10 Hollywood Queens Under 30 Are Taking Over Your Screens
Hollywood used to be this fancy top-tier club where only the “old guard” got the good roles. However, this is no longer the case. A new generation of insanely talented and ridiculously good-looking actresses under 30 are now stealing the spotlight.
Here’s the lowdown on the young stars you probably can’t escape seeing in movies, shows, and magazine covers.
Zendaya
Let’s be real, Zendaya didn’t just knock on Hollywood’s door, she kicked it open wearing some crazy clothes and chewing bubblegum. Born in 1996 in Oakland, she grew up around theater thanks to her mom working at California Shakespeare Theater and her dad teaching. Fast-forward through some Disney Channel’s Shake It Up charm and BAM!—she goes swinging with Spider-Man, gets a role in The Greatest Showman, and how could we not mention Euphoria? Zendaya got an Emmy for Best Actress at 24, making her the youngest winner ever. Zendaya also sings, models, and uses her platform for activism because apparently, she’s allergic to spare time.
Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney came out swinging with The White Lotus and Euphoria, collecting Emmy nominations like they’re common Pokémon cards. She’s done horror (Immaculate), romantic comedy (Anyone But You), and sadly even superhero stuff (RIP, Madame Web). Oh, and she runs her own production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, and restores vintage cars in her free time. Apparently, she’s living in 3025 while the rest of us are just stuck here paying rent and watching another World War unfold.
Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega started acting at ten and now basically owns Netflix. She garnered critical acclaim for her role in The Fallout, frightened audiences with her portrayal in Scream and X, and transformed into a gothic icon in the role of Wednesday Addams. That show became Netflix’s most-watched English series ever, and yes, she learned cello and German just to make her performance cooler. She’s also a vocal advocate for Latino representation and LGBTQ+ support, proving she’s not just talented but has a backbone made of pure steel.
Dove Cameron
Cameron first graced our unworthy eyes with her role as identical twins Liv and Maddie Rooney on Disney Channel. But this was just a small appetizer, setting the stage for her future movie hits like the Descendants series. Dove also made guest appearances on various TV shows, like Shameless, further demonstrating that she’s not a one-trick pony. In case that wasn’t good enough for you, Cameron has also dipped her toes in music (or more accurately gotten “neck-deep” into it) and released several music singles that highlight her vocal abilities and artistic versatility.
Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë went from playing in The Amityville Horror to slicing bad guys in Kick-Ass as Hit-Girl. And that’s before even starring in a pretty good remake of Let Me In. She’s done thrillers, dramas, animated movies (Addams Family, Nimona), and even sci-fi like The Peripheral. Off-screen, she’s big on LGBTQ+ rights and social justice. Basically, she fights bad guys on-screen and real-life nonsense off-screen.
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee came out of nowhere with True Grit at 13, got herself an Oscar nomination, and never looked back. She did an outstanding job in The Edge of Seventeen, showed off her vocal range in Pitch Perfect, became Marvel’s Kate Bishop in Hawkeye, and voices Spider-Gwen in Into the Spider-Verse. What more can you expect from a young lady?
Anya Taylor-Joy
Anya Taylor-Joy broke through with The VVitch and then said, “Cool, now I’ll conquer Netflix,” starring in The Queen’s Gambit, for which she won a Golden Globe, and made playing chess look sexy. She’s also starred in Last Night in Soho, The Menu, and Dune: Part Two. When she’s not doing all that, Anya takes care of her loving husband, whom she married in a secret gothic fairy-tale wedding.
Sadie Sink
Sadie began her acting career on Broadway at the age of ten. When the second season of Stranger Things came out, she was ready for the world to finally see what she could do. In addition to her work on the series, she has also starred in The Glass Castle and The Fear Street trilogy, just to prove once again that she can do both emotional drama and horror like a pro.
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter went from Disney starlet to full-blown pop sensation in the blink of an eye. This teenybopper, born in 1999, got her first taste of fame after almost winning in a Miley Cyrus–hosted singing contest, which then led to early TV roles like Law & Order: SVU and Girl Meets World. By 2013, Sabrina dropped her debut EP Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, kicking off a music career that now includes multiple studio albums and singles.
Dove Cameron
Cameron first graced our unworthy eyes with her role as identical twins Liv and Maddie Rooney on Disney Channel. But this was just a small appetizer, setting the stage for her future movie hits like the Descendants series. Dove also made guest appearances on various TV shows, like Shameless, further demonstrating that she’s not a one-trick pony. In case that wasn’t good enough for you, Cameron has also dipped her toes in music (or more accurately gotten “neck-deep” into it) and released several music singles that highlight her vocal abilities and artistic versatility.