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Just a few months into 2024 and the entertainment industry has already pulled out all the stops as far as blockbuster movies and groundbreaking TV shows. Some of our favorites include Dune: Part Two, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Damsel, Shōgun, True Detective: Night Country, and many more. But 2024 is far from over and there are still countless premieres on the horizon which are certain to nurture new and existing talent.
Shows like True Detective have seen the return of seasoned veterans like Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), but some up-and-coming actresses have been particularly significant these past few months. Which begs the question of who among these budding actresses you keep an especially close eye on.
Jenna Ortega
Perhaps the most sought-after actress in the industry at present, Jenna Ortega truly rose to prominence in 2022 with back-to-back slasher outings with Scream and X. That same year, she was cast as Wednesday Addams in Netflix’s Wednesday spin-off, then reprised her role as Tara Carpenter in Scream VI. Ortega has earned the respect of thousands by stepping down from Scream VII due to her co-star Melissa Barrera’s firing. In 2024 and beyond, Ortega has a lot of exciting project brewing, including a role in the Beetlejuice sequel, set to release in September this year.
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‘Gross’: The Internet Weighs In After Spicy Scene Between Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega Goes ViralOrtega recently deviated from her typical horror roles to star alongside Martin Freeman (Sherlock) in Miller’s Girl, an erotic thriller where a creative writing tutor enters into a complicated relationship with his student. She is currently filming Klara and the Sun, where she stars opposite Amy Adams as an android purchased to be the companion of a sick and dying child. At just 21 years old, Ortega has already built an impressive filmography for herself, one which rivals even the most experienced actresses.
Mia Goth
Like her co-star Jenna Ortega, British actress Mia Goth also got her big break in Ti West’s X, taking on the challenging dual role of both Maxine and Pearl, the rival main characters. Goth started out as a model in her teen years, then made her feature film debut in the erotic art film Nymphomaniac. She gain some traction with supporting roles in Suspiria and Emma, but it wasn’t until 2022 that she caught the eye of countless filmmakers for her ability to seamlessly transition from a rebellious and sex-positive teenager to a frail and embittered old woman.
Goth reprised her role as Pearl in West’s prequel of the same name. This reprisal gave her the opportunity to hog the spotlight for herself rather than share it with the X ensemble. In fact, Goth even co-wrote the screenplay with West, who clearly valued her creative input. She will return as Maxine Minx in the X sequel MaXXXine later this year. In Guillermo del Toro’s rendition of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, she will play the Bride of Frankenstein opposite Jacob Elordi.
Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney has made headlines for her enviable figure and trend-setting fashion sense, but she’s so much more than just a pretty face. The 26 year old from Washington started out on a few television dramas in 2009, including Criminal Minds, 90210, and even Grey’s Anatomy. She snagged her first main role in Emaline Addario in Everything Sucks! and from then to The Handsmaid’s Tale, and eventually Cassie Howard in Euphoria — one of her most notable roles to date. As for feature films, Sweeney flew under the radar until 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, then turned heads in the romantic comedy Anyone but You.
Her more recent achievements consists of Marvel’s Madame Web and the psychological horror Immaculate. In the coming years, she has two thriller movies lined up in Echo Valley and Eden, as well as a bright future aboard the Euphoria set, which is currently filming its third season. It was Euphoria and The White Lotus that earned Sweeney two Primetime Emmy Award nominations.
Mckenna Grace
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that McKenna Grace has already achieved more at 17 than most of us can even fathom in our mid-life crises. Not only is she an accomplished actress, but Grace also devotes her spare time to pursuing her craft as a singer-songwriter. In fact, she has the makings to be the next Taylor Swift. Born in Texas, Grace relocated to Los Angeles, California, to pursue her acting career. Some of her earliest roles include Crash & Bernstein and The Young and the Restless. After several less prominent roles, Grace starred opposite Chris Evans in Gifted, one of the highlights of 2017.
From there, Grace landed roles in I, Tonya, Troop Zero, and even Captain Marvel. She pivoted from action-adventure and drama to the realm of horror with The Haunting of Hill House and Annabelle Comes Home. She has earned recognition for her role as Phoebe Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, both of which are sequels to the original Ghostbusters films of the ’80s. Grace released two successfully pop rock and folk extended plays (EPs) in 2023, titled Bittersweet 16 and Autumn Leaves.
Ariana Greenblatt
When she was just 10 years old, Ariana Greenblatt had us splitting our sides in A Bad Mom’s Christmas, the sequel to 2016’s Bad Moms. For Avengers: Infinity War, Greenblatt landed the role of Young Gamora, and despite only featuring for a brief scene, it must have caught the attention of casting directors because it didn’t take long for the offers to steadily pour in. She voiced Young Velma Dinkley in 2020’s Scoob! and Tabitha Templeton in The Boss Baby: Family Business, but her most renowned role came as Sasha in Barbie, opposite Margot Robbie and America Ferrera.
This year, Greenblatt will take on the role of Tiny Tina in Borderlands, an NPC from Borderlands 2, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and Borderlands 3 who’s an unstable 13-year-old explosives expert. She is currently pending a Best Young Actress nomination from the Music City Film Critics Association after clutching a nomination for Best Young Actor/Actress at January’s 2024 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. Need it be said that Ariana is only 16 years old?
