From Daphne Bridgerton to “The Iceberg that Sank the Titanic,” these 16 rising stars are behind the characters that entertained audiences through lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. Looking forward, they are fronting the titles that will bring audiences back to the multiplex.
Some talent, like Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor and Nicola Coughlan, had their break-out moments in the middle of the pandemic, while others like West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler are still waiting for their delayed big breaks to hit reopened movie theaters. From breaking barriers in the superhero space, like Batgirl star Leslie Grace, to breathing new life into established franchises (see: Dominique Fishback, who will lead the new Transformers), this year’s class will continue to play major roles in studio and streamer slates.
They join a list that, in years past, has included now-established stars like Midsommar actress Florence Pugh, Atlanta’s LaKeith Stanfield and Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu. All of them navigating an industry that is rapidly changing around them. As Cobra Kai’s Xolo Maridueña puts it: “I don’t have the handbook or ‘Acting in Your Early 20s for Dummies’ book just yet.”
With concurrent roles on two hit Netflix series, Coughlan went straight from shooting the second season of Bridgerton to the third season of Derry Girls with barely a weekend in between. Starring in a 19th century romance and 1990s-set coming-of-age comedy is something she never thought she’d do, because of some puzzling feedback she got in drama school: “I was told, categorically, I would never do period drama,” Coughlan recalls. “They told me, ‘Your face is too modern.’ I have no idea to this day what that means.” The Galway-born actress has learned never to rule anything out, and when she’s not on set she’s working on a soon-to-be-released Apple podcast called Whistle Through the Shamrocks that started as “this really weird running joke about Irish plays” with co-writer Camilla Whitehill. The six-episode series features a host of talent including Coughlan’s Netflix co-stars Jamie Beamish and Louisa Harland, as well as Stephanie Beatriz and Jonathan Van Ness.
The person I am dying to work with … Judi Dench
My pandemic binge-watch was … Euphoria
I’d love to star in a remake of … “Not a remake of [Parks and Recreation], but Leslie Knope: The Early Years. I feel like I could play Leslie Knope in college.”
If I had to live in a world from a movie or TV show, I would choose … Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
If a superhero franchise was based on my life, my superpower would be … “Probably Nap Girl. That’s just what I’m known as at work. If I have a spare 10 minutes, I’ll just fall asleep.”
The social cause I am passionate about is … “LGBTQ rights. I play a gay character in Derry Girls and I realized the responsibility of taking that on at a time when, in Northern Ireland, gay marriage still wasn’t legal.”
The Hollywood Reporter
Published November 4, 2021