Sharif Hamza
Our annual Hollywood Rising package is a proving ground for future stars. (Alums include
Ana de Armas and Oscar winner Ariana DeBose.) On a recent weekend in the heart of Los Angeles, at the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, ELLE’s 2024 class—12 of the entertainment industry’s most exciting young talents—gathered to pose for the camera and discuss their breakout projects.
Nicholas Galitzine danced his way into Anne Hathaway’s heart in The Idea of You, while Molly Gordon made a film—2023’s Theater Camp—for the drama kids. Anna Sawai tells us she had to “relearn how to be human” for her role in Shōgun, while Freya Allan says that after playing parts involving special powers and intelligent primates, she longs to be a plain old human again. Emma Laird nabbed a standout role in Mayor of Kingstown; Brandon Perea outsmarted aliens in Nope and now takes on tornados in Twisters; Havana Rose Liu stole scenes in Bottoms and will soon do the same in Hal & Harper and Lurker. Ella Purnell and Aaron Moten battled monsters in Fallout, while Sophie Thatcher fought to survive the aftermath of a plane crash in Yellowjackets. Ryan Destiny wants to be “part of projects that mean something”; D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is making sure Indigenous stories are not only more visible but done right.
While not all of these emerging stars are household names yet, they are the future of Hollywood. Read the stories below to learn how they started out, their hopes and aspirations, and where you can watch them next.
Aaron Moten
Emma Laird
Sophie Thatcher
Brandon Perea
Freya Allan
Nicholas Galitzine
Ella Purnell
Ryan Destiny
Molly Gordon
Anna Sawai
