rolls into a small Western town and quickly falls for local gym owner Lou Langston (Kristen Stewart). Their steamy romance takes a turn when they become embroiled in a series of murders. Glass’ film gives O’Brian the opportunity to showcase strength, sexiness, and deep-seated insecurity—not to mention magnetic chemistry with Stewart. She also had a minor role in Lee Isaac Chung’s “Twisters,” and has a variety of projects coming up, including Tina Romero’s horror comedy “Queens of the Dead” and Christopher McQuarrie’s “Mission: Impossible 8.”
Katy O'Brian in “Love Lies Bleeding” CRED Anna Kooris
Joseph Quinn
“A Quiet Place: Day One,” “Gladiator II”
In 2022, America fell in love with Quinn in the role of metalhead Eddie Munson on “Stranger Things”—a bittersweet infatuation, considering the character’s untimely (and epic) demise. Luckily for fans, he’s remained booked and busy ever since. In 2023, he appeared in Luna Carmoon’s indie drama “Hoard,” which won multiple awards at the Venice International Film Festival. This year, he stars opposite Lupita Nyong’o in “A Quiet Place: Day One” and will share the screen with Oscar nominee Paul Mescal and Emmy nominee Pedro Pascal in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” as the ruthless Emperor Geta. Quinn also has some major projects coming up, including Matt Shakman’s MCU film “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” and Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s military drama “Warfare.”
Joseph Quinn in “A Quiet Place Day One” Credit: Gareth Gatrell
Josh Rivera
“American Sports Story”
Rivera broke out in 2021 as Chino in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake, going on to play Sejanus Plinth in 2023’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” This year, he headlined the debut season of Stuart Zicherman’s anthology series “American Sports Story” as Aaron Hernandez, the former New England Patriots tight end who was charged with the murder of fellow football player Odin Lloyd (J. Alex Brinson) in 2013. Next up, Rivera is starring in Matt McClung’s horror flick “Inhabitants” as a man haunted by the ghost of his Catholic youth minister.
Josh Rivera on “American Sports Story” Credit: Eric Liebowitz/FX
Geraldine Viswanathan
“Drive-Away Dolls”
This Australian actor first made an impression in Kay Cannon’s 2018 sex comedy “Blockers.” She followed it up with Cory Finley’s HBO docudrama “Bad Education” opposite heavy hitters Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, then landed her first starring role in the 2020 rom-com “The Broken Hearts Gallery.” But Viswanathan’s big break came this year with “Drive-Away Dolls,” a long-gestating road-trip comedy from Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke. As the tightly wound Marian, she’s the perfect (not-so) straight woman to Margaret Qualley’s chaotic, womanizing Jamie. It’s a winning performance that has us excited to see her in Nicholas Stoller’s comedy “You’re Cordially Invited” and Jake Schreier’s highly anticipated Marvel antihero flick “Thunderbolts*.”
Geraldine Viswanathan in “Drive-Away Dolls” Credit: Wilson Webb/Working Title/Focus Features
Odessa Young
“My First Film,” “The Damned,” “The Order”
Few actors are having a more packed year than Young: She’s appearing in Zia Anger’s semi-autobiographical “My First Film”; Thordur Palsson’s period horror “The Damned,” which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival; and Justin Kurzel’s ’80s crime thriller “The Order,” which is getting a limited release in December. Young is also starring on the upcoming Prime Video period drama “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” followed by the Netflix limited series “Black Rabbit.” Considering her past work in films and TV shows as diverse as Apple TV+’s “The Staircase,” Josephine Decker’s “Shirley,” and Paramount+’s “The Stand,” it’s obvious that Young knows how to pick interesting, bold projects.
Zoe Ziegler
“Janet Planet”
This 12-year-old performer is the youngest on this list by a large margin—but she has the skill of a seasoned actor in “Janet Planet,” the filmmaking debut of Pulitzer-winning playwright Annie Baker. Ziegler shines in the role of Lacy, a precocious tween who experiences the world by observing her mother, Janet (Julianne Nicholson), over the course of an eventful summer in 1991. Ziegler and Nicholson match each other’s energy perfectly, performing a careful dance in this quiet commentary on attachment styles and parental boundaries. Whether or not she continues to act professionally, Ziegler’s critically acclaimed turn signals the beginning of a promising career.
Courtesy A24
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 10 issue of Backstage Magazine.