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:

Danielle Brooks – In the past couple of years, Danielle has portrayed Mahalia Jackson in a Lifetime made-for-TV movie, appeared alongside John Cena in the MAX original series Peacemaker and revisited her Tony-winning role of Sofia in the box office movie The Color Purple that came out at the very end of 2023, which garnered her countless nominations for awards in the earlier part of 2024. Next up she will be seen in action-comedy film A Minecraft Movie, starring alongside Jason Momoa, Jack Black and Wednesday’s Emma Myers.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph – Da’Vine received praise for her roles in the 2019 box office movie Dolemite Is My Name and the 2020 movie The United States vs. Billie Holiday. In the last year, she has appeared in the controversial TV series The Idol, the much buzzed about box office movie Rustin, appearing as Mahalia Jackson I might add, and reprised her role of Donna Williams in season four of Only Murders in the Building. But it was her performance as Mary Lamb in the independent film The Holdovers, which came out in October 2023, that garnered her critical acclaim and eventually an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress.

Charles Melton – Charles is more than just a “pretty face,” and his role in the 2023 box office movie May December put him on the map. The movie was loosely reminiscent of the scandalous affair between schoolteacher Mary Kay Letourneau and her barely-a-teenager-lover Vili Fualaau with Julianne Moore playing the older woman in the movie and Melton as her much younger lover-nee-husband. Movie goers will recognize him from 2019’s The Sun Is Also a Star and Bad Boys for Life in 2020. He also appeared in the TV series Riverdale for nearly all of its seven-season run on The CW.

Cailee Spaeny – Cailee appeared in the box office movies Bad Times at the El Royale and On the Basis of Sex both in 2018 followed by the reboot of The Craft: Legacy in 2020. She then starred in the TV shows Mare of Easttown in 2021 and The First Lady in 2022; but it was her role of Priscilla Presley in the 2023 box office movie Priscilla that got her rave reviews. She has since appeared in this year’s movies Civil War and Alien: Romulus.

Camila Morrone – Camila started out in 2016 as a model for Victoria’s Secret, Sephora, Chanel and Calving Klein (among others). She later appeared in the 2020 box office movie Valley Girl, but it was her role as Camila Alvarez-Dunne in the Prime Video limited series Daisy Jones & the Six from 2023 that garnered her a lot of attention and even earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination. She also appeared in the indie film Marmalade alongside Cross and Leverage star Aldis Hodge and Stranger Things alum Joe Keery.

Glenn Powell – His first big TV appearance was in 2015 in Scream Queens on FOX and the 2016 box office movie Hidden Figures, but it was the 2022 box office sequel Top Gun: Maverick that put him on the map. He followed that up with an appearance in the box office movie Devotion and then the Netflix movie Hit Man. He then appeared in the highest-grossing R-rated rom com Anyone But You and then this past summer’s sequel film Twisters.

Lewis Pullman – He also appeared in Top Gun: Maverick two years ago and had a role in the Josh Brolin-led TV series Outer Range before starring alongside Captain Marvel star Brie Larson in the Apple TV+ period piece Lessons in Chemistry. This fall he appeared in the horror remake of Salem’s Lot that aired on Max and next year he will star in the ensemble anti-superhero movie Thunderbolts.

Ella Hunt – The singer and musician segwayed into acting with her big break coming through the comedy-drama Dickinson that starred Hailee Steinfeld and then she appeared in the box office movie Lady Chatterley’s Lover. This year was big for her as she appeared in Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 as well as playing legendary comedienne Gilda Radner in the box office movie Saturday Night.

Anthony Boyle – He appeared in two episodes of the Northern Ireland teen comedy Derry Girls as well as the Benedict Cumberbatch-led mini-series Patrick Melrose. He also had roles in the box office movies Tolkien and Tetris. But it’s been his roles in Masters of the Air and Manhunt, which aired nearly simultaneously earlier this year as well as the more recently aired Say Nothing that have put him on the map.

Aaron Pierre – This London-born actor appeared in roles in the TV shows The A Word, Britannia, Krypton and The Underground Railroad before landing a role in the M. Night Shyamalan thriller flick Old. He then landed the role of Malcolm X in the anthology series Genius and followed that up with the lead role in the Netflix movie Rebel Ridge, starring alongside Don Johnson. He will next be seen in the box office movie Lanterns with Kyle Chandler and he provides the voice of Mufasa in the soon to arrive Mufasa: The Lion King box office movie.

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 2025