Austin Butler
Butler went from Disney heartthrob to Oscar-nominated powerhouse, thanks to his electric performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.   

His breakthrough came from a critically acclaimed run in the Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh in 2018, in which he starred opposite Denzel Washington. The latter was instrumental in Butler’s successful leap from child/teen actor to one with a solid Hollywood resume. Washington’s cold call to Elvis helmer Luhrmann led to the director watching Butler’s heartfelt audition clip, and Butler was swiftly cast as the legendary rock star in the biopic. He has since racked up a string of auteur collaborations (Dune: Part Two, The Bikeriders, Caught Stealing). 
 
With his blend of old-school, method-acting-esque dedication and movie-star mystique, Butler feels like the best of both eras: a matinee idol for the modern age.

Anya Taylor-Joy
Ethereally beautiful yet carrying a hint of danger, Taylor-Joy has carved out a niche playing enigmatic onscreen figures. Though she often goes for dark, off-beat, lone-wolf characters — e.g. a mysterious singer in Last Night in Soho and a silent heroine in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga — she has shown a penchant for occasional unpredictability.  

Whatever role she chooses, her striking looks and sharp instincts make her a director’s dream, helping her to command every frame with poise and intensity. 
 
Her headlining turn in Netflix drama The Queen’s Gambit, which was released during COVID lockdowns and became one of the streamer’s most-watched English TV series, made her a household name. 
 
Taylor-Joy has also proven her ability to kick butt, such as in superhero flick The New Mutants and the recent Apple TV film The Gorge. She shows no sign of shying away from the genre and will next be seen in the action-comedy film Sacrifice, alongside Chris Evans. 

Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney isn’t just playing the Hollywood game, she’s rewriting it. From her breakout turns in Euphoria and The White Lotus to leading box-office hits like Anyone but You, she has proven that talent and tenacity can still outshine nepotism in Hollywood. The Spokane-born actor moved to Los Angeles at 13, determined to make it — and she did.  

Sweeney spent years clawing her way up Hollywood, taking bit parts to build her portfolio. Now, with two Emmy nominations and her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, she’s calling her own shots. Even the critical and box-office misfire Madame Web couldn’t dull her momentum — she spun that misstep into new studio deals and more creative control. 
 
Offscreen, she’s built an empire of brand partnerships with Armani Beauty, Miu Miu, and Ford, all while maintaining an approachable, everygirl charm that endears her to fans. Whether she’s starring in thrillers like Eden or producing new projects behind the scenes, Sweeney has shown that she is one to look out for. She’s the definition of a self-made A-lister.

Glen Powell
He’s got the grin, the guns, and the charm of a classic movie hero. But his success story took time. After years of grinding away in small roles, Glen Powell (the oldest actor on this list) finally soared into the stratosphere with Top Gun: Maverick, then sealed his leading-man status with Hit Man and Twisters. Hollywood’s suddenly obsessed, and so is the internet — dubbing him “the Capybara” for his unflappable, easy-going vibe that makes him the ultimate chill leading man.

Behind that laid-back charm lies serious hustle. Powell co-wrote Hit Man, proving he’s not just a pretty face or a six-pack, but also a creative force with solid comic timing and a sharp sense of self-awareness. Whether he’s playing a gun-slinging hero, a romantic lead, or both at once, Powell brings an old-school confidence that feels refreshingly unpretentious.

Funny, confident, and endlessly likeable, Powell is the rare actor who can headline a rom-com or an action flick with equal ease. Hollywood’s new golden boy? Very possibly.

Florence Pugh
Since her breakout in 2016’s Lady Macbeth, Pugh has built a diverse filmography. Like some of her peers on this list, she has effortlessly toggled between indie darlings and big-budget franchises. As Yelena Belova in the MCU, she brought scene-stealing wit and vulnerability to Black Widow and Thunderbolts*, cementing herself as Marvel’s next major anchor. But she’s just as at home in a weepie drama (We Live in Time) or a sweeping epic (Oppenheimer), often infusing even her darkest roles with warmth, humour, and that signature Pugh authenticity.

Offscreen, she’s as unfiltered as her characters — from rocking transparent Valentino gowns that sent the internet spiralling to charming fans with her cooking videos and down-to-earth interviews. Sure, her adventurous fashion sense does set tongues wagging (and not always positively), but you can’t deny that her self-assurance is refreshing. Part ingénue and part powerhouse, Pugh is full-on fearless, and that is her biggest asset.

Paul Mescal
The Irish actor first came into the international limelight with a BAFTA-winning and Emmy Award-nominated turn in the acclaimed series Normal People, co-starring Daisy Edgar-Jones.   

Since then, he has flexed his acting chops in the meaty roles he has taken on, from his Academy Award-nominated performance as a depressed dad in Aftersun to his much-lauded turn as Stanley Kowalski in a West End revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, which garnered him a Laurence Olivier Award.  
 
Where his acting style is concerned, comparisons with Marlon Brando are rife — thanks to his mix of soulful vulnerability and intensity. While Mescal has yet to prove he has the commercial appeal of Brando, the Irish actor has already taken on some projects that have made waves at the box office, such as headlining 2024’s Gladiator II. 
 
But indie fans need not fear. He hasn’t forgotten his roots, most recently starring in Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet. He will also be starring in Richard Linklater’s ambitious film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along, which will be shot over 20 years.

Jenna Ortega
With memorable turns in the Scream franchise, a scene-stealing role in Ti West’s X, and the comedy horror film Studio 666, Ortega reigns as Gen Z’s ‘scream queen’. This is further reinforced by her headlining role in Wednesday, the spooky and pop-culture-savvy TV spin-off of The Addams Family.  

Away from the small screen, Ortega has landed roles in blockbuster movies such as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, sequel to the 1988 fantasy-horror comedy classic Beetlejuice, where she stars alongside castmate Winona Ryder.

Witty and self-aware, Ortega has perfected the deadpan-cool persona that has made her a fan favourite. She’s also shown she’s able to blend spooky edge with sharp comedic timing. Time will tell whether she can establish herself as a more dramatic actor.

Jacob Elordi
In 2023, the chronically online crowd were fawning over the newest ‘babygirl’. That babygirl was, well, not a girl — it was Jacob Elordi. The internet crowned him an ‘unproblematic fave’ as he defies ‘toxic masculinity’ stereotypes by exhibiting impeccable manners and a gentle demeanour. Charming but self-effacing, he’s Hollywood’s new gentleman rebel, and the industry can’t get enough. 

From starring as a tall, hot jock in The Kissing Booth and its sequels to playing a tall, hot aristocratic dude (see where we’re going with this?) in Saltburn, Elordi has played his fair share of heartthrobs. But he isn’t a vain actor obsessed with forging a sex symbol status. Most recently, he went ugly, donning heavy prosthetics to play the title character in Frankenstein, horror auteur Guillermo del Toro’s film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel. 

As of now, the charismatic Australian remains much in demand with directors (and fashion houses). He has eschewed superhero and blockbuster films in favour of indie projects that flaunt his thespian range. Catch him next in a film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, for which he reunites with Saltburn director Emerald Fennell.

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