Rueben's Ramblings

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

They appear in no particular order:

Hong Chau – She has been honing her craft for the past 17 years, but since last year she has really taken the industry by storm, starring alongside Michelle Williams in the box office movie Showing Up that premiered at Cannes last year. Then she followed that up by playing a nurse opposite Brendan Fraser in his Oscar-winning role in the acclaimed indie film The Whale. She had a supporting role in the 2022 box office movie The Menu and then appeared in the popular Netflix series The Night Agent. She also appeared in the ensemble cast of the Wes Anderson flick Asteroid City.

Nicholas Galitzine – This British hunk first caught the attention of viewers with his role in 2020 in the box office movie The Craft: Legacy and the following year he starred opposite recording artist Camila Cabello in Amazon Prime’s Cinderella. Last year he starred alongside Sofia Carson in the Netflix film Purple Hearts and this year he hit it big in Amazon Prime’s movie Red, White & Royal Blue based on the book by Casey McQuiston. He will next be seen with Anne Hathaway in the box office movie The Idea of You and next year’s Starz limited series Mary & George alongside Julianne Moore.

Halle Bailey – I included Halle, a talented Atlanta actress and singer back in 2019 before the pandemic hit, causing her upcoming projects – specifically The Little Mermaid and the upcoming bold new take on the beloved classic The Color Purple, which will be in theatres on Christmas Day – to be put on hold, but she is finally getting the attention she deserves.

Myha’la Herrold – Going by only her first name now, Myha’la stars in the HBO series Industry that follows a group of hungry, young graduates plunged head-first into the exhilarating world of international finance. This year she has been on the big screen in the box office movie Dumb Money, which told the nearly unbelievable if it wasn’t true story about how everyday people got rich by turning GameStop (the video game store) into the world’s hottest company. And she will soon be seen alongside Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawk and Mahershala Ali in the box office Leave the World Behind.

Archie Madekwe – For three seasons, Archie appeared in the Apple TV+ series See, playing the visually-abled son of Jason Momoa’s Baba Voss. He then appeared in this year’s box office flick Gran Turismo alongside David Harbour and Orlando Bloom and with Gal Gadot in the Netflix movie Heart of Stone. He can currently be seen in the much-buzzed about movie Saltburn.

Bella Ramsey – This talented 20-something Brit first came to the attention of TV viewers through her role in Game of Thrones, but it has been her role in the acclaimed TV adaptation of The Last of Us alongside Pedro Pascal that has really garnered her attention. She was also the scene-stealing lead in the box office movie Catherine Called Birdy last year.

Sandra Huller – Sandra has been a working actress for over 20 years, but she has received acclaim from critics and reviewers all over the world for her latest roles in two very different films from this past year. First in The Zone of Interest she played the wife of the commandant of Auschwitz, who strives to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden next to the camp; and her lead role in Anatomy of a Fall, where she played a woman suspected of her husband’s murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

Mia Goth – After appearing in the back-to-back buzzworthy, albeit horror, flicks last year – X and Pearl – Mia landed a plum role in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movie Blade that will star Oscar winner Mahershala Ali in the lead role; and her next project is another horror flick MaXXXine.

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 2024