NYLON NEXT
NYLON Next: 11 Rising Hollywood Stars You Need to Know Now
We’re putting our bets on these next big things.
There’s new, there’s now, and there’s next. These actors are all three.
On NYLON’s first ever NYLON Next list, you’ll find stars of your future favorite streaming show and the films that will be repeated come Oscars night. There are children of Hollywood icons, pop stars-turned-indie-darlings, and teens from far-flung corners of the world; scream queens and Cannes breakouts alike. But they all have one thing in common: They’re the stars that are going to define Hollywood in the days, months, and years to come.
Here, the 11 actors we’re watching now.
Inde Navarrette
Age: 25
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Previously Seen: Obsession, Superman and Lois, 13 Reasons Why
Up Next: Invertigo
Why She Makes the List: With a frown so deep it could be CGI (it’s not) and a true master class in how to say the word “no,” Obsession turned Inde Navarrette into Hollywood’s next big thing. Read more of our encounter with the rising star here.
Hayes Warner
Age: 26
Hometown: New York, New York
Previously Seen: In music videos for her own hit songs like “Predator” and “Breadcrumbs”
Up Next: FX’s The Shards
Why She Makes the List: Gen-Z’s pop-punk princess is going Hollywood. The New York-based singer-songwriter will make her acting debut later this summer in Ryan Murphy’s hotly anticipated adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ The Shards, starring opposite Kaia Gerber. With a plotline revolving around privileged teens and a serial killer in the ’80s and Murphy’s penchant for discovering new talent, a breakout role doesn’t get much juicer.
Guitarricadelafuente
Age: 28
Hometown: Benicàssim, Spain
Previously Seen: Nada será igual
Up Next: La Bola Negra
Why He Makes the List: After a small cameo in 2019’s Nada será igual (for which he also contributed to the soundtrack), the Spanish singer-songwriter is breaking out in a big way as the lead in Cannes favorite La Bola Negra. The film, which scored a 20-minute-long standing ovation, sees Guitarricadelafuente (born Álvaro Lafuente Calvo) starring opposite Miguel Bernardeau and Penélope Cruz. Netflix, who acquired the film post-Cannes, recently committed to a 28-day theatrical window during peak awards season, so expect see much more of Guitarricadelafuente (he also just attended Dior’s menswear show) on red carpets to come.
Bodhi Rae Breathnach
Age: 14
Hometown: Limerick, Ireland
Previously Seen: Hamnet, Shelter
Up Next: Sense and Sensibility, Werwulf
Why She Makes the List: She broke your heart in Hamnet and went toe-to-toe with Jason Statham in Shelter. Up next, she’ll star alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in the newest Jane Austen adaptation and cross paths with whatever creatures Robert Eggers is dreaming up, alongside Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe, in Werwulf, the Nosferatu director’s latest. Oh, and she’s only 14.
Keen Ruffalo
Age: 25
Hometown: Callicoon, New York
Previously Seen: Hal & Harper, Task
Up Next: Nimrods, Sterling Point
Why He Makes the List: Having made small appearances in some of his father’s films, Keen Ruffalo is about to get some rom-com pedigree of his own. This summer, he’ll star in Sterling Point, the upcoming coming-of-age drama series from My Old Ass writer and director (and former teen-drama star herself) Megan Park. Debuting on Amazon and featuring a mysterious island and family secrets, Sterling Point is set for The Summer I Turned Pretty levels of fervor.
Marissa Long
Age: 26
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Previously Seen: Modeling for brands like Hollister and Kylie Cosmetics
Up Next: The White Lotus Season 4
Why She Makes the List: When your first-ever audition tape lands you the lead in the next season of The White Lotus, you’re definitely Next. A former commercial model, Marissa Long was whisked away to the South of France by Mike White to film the upcoming season of the beloved HBO hit. And as we’ve seen by the likes of Sydney Sweeney, Meghann Fahy, and Sarah Catherine Hook, once you check into the White Lotus, fame soon follows.
Mia Tharia
Age: 21
Hometown: London, England
Previously Seen: The Listeners, September Says
Up Next: Klara and the Sun
Why She Makes the List: The it-Brit makes her major Hollywood debut this year in Taika Waititi’s Klara and the Sun opposite Jenna Ortega. Fans of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel of the same name have been eagerly anticipating the adaptation, and Mia Tharia’s role as the teenage girl at the center of the story is one to watch.
Bella Murphy
Age: 24
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Previously Seen: Roommates, Coming 2 America
Up Next: Strobe
Why She Makes the List: The daughter of Eddie Murphy recently teamed with Sadie Sandler (daughter of Adam) on Netflix’s underrated college comedy Roommates. Next, she’ll appear in the EDM-drama Strobe, in an ensemble cast that includes Laura Harrier, Suzanna Son, and Grace Van Dien. It’s based on a popular 2019 short of the same name.
Joseph Zada
Age: 20
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
Previously Seen: We Were Liars
Up Next: East of Eden, Sunrise on the Reaping
Why He Makes the List: Two of fall’s hottest projects have one thing in common: Joseph Zada. The Australian actor will take on both TV and film, first appearing in Zoe Kazan’s take on East of Eden for Netflix, in which he’ll play Cal, the son of Florence Pugh’s Cathy and Christopher Abbott’s Adam Trask. Come November, he’ll play the younger version of Woody Harrelson’s Haymitch Abernathy in Sunrise on the Reaping, the latest in the Hunger Games franchise.
Priyanka Kedia
Age: 25
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Previously Seen: Disclosure Day
Up Next: Best of the Best
Why She Makes the List: After a short but memorable turn in Disclosure Day, Priyanka Kedia will take on leading lady status in Netflix’s Best of the Best, in which Kedia and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan star as childhood best friends who get mixed up in the world of competitive college Bollywood dancing.
Tanzyn Crawford
Age: 25
Hometown: Perth, Australia
Previously Seen: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Up Next: Assassin’s Creed
Why She Makes the List: Where does one go after Game of Thrones? How about one of the world’s most beloved video games? Wrapping her time on the GOT-spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Tanzyn Crawford will next star in the upcoming Assassin’s Creed series. Little is known about the long-awaited adaptation, which is currently filming in Rome, but with Netflix and the producers of Westworld behind it, expect big things.
