Trending 28th January 2025 by Emma Gleeson

Inside Hollywood’s Next Generation of IT Actors

They're a busy bunch...

via Instagram / Mubi

For generations Hollywood has had a group of IT actors at certain moment in time, like Marilyn Monroe, Aubrey Hepburn and James Dean. Then we had Robert DeNiro, Bill Murray and Cher.

From the 90s-2000s we saw Jennifer Anniston, Denzel Washington, Christian Bale, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. But who are the new Hollywood iconic actors, the actors who no matter what movie they’re in you’ll watch it just for them alone?

There are many on the scene at the moment but one man stands out in particular. Two time Academy Award nominee, winner of four Golden Globes as well as four BAFTA film awards, with over twenty movies under his belt, Timothée Chalamet is without a doubt Hollywood’s most watched actor at the moment.

Starring in movies such as Lady Bird, The French Dispatch, Bones and All, Beautiful Boy, Little Women, Dune, A Complete Unknown and Call Me By Your Name, Timothée is in the centre of Hollywood’s heart right now. 

Alongside Chalamet, there are many talented actors rising to the centre of the movie scene over the last few years. One of these is a close friend and co-star of Timothée’s and Ireland’s own, Saoirse Ronan.

Saoirse is an outstanding actress with multiple awards including a Golden Globe and many nominations such as Academy Award for Best Actress. Saoirse has starred in a number of films such as The Outrun, Lovely Bones, Blitz, Foe, Mary Queen of Scots, Brooklyn and The Grand Budapest Hotel and three alongside Chalamet, Little Women, Lady Bird and The French Dispatch. 

 

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Another Irish actor you might have heard of, Paul Mescal, has starred alongside Saoirse Ronan throughout their roles in garth Davis’ Foe in 2023. Mescal rose to fame in 2020 for his role in Normal People alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones where he earned a BAFTA TV Award and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Since then Paul has climbed to the top of Hollywood’s ladder with beautiful performances in truly moving films such as Aftersun, All Of Us Strangers, The Lost Daughter and of course most recently, his lead role in Gladiator II. 

 

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Fellow Little Women star, Florence Pugh, has skyrocketed onto Hollywood’s scene ever since her performance in Ari Aster’s Midsommar back in 2019.

The English actress has nominations for an Academy Award and two BAFTA Awards and has also starred in movies such as Don’t Worry Darling, Oppenheimer, Dune: Part Two, Black Widow, A Good Person and We Live in Time. Florence goes beyond meeting the mark with every performance she takes on and is a generational treasure. 

 

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Zendaya, who stars alongside Chalamet and Pugh in the Dune franchise, has been in the public eye since 2010 in her performance on Disney Channels Shake it Up. Since then, Zendaya has proven that she is much more than a child star and really rose to fame with her role as Rue on HBO’s Euphoria.

Zendaya has so far won two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for her outstanding performances. We have also seen her in movies such as Malcolm and Marie, The Spiderman Franchise and most recently Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. 

 

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Fellow Dune: Part Two co-star Austin Butler has been acting since 2005 however, he rose to fame after his exceptional performance as Elvis in 2022 where he chose to participate in method acting to have Elvis’ iconic accent and demeanour.

Austin has won many awards over the years including a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor. Butler is known for his childhood career on Nickelodeon and Disney as well as his performances in The Bikeriders and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. 

Another actress rising to fame at the moment is Margaret Qualley who starred alongside Butler in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood back in 2019. Daughter of Andie MacDowell and Paul J. Qualley, talent runs through her veins.

Margaret has been acting since 2013 however, she began to gain recognition for her role in The Leftovers. The Golden Globe nominee has had a busy few years with the release of Maid, Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness and The Substance. Margaret’s performances are magnetic and one of a kind. 

 

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Taylor Russell has left audiences in awe after each performance. Russell first gained attraction for her role in Netflix’s show Lost on Space. We have also seen Taylor star in roles in A24 drama Waves, Words on Bathroom Walls, and the Escape Room franchise.

Taylor went on to perform alongside Chalamet in 2022 in Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All. Since we have seen her magnificently emotional performance at National Theatre at Home: The Effect. 

 

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