25. Olivia Cooke
Although Olivia Cooke is by no means new to acting, her most recent role in HBO’s House of the Dragon has brought significant attention to her career. Playing an older Alicent Hightower, Cooke stepped into the role after Emily Carey spent the first five episodes establishing the beginning of Hightower’s arc. Cooke stood out as Hightower, a fierce mother and protector of her children — all of whom are fighting for the Iron Throne. House of the Dragon already has a strong following, and will likely only grow more popular as it moves forward. This means Cooke will continue to show off her impressive acting chops, and find more opportunities outside of the Game of Thrones universe. Her career is just beginning to skyrocket, and will only soar higher in 2023.
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24. Xochitl Gomez
Though relatively new to acting, Xochitl Gomez has already begun collecting impressive acting credits. She’s already established her spot in television by landing a main role in Netflix’s The Babysitter’s Club. On top of that, she made her debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as America Chavez in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In the film, Chavez becomes Stephen Strange’s companion — jumping through the multiverse with him as they flee the Scarlet Witch who wants to harvest Chavez’s powers for herself. This film has set Gomez up to play a crucial role in the future of Marvel, and its new venture with the multiverse. Her career is just beginning, and has huge potential!
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23. May Calamawy
In recent years, May Calamawy has made a name for herself in hits like Hulu’s Ramy and Disney+’s Moonknight. She’s been steadily proving her range, showing her skill as a comedian, action star, and dramatic actress. 2023 looks to be promising for Calamawy, as she has several projects lined up. Namely, she’ll be voicing a character in Disney’s newest show, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. She also will be starting in Duke Johnson’s next thriller, The Actor. Calamawy continues to prove her skill and tact, and should be watched as an up and coming star for the next year!
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22. Kiki Layne
The past four years have been busy for Kiki Layne. From If Beale Street Could Talk to Coming 2 America, she’s been booking quite a range of roles in successful films. Her most recent role, however, seems to have been overshadowed by the drama attached to the project itself. Layne played Margaret in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling.
Without spoiling the film, I can say that Layne plays an increasingly distressed housewife — one whom begins to suspect the town she lives in isn’t quite right. Layne plays this character with absolute mastery over her craft. She doesn’t need lines to express emotion. All she needs is to look into the distance, and everything she feels will be in her eyes. With her name attached to such a huge project, I believe she’ll see more roles in 2023 that allow her to showcase her incredible talent.
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21. Simu Liu
Simu Liu broke into the world of stardom after starring as Shang Chi in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. While his character is poised to play a large role in the future of Marvel, Liu has found success outside of Marvel in the last year, and has several films lined up for 2023 and beyond. Namely, Liu can be seen playing a Ken doll in Greta Gerwig’s heavily anticipated film Barbie (premiering next year).
Liu has been extremely successful at proving he can be more than just an action star as he acclimates to his new status as a Marvel superhero. The versatility he’s proving himself capable of makes him an actor to look out for, as he’s going to continue to show his impressive range. In the meantime, you can look forward to catching him as a Mattel toy in 2023!
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20. Alaqua Cox
Alaqua Cox made her acting debut in the 2021 Disney+ series Hawkeye. As a deaf Native American actress, she made a large impact in her role as Echo — one of the show’s antagonists. Her presence on the show brought about an opportunity for a show with a major platform to use American Sign Language. However, her character was not centered around her deafness; rather, she was a character with unrelated priorities, motives, and vengeances to seek out. Her deafness just happened to be there, and simultaneously provided a great chance for the deaf community to feel represented. Echo will be getting her own spinoff show, set to debut on Disney+ in 2023.
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19. Austin Butler
Austin Butler has spent the last two decades primarily guest starring on popular children’s shows, with the exception of his short lived role on The Carrie Diaries. However, none of those roles even came close to showcasing the actor he’s had the potential to be. However, Butler proved himself to be a profoundly talented actor in 2022. Every iota of talent, dedication, and passion he contains as an actor went into his portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, Elvis, and it translated on screen.
Butler transformed into Elvis in every way possible, from his body movements to his voice to the gauge of his step. The role has already earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, and there still is buzz that he’ll earn an Oscar nom, too. 2023 will be the year his grueling work for the biopic pays off, and it’s easy to say he’s earned it.
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18. Camila Morrone
Camila Morrone is an Argentine-American model and actress. Despite having a limited filmography thus far, Morrone should anticipate her career growing by leaps and bounds in 2023, as she’ll be debuting as Camila Dunne in Amazon Prime’s Daisy Jones and the Six. Morrone is not only playing a critical character in the series, but is also playing the heartbeat of the story. Wife to rock n’ roll singer Billy Dunne, Camila navigates the stresses of being a stay at home while trying to maintain trust in — and provide unconditional love — to her workaholic husband.
While the members of the band are chaotic and unmoored, Camila provides a sense of stability to whatever room she’s in, and represents a more grounded life that Daisy and the Six can’t quite comprehend. The emotional depth that this character requires will allow Morrone to really show off her acting abilities, and should give her a place in Hollywood.
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17. Melissa Barrera
Melissa Barrera has proved her range as an actress in the past couple of years, going from playing Vanessa in the 2021 movie-musical adaption of In the Heights to playing Sam, the lead of the newest Scream film. With Neve Campbell not returning for the next Scream installment, Barrera has effectively been passed the final girl torch, making this next film a huge chance for her to showcase her scream queen capabilities. With limited film credits, Barrera has managed to make a big splash by immediately entering such a huge franchise. However, she’s proven herself capable of the challenge. Barrera is a name to watch, having already established herself capable of acting across genres. 2023 promises to continue to open doors for this new scream queen.
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16. Iman Vellani
Iman Vellani is only twenty years old, and is making waves in the acting world already. She made her acting debut this year as Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel. Vellani brings a sweetness and charm to Khan that the character requires; it’s hard to picture anyone else playing her. Like others on this list, Vellani’s character is getting set up to play a vital role in the future of the MCU. As phase five develops, her character will have a more clear place in the cinematic universe. This means one very important thing: Vellani is here to stay.
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15. Janelle James
Janelle James has become the breakout star of ABC’s hit sitcom, Abbott Elementary. She plays Ava Coleman, Abbott’s unskilled and equally uninterested principal. James plays her role with tact, knowing how to push Ava’s self-centeredness and sarcasm just far enough to keep her character outlandish, but still likable. She also masterfully adds a layer of humanity to Ava, allowing empathy to seep into her eyes in moments where it’s needed. James’ ability to carefully walk the tightrope of Ava’s personality keeps her likable. James has proven her capabilities as a comedian and actress in this role, and I believe her career will continue to flourish in the new year.
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14. Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega has dominated every single role she has taken on in the past year. Most notably, she starred as Wednesday Addams in Wednesday — Tim Burton’s take on the beloved character in her teenage years. On top of that record breaking series, she also starred in the popular A24 film X, where she shined as a horror star and carved out space for her to be a scream queen. She also played a crucial role in the latest Scream film, further etching her name into the horror genre.
While her 2022 was undeniably busy, her 2023 is gearing up to be equally full with three movies lined up. Although it’s too early for Wednesday to get renewed, it has broken records for Netflix viewership, so it feels a given that it gets a second season. Ortega’s career is beginning to blast off, and is only headed to greater places in 2023.
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13. Emma D’Arcy
Emma D’Arcy made their debut as Rhaenyra Targaryen five episodes into HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon. D’Arcy took on a huge responsibility in playing this character. Not only were they playing a character that’s integral to Games of Thrones lore, but they were also stepping into the show as an older version of the character.
Milly Alock played the princess in the first half of the series, meaning that D’Arcy would have to match the expectations for the character that Alock had already set, and still find ways to develop the character and add nuance to her. D’Arcy proved quickly that they were up for the challenge, and masterfully portrayed Rhaenyra in such a crucial stage of her life. House of the Dragon is guaranteed to blow open doors for D’Arcy, and their career is one to look out for going into 2023.
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12. Joseph Quinn
Thanks to season four of Stranger Things, Joseph Quinn went from being a small actor whose credits are primarily miniseries, to becoming a breakout star with a strong and loyal cult following. Not only did fans across the globe adopt Eddie Munson — his rebellious, D&D loving character — as a fan favorite, but they adopted Quinn as well. Thanks to apps like TikTok and Twitter, there is currently a small army of Stranger Things fans who would rush to any theater, or subscribe to any streaming site, just to consume content he participates in.
On top of his newest following, Quinn displayed genuine talent in his role as Munson. A character that could’ve been perceived as a greasy loser repeating senior year for the umpteenth time, became charming and lovable through the quirks that Quinn added. Between his now strong fanbase and proven acting chops, 2023 promises to be a good year for Quinn.
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11. Dominique Thorne
2022 has treated Dominique Thorne kindly. Making her debut as Riri Williams — aka Ironheart — in Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Thorne has officially stepped into the MCU and begun the groundwork for her character. Riri is meant to play an integral role in the upcoming phase five of the MCU. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is Thorne’s third ever professional acting role, and she brings just the right level of sass and genuiness to a character that’s meant to be Iron Man-adjacent. Thorne is also set to be the star of her own Disney+ series, Ironheart. All signs point to her becoming one of the leading ladies of the MCU’s future, meaning her career is one to keep a close eye on.
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10. Mia Goth
Mia Goth is slowly but surely becoming Gen Z’s top scream queen. In 2022, she starred in both X and Pearl, which are part of a soon-to-be horror trilogy by A24. In X, she plays both Maxine — a wannabe porn star in the 70s — and Pearl, an old lady who allows Maxine and her friends to rent space on her farm to film adult movies. As the film unravels, they realize that Pearl is a perverted murderer, and age doesn’t stop her from acting on any of her impulses.
Pearl, then, is the elderly lady’s origin story. Goth plays a young Pearl, who is desperate to break out of her rural hometown and be the star she feels she’s destined to be. Over the span of only two movies, Goth has perfected how to play the hunter and the hunted. Her emotional range seems to know no bounds, and her ability to captivate an audience is unmatched. Goth is set to star in the final movie of the trilogy, titled MaXXXine, which will be the sequel to X.
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9. Ben Wang
Ben Wang is set to star as the main character in the upcoming Disney+ original series, American Born Chinese. This series is based on Gene Luen Yang’s novel of the same name, and follows Jin Wang (Wang) as he navigates being a teenager and starting at an American school for the first time. On top of beginning at a new high school and navigating his home life, Wang becomes involved in a war between Chinese mythological gods.
Overall, this series has tons of potential to be a hit, as it incorporates elements of fantasy, mythology, coming-of-age, and comedy. The cast is also an impressive blend of fresh actors and stars, with Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan are set to appear in the series, as well. Considering Ben Wang is currently an unknown actor, this series has serious potential to transform him into a household name.
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8. Kathryn Newton
Having procured small roles in notable works through the years, Kathryn Newton has been proving for some time now that she’s up for the challenge of taking on a bigger role. Marvel has provided her with that opportunity, as she will be playing Cassie Lang in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania — set to debut in February of 2023. In the first two Ant-Man films, Cassie was played by Abby Ryder Fortson, an adorable young girl who brought just the right amount of sweetness and sassiness to the role. However, the events of Avengers: Endgame brought about a time jump in the MCU, and Cassie is now well into her teen years.
Quantumania will be Newton’s debut as Cassie, seeing as they had originally casted Emma Fuhrmann as the character in Endgame. Newton has a huge chance here to make the character her own, and make an imprint on the MCU — seeing as the future of the cinematic universe rests on the new, young generation of Avengers. Her career is guaranteed to skyrocket from the premiere of this movie, and I personally can’t wait to see her collect the accolades she deserves.
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7. Percy Hynes White
Although only 21 years old, Percy Hynes White has racked up an impressive amount of acting credits having started his career at seven years old. However, it’s his most recent role in Netflix’s hit show Wednesday that has shot him into newfound fame. Tim Burton’s newest series, a spin-off of The Addams Family franchise, explores Wednesday Addams’ time as a teenager at Nevermore — a boarding school for the supernatural. White plays Xavier Thorpe, a fellow Nevermore student with supernatural gifts who quickly befriends Wednesday upon her arrival.
He spends the season struggling with the lack of control he feels over his powers while simultaneously pining for Wednesday, who is suspicious of his connections to a string of murders happening near campus. White shows true mastery over his craft as his character develops over the course of the season, somehow making him seem continuously suspicious but simultaneously vulnerable and worthy of empathy. He’s earned all the recent praise, and will continue to receive it through 2023.
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6. Tenoch Huerta
Tenoch Huerta has had a good year. Already a seasoned actor, Huerta has found much success in making Mexican movies and television shows — resulting in a career that has spanned over multiple decades. However, 2022 was the year that Huerta skyrocketed to global fame for his role as Namor in Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Huerta’s Namor is a complicated antagonist, as his motives and traumas are similar to that of the film’s Wakandian protagonists. However, while the Wakandians choose to keep to themselves, Namor feels the need for his people to seek revenge — putting him at odds with Shuri and the rest of the Wakandian government.
Huerta does an impressive job showing the layers there are to Namor. While the audience may not root for him, they can’t help but see the trauma that lives behind his eyes at all times, driving him forward throughout the film. Seeing as this role has shot Huerta into worldwide fame and put him on Hollywood’s radar, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him pop up in more big budget films in 2023!
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5. Riley Keough
Riley Keough has been making movies since 2010. Though she’s been in some notable works, such as The Runaways (2010), Magic Mike (2011), and Zola (2020), Keough has yet to make herself a household name in the way many of her co-stars have. However, with the debut of Amazon Prime’s miniseries Daisy Jones and the Six, I believe that will soon change. Based on the Taylor Jenkins Reid novel of the same name, DJATS follows the rise and fall of a fictional rock ‘n’ roll band in the 1970s. Keough plays the titular Daisy Jones, a Stevie Nicks-esque figure who finds solace on stage amongst her struggles with drugs, alcohol, and loving the right person at the wrong time. The miniseries drops March 2023, and promises to leave Keough with a larger legacy than what she started with.
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4. Haley Lu Richardson
Haley Lu Richardson is no stranger to Hollywood. Having procured her fair share of guest spots on television through the last decade, and earning roles in films like Edge of Seventeen (2016) and Five Feet Apart (2019), Richardson has been in the acting game for some time. However, her role in season two of The White Lotus has finally brought her well earned praise from the critics of Hollywood. Richardson plays Portia, a fresh college graduate and assistant to the ever frazzled Tanya (portrayed by Jennifer Coolidge).
Richardson does a masterful job portraying the inherent confusion that comes with existing in your 20s. She doesn’t know what to do with her life, yearns for an exhilarating adventure, and is too bored with life to accept that dating a nice guy might be a good idea. With the amount of award buzz associated with The White Lotus, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Richardson find further success as audiences see the depth she brings to characters.
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3. Stephanie Hsu
With a small stack of acting credits that include The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and MTV’s Girl Code, actress Stephanie Hsu has accumulated her fair share of roles in the past decade. However, 2022 has proven to be her breakout year, as she has shot to stardom after starring in A24’s Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. Playing both the protagonist’s daughter and the villain of the story (who are, in fact, two entirely separate characters — who are we to judge the rules of the multiverse?), Hsu demonstrates the full range of her acting abilities.
She not only plays Joy with an expert sense of somberness, but simultaneously masters the idiosyncrasies between Jobu (the story’s villain, and a version of Joy from another universe) and Joy so that the audience can see where they are the same, and where the split into entirely different people. Providing a sense of humanity to a villain hellbent on destroying the multiverse is no small task, but Hsu does it with a sense of effortlessness that must be seen to be believed. There’s a reason that Hsu has significant buzz surrounding her name for the 2023 awards season, and I’m inclined to believe that this is just the beginning of what will be a long and successful Hollywood career.
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2. Bella Ramsey
Bella Ramsey made her debut on television at 13 years old, playing Lyanna Mormont in the global hit Game of Thrones. Though she only appeared in nine episodes, her character made a profound mark in the show’s legacy. The impact that Ramsey made in such a short period of time on the show is a true testament to her acting skill, especially considering her young age at the time of filming.
Though the projects she has done since have not been as popular as Game of Thrones (then again, what can be?) Ramsey is set to star as the lead of HBO’s upcoming series, The Last of Us. Based on a video game, this post-apocalyptic adventure is set to debut in early 2023. Considering that her acting skills were strong enough to make her stand out amongst a top-tier cast six years ago, I am confident that she is going to steal every scene she is in as the lead of the show.
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1. Jonathan Majors
Jonathan Majors is set to have an impressive 2023. Although having already appeared in the miniseries Loki as Kang the Conqueror, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania will be his first official appearance in phase five of the cinematic universe. Kang is said to be one of the main villains of this phase, meaning his role in this film will just be laying the groundwork for his future appearances. On top of that, he also has a major role in Creed III. He’ll be playing a figure from Creed’s (Michael B. Jordan) past, one who has come back to seek revenge and find the fame he feels he deserves. Overall, 2023 is going to be a busy year for Majors as he continues to demonstrate his range as an actor.
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