Rueben's Ramblings

The following list highlights the actors and actresses on television and on the big screen who really caught viewers’ attention throughout this year.

They appear in no particular order:

[Photo Credit: Jay L. Clendenin-Los Angeles Times]

1. Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Tony nominee for Ghost the Musical (in 2012) had a big year this year, appearing in the Eddie Murphy film Dolemite Is My Name and the Showtime comedy On Becoming a God in Central Florida. She will next be seen alongside Zoe Kravitz in the Hulu streaming series High Fidelity and the box office film The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Viewers will remember her from Empire and People of Earth.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

2. Cynthia Erivo – The Tony nominee for The Color Purple (in 2016) hit it big in the title role in the box office movie Harriet (based on the life of Harriet Tubman) and next year she will play the Queen of Soul herself Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic anthology series Genius. She will also be seen in the HBO mini-series based on the Stephen King novel The Outsider and the upcoming box office film Needle in a Timestack with Orlando Bloom. Viewers will remember her from the movies Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale.

[Photo Credit: CBS]

3. Kirby Howell-Baptiste -The British actress hit it big this year with a recurring role in the HBO hitman comedy Barry, a recurring role in the much-maligned season 4 of Veronica Mars on Hulu, a recurring role in The Good Place and a lead role in the CBS All Access drama Why Women Kill. She will star alongside Emma Stone in the box office movie Cruella. Viewers will remember her from Killing Eve and the box office movie A Dog’s Purpose.

[Photo Credit: Martina Tolot]

4. Marsai Martin – She is obviously one of the child stars of the popular ABC comedy black-ish, but what really got her attention this year was the box office movie Little. Marsai came up with the idea at the age of 10, surprising producers at the studio with how well thought-out her project was, becoming the youngest person in Hollywood, at the age of 13, to ever produce a movie.

[Photo Credit: Peter Lindbergh-Vogue]

5. Himesh Patel – While Himesh appeared in nearly 10 seasons of the British soap opera EastEnders, it was his turn as Jack Malik in the box office film Yesterday that got him a lot of attention. He will next be seen in the box office movie The Aeronauts alongside Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones; and he has joined the cast of the Christopher Nolan movie Tenet that will star Robert Pattinson.

Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott [Photo Credit: EPA]

6 and 7. Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott – They starred as Aladdin and Princess Jasmine in the 2019 live-action adaptation of the movie, featuring Will Smith as the Genie. Mena will next be seen in the Hulu streaming series Reprisal, starring Timeless vet Abigail Spencer. Viewers will remember him from the TeenNick series Open Heart and the Amazon series Jack Ryan. Naomi was part of the cast of the new Charlie’s Angels alongside Kristen Stewart, Ella Balinska and Elizabeth Banks. Viewers will remember her from the short-lived FOX drama Terra Nova, the Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth and the 2017 Power Rangers movie.

[Photo Credit: Twitter]

8. Andrew Scott – The Irish actor turned heads as Jim Moriarty in Sherlock, starring opposite Benedict Cumberbatch; and while he has a film and theatre background, it was his turn as “Hot Priest” in the second season of the award-winning streaming series Fleabag that charmed audiences. He can be seen in the World War II box office movie 1917 (again alongside Benedict Cumberbatch) as well as a recurring role in HBO’s His Dark Materials and he will appear in the title role of the upcoming Showtime series Ripley, playing literary con artist Tom Ripley.

Photo Credit: Dewayne Rogers

9. Simone Missick – Simone is the star of the new CBS legal drama All Rise, which has become the highest rated new drama of the fall TV season and she also appeared in the Netflix streaming series Altered Carbon. Viewers will remember Simone from The Defenders, Luke Cage and Iron Fist, playing Misty Knight in all three Netflix shows.

[Photo Credit: Geek Culture]

10. Samara Weaving – The Australian actress was the star of the box office thriller Ready or Not, and she will have an even bigger 2020, appearing in the box office movies Bill & Ted Face the Music and the G.I. Joe spin-off Snake Eyes. Like many other Aussie actors, Samara appeared in the Australian soap opera Home and Away.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

11. Katilyn Dever – She starred in the box office movie Booksmart and was the focus of the Netflix mini-series Unbelievable that received rave reviews for its honest portrayal of a heartbreaking true story. Viewers know Kaitlyn from the long-running comedy Last Man Standing and her recurring role in Justified.

Who are some of the faces from this year who caught your attention either on television, in music or in film? Please share.

TOMORROW: New Faces of 2020