2021 marked a big year for Hollywood.
During the pandemic, many shows halted production, films pushed release dates, and theaters across the country shut down. Hollywood went nearly silent. Through 2021, however, we saw a shift back to some shred of normalcy.
According to Variety, film production surged during the third quarter of 2021, and production saw a 141.2% increase compared to 2020. Spiderman: No Way Home topped 1 billion at the box office and took the title of the third-biggest domestic opening of all time. We saw massive fan followings of shows like Squid Game, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and WandaVision. Hollywood is coming back to life.
As we continue to see the film industry come back to itself, Gen Z is making up a larger part of the actors we love. Favorites like Anya Taylor-Joy, Florence Pugh, and Tom Holland continue thriving, but even more Gen Z actors are showing up and showing out.
Here’s who we expect (and hope) to see more of in the coming year.
1. Jenna Ortega (she/her)
✧ @jennaortega
✧ Star sign: Libra ♎️
✧ What we know them from: HBO Max’s The Fallout, Scream (2022), You
✧ Look out for them in: Netflix’s Wednesday (2022) as Wednesday Adams
2. Jahi Di’Allo Winston (he/him)
✶ @jahiwinston
✶ Star sign: Sagittarius ♐️
✶ What we know them from: Everything Sucks, The Violent Heart, The Lion King on Broadway as Young Simba
✶ Look out for them in: Netflix’s We Have a Ghost (2022)
3. Lexi Underwood (she/her)
✧ @officiallexiunderwood
✧ Star sign: Virgo ♍️
✧ What we know them from: Little Fires Everywhere
✧ Look out for them in: Showtime’s The First Lady (2022) as Malia Obama, Disney’s Sneakerella (coming February 18!)
4. Whitney Peak (she/her)
✶ @whitneypeak
✶ Star sign: Aquarius ♒️
✶ What we know them from: Gossip Girl (2021), The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
✶ Look out for them in: Hocus Pocus 2 (2022), Helvellyn Edge (2022)
5. Sadie Sink (she/her)
✧ @sadiesink_
✧ Star sign: Aries ♈️
✧ What we know them from: Stranger Things, All Too Well: The Short Film
✧ Look out for them in: Season 4 of Stranger Things
6. Xolo Mariduena (he/him)
✶ @xolo_mariduena
✶ Star sign: Gemini ♊️
✶ What we know them from: Parenthood, Cobra Kai
✶ Look out for them in: Blue Beetle (2023)
7. Saniyya Sidney (she/her)
✧ @saniyyasidney
✧ Star sign: Scorpio ♏️
✧ What we know them from: King Richard, Fences, Hidden Figures
✧ Look out for: She’s still doing press for King Richard, which received SAG nominations for both Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
8. David Mazouz (he/him)
✶ @davidamazouz
✶ Star sign: Pisces ♓️
✶ What we know them from: Gotham, The Birthday Cake
✶ Look out for them in: No updates on his new projects yet. You know how secretive Pisceans are.
9. Dallas Dupree Young (he/him)
✧ @dallasyoung
✧ Star sign: Scorpio ♏️
✧ What we know them from: Cousins for Life, The Fosters, Cobra Kai
✧ Look out for them in: He’s listed as a member in an Untitled Re-Enactment Goonies Project. (And, of course, we’re waiting for future seasons of Cobra Kai!)
SEE ALSO: 'Cobra Kai' star Dallas Dupree Young speaks on masculinity, on-set beauty, and all things karate
10. Rachel Zegler (she/her)
✶ @rachelzegler
✶ Star sign: Taurus ♉️
✶ What we know them from: West Side Story (2021) as María
✶ Look out for them in: Snow White (2022), Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods (2022)
11. Jabari Banks (he/him)
✧ @jabaribanks
✧ Star sign: Unconfirmed, but our guess? Scorpio energy.
✧ What we know them from: Nothing yet — this is his first onscreen role!
✧ Look out for them in: Peacock’s Bel-Air (coming February 13!)
12. Grace Kaufman (she/her)
✶ @imgracekaufman
✶ Star sign: Taurus ♉️
✶ What we know them from: Man with a Plan
✶ Look out for them in: Apple TV+’s The Sky is Everywhere (coming out February 11.)
13. Amybeth McNulty (she/her)
✧ @amybethmcnulty
✧ Star sign: Scorpio ♏️
✧ What we know them from: Anne with an E
✧ Look out for them in: Season 4 of Stranger Things
14. Sophia Lillis (she/her)
✶ @sophialillis
✶ Star sign: Aquarius ♒️
✶ What we know them from: It (2017), I Am Not Okay With This, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase
✶ Look out for them in: Asteroid City (2022), Dungeons and Dragons (2023)
15. Halle Bailey (she/her)
✧ @hallebailey
✧ Star sign: Aries ♈️
✧ What we know them from: A Wrinkle in Time, Grown-ish, her youtube channel Chloe x Halle
✧Look out for them in: The Little Mermaid live-action remake (2023) as Ariel
16. Kiawentiio Tarbell (she/her)
✶ @kiawentiio
✶ Star sign: Virgo ♍️
✶ What we know them from: Anne with an E, Beans
✶ Look out for them in: Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender (2022) as Katara
17. Dallas Liu (he/him)
✧ @dallas_liu
✧ Star sign: Leo ♌️
✧ What we know them from: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
✧ Look out for them in: Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender (2022) as Prince Zuko
18. Storm Reid (she/her)
✶ @stormreid
✶ Star sign: Cancer ♋️
✶ What we know them from: Euphoria, A Wrinkle in Time
✶ Look out for them in: HBO’s The Last of Us, One Way
19. Reneé Rapp (she/her)
✧ @reneemj
✧ Star sign: Capricorn ♑️
✧ What we know them from: Mean Girls on Broadway, The Sex Lives of College Girls
✧ Look out for them in: Season two of HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls
20. Edvin Ryding (he/him)
✶ @edvinrydings
✶ Star sign: Aquarius ♒️
✶ What we know them from: Young Royals
✶ Look out for them in: Season two of Netflix’s Young Royals
21. Marsai Martin (she/they)
✧ @marsaimartin
✧ Star sign: Leo ♌️
✧ What we know them from: Little, Black-ish
✧ Look out for them in: The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (2022), Free to Fall (2022)
(Also, her press-on nail line, Mari by Marsai, launched on February 2!)
22. Jacob Tremblay
✶ @jacobtremblay
✶ Star Sign: Libra ♎️
✶ What we know them from: Luca, Wonder
✶ Look out for: The Little Mermaid (2023) as the voice of Flounder, The Toxic Avenger (2022)
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Cristina Montemayor
Cristina Montemayor
David Yi
