Wonka 2023
Part of the recent run of star-driven hits.
The Big Picture · Discussion
The 2024 Movie Star Ranking: 35 Under 35
April 30, 2024/ 135 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
Sean and Amanda's fourth 35-under-35 movie-star ranking: 14 new entrants, nine aged out, and a countdown from Brie Larson to Margot Robbie.
228 films across 3 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
The state of movie stardom18 months on, are stars back?
Dune: Part Two 2024
Crossed $700M; looms over the whole list.
Anyone But You 2023
A phenomenon carried by its stars' fame.
Bob Marley: One Love 2024
Two leads just outside the 35 zone.
Civil War 2024
Immaculate 2024
Love Lies Bleeding 2024
Challengers 2024
The score Amanda can't stop dancing to.
Aged out, cut, and just missedwho fell off, who's in the pipeline, and who almost made it
The Farewell 2019
Awkwafina's moment that didn't convert.
Killers of the Flower Moon 2023
Jesse Plemons and Justice Smith orbit.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2022
Letitia Wright, cut despite the $800M crown.
Eternals 2021
Harry Styles' Marvel tease.
My Policeman 2022
Harry Styles; Sean's 2021 favorite, per the bit.
Don't Worry Darling 2022
Harry Styles, the specific disaster.
The Fall Guy 2024
Stephanie Hsu, in for nine minutes.
Joy Ride 2023
Stephanie Hsu; funny, no box-office dent.
Kinds of Kindness 2024
Joe Alwyn can promote it freely now.
Creed III 2023
Jonathan Majors, cut after the fall.
The Holdovers 2023
Dominic Sessa's one film, and a strong one.
A Complete Unknown 2024
They wanted Sessa as Dylan; Mangold declined.
Anora 2024
Mikey Madison, flagged as a lottery ticket.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2019
A launch pad running all through this list.
Scream VI 2023
Mikey Madison.
The Idea of You 2024
Nicholas Galitzine, an Amazon play.
Red, White & Royal Blue 2023
Galitzine's streamer hit.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods 2023
Noah Centineo; the cautionary comp.
Maestro 2023
Maya Hawke in a small part.
Asteroid City 2023
Maya Hawke; good part, small.
Inside Out 2 2024
Maya Hawke voices a character.
Bottoms 2023
Kaia Gerber, surprisingly funny.
Babylon 2022
Kaia Gerber, hot for two frames.
The Fabelmans 2022
Gabriel LaBelle, barely remembered until Snack Shack.
Snack Shack 2024
LaBelle: 'put that guy in a real movie.'
Leave the World Behind 2023
Myha'la, good but TV-first.
Totally Killer 2023
Kiernan Shipka's 80s-homage slasher.
Mean Girls 2024
Auli'i Cravalho, very good in it.
Moana 2 2024
Cravalho; does voice work count?
The Iron Claw 2023
Harris Dickinson, wonderful.
Triangle of Sadness 2022
Harris Dickinson, much-nominated.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 2024
Finn Wolfhard, barely in it.
Room 2015
Jacob Tremblay, the room guy.
Doctor Sleep 2019
Tremblay opposite Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat.
Shiva Baby 2021
Rachel Sennott: Incredible, alongside Bottoms.
The Marvels 2023
Hailee Steinfeld's stinger; Brie Larson too.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 2018
Justice Smith, Hollywood's favorite non-star.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu 2019
Justice Smith holds hands with the Pikachus.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 2023
Justice Smith.
I Saw the TV Glow 2024
Justice Smith, the new A24 movie.
The Voyeurs 2021
Justice Smith opposite Sydney Sweeney.
Blink Twice 2024
Naomi Ackie; Zoe Kravitz's debut, formerly Pussy Island.
The countdown: No. 35 to No. 135 stars, all 35 and under
Fast X 2023
No. 35 Brie Larson: A genuinely bad, mismatched-eyebrows performance.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings 2021
No. 35 Brie Larson: Fun first two acts, terrible CGI finish.
6 Underground 2019
No. 34 Adria Arjona: The case Amanda made 18 months ago.
Triple Frontier 2019
No. 34 Adria Arjona.
Father of the Bride 2022
No. 34 Adria Arjona.
Morbius 2022
No. 34 Adria Arjona: Not good.
Hit Man 2023
No. 34 Adria Arjona: Appealing, charismatic; the lottery-ticket pick.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2023
No. 33 Hunter Schafer: A very long sit.
Cuckoo 2024
No. 33 Hunter Schafer: One of the year's most exciting horror movies.
Mother Mary 2026
No. 33 Hunter Schafer: David Lowery, opposite Anne Hathaway.
Pacific Rim Uprising 2018
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny: One of Sean's favorites.
Bad Times at the El Royale 2018
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny.
On the Basis of Sex 2018
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny as young Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Vice 2018
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny.
Priscilla 2023
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny: The Dunst-to-Coppola daisy chain.
Civil War 2024
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny: Holds her own with seasoned actors.
Alien: Romulus 2024
No. 32 Cailee Spaeny: The one she's excited about.
Kick-Ass 2010
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: The star turn on his CV.
Anna Karenina 2012
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Amanda loves him; Sean says miscast.
Savages 2012
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Tenet 2020
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Great, even if the plot's a blur.
Bullet Train 2022
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Great mustache.
The Fall Guy 2024
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: The fun supporting guy.
Kraven the Hunter 2024
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: A Sony Spider-Man villain, moved twice.
Nosferatu 2024
No. 31 Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Eggers at Christmas.
Challengers 2024
No. 30 Josh O'Connor: A big weekend and famous thighs.
La Chimera 2023
No. 30 Josh O'Connor.
The History of Sound 2025
No. 30 Josh O'Connor, opposite another list member.
Nope 2022
No. 29 Keke Palmer: Her last movie; a genuine star.
Good Fortune 2024
No. 29 Keke Palmer opposite Aziz Ansari, Keanu, Rogen.
The Pickup 2024
No. 29 Keke Palmer: The Eddie Murphy movie.
Wicked Little Letters 2023
No. 28 Jessie Buckley opposite Olivia Colman.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things 2020
No. 28 Jessie Buckley.
The Lost Daughter 2021
No. 28 Jessie Buckley.
Men 2022
No. 28 Jessie Buckley.
Women Talking 2022
No. 28 Jessie Buckley: A strong run through '22.
Fingernails 2023
No. 28 Jessie Buckley: A noble sci-fi try that didn't work.
The Bride! 2025
No. 28 Jessie Buckley: Maggie Gyllenhaal's Bride of Frankenstein.
Madame Web 2024
No. 27 Dakota Johnson: The one she's disowned.
Persuasion 2022
No. 27 Dakota Johnson: No bueno.
Cha Cha Real Smooth 2022
No. 27 Dakota Johnson.
Daddio 2023
No. 27 Dakota Johnson: Sean will see it six times.
Pearl 2022
No. 26 Mia Goth: A performance race car, 0 to 100.
X 2022
No. 26 Mia Goth.
MaXXXine 2024
No. 26 Mia Goth: Closing out the Ti West trilogy.
Frankenstein 2025
No. 26 Mia Goth as the Bride, Del Toro's version.
Superman 2025
No. 26 sidebar: David Corenswet, 30, snubbed from the list.
West Side Story 2021
No. 25 Rachel Zegler: Wonderful.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes 2023
No. 25 Rachel Zegler: Made money; good, if too much Lumineers.
Y2K 2024
No. 25 Rachel Zegler: Kyle Mooney's directorial debut.
Snow White 2025
No. 25 Rachel Zegler: The reimagined live-action.
Mufasa: The Lion King 2024
No. 25 setup gag: Barry Jenkins, young Mufasa.
Theater Camp 2023
No. 24 Ayo Edebiri.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2023
No. 24 Ayo Edebiri, picking the right animated roles.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023
No. 24 Ayo Edebiri.
Inside Out 2 2024
No. 24 Ayo Edebiri.
Ella McKay 2024
No. 24 Ayo Edebiri: James L. Brooks' new movie.
Opus 2025
No. 24 Ayo Edebiri: Her first solo headliner, an A24 film.
Drive-Away Dolls 2024
No. 23 Margaret Qualley: First real front-and-center role, bold accent.
The Nice Guys 2016
No. 23 Margaret Qualley.
Stars at Noon 2022
No. 23 Margaret Qualley: The Claire Denis film.
Sanctuary 2022
No. 23 Margaret Qualley.
Poor Things 2023
No. 23 Margaret Qualley.
The Substance 2024
No. 23 Margaret Qualley: Hotly tipped, opposite Demi Moore.
Honey Don't! 2025
No. 23 Margaret Qualley: The next Ethan Coen / Tricia Cooke movie.
Fresh 2022
No. 22 Daisy Edgar-Jones: Great premise, not fully executed.
Where the Crawdads Sing 2022
No. 22 Daisy Edgar-Jones: Abhorrent, but $100M+; why she's here.
Twisters 2024
No. 22 Daisy Edgar-Jones: Co-lead opposite Glen Powell.
On Swift Horses 2024
No. 22 Daisy Edgar-Jones: Another hotly tipped one.
Boy Kills World 2023
No. 21 Bill Skarsgard: Just bombed; not his fault.
It 2017
No. 21 Bill Skarsgard: The Pennywise persona.
Barbarian 2022
No. 21 Bill Skarsgard: Fantastic.
John Wick: Chapter 4 2023
No. 21 Bill Skarsgard: Fun and effective.
The Crow 2024
No. 21 Bill Skarsgard.
Nosferatu 2024
No. 21 Bill Skarsgard: Eggers withholds his image.
The End We Start From 2023
No. 20 Jodie Comer: A different studio, and it's an Oscar nom.
Free Guy 2021
No. 20 Jodie Comer: An abomination, per Sean.
The Last Duel 2021
No. 20 Jodie Comer: Terrific; a COVID box-office casualty.
The Bikeriders 2023
No. 20 Jodie Comer: The best part; a bold choice.
28 Years Later 2025
No. 20 Jodie Comer: Boyle and Garland reunite; her first big franchise.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters 2019
No. 19 Millie Bobby Brown.
Godzilla vs. Kong 2021
No. 19 Millie Bobby Brown.
Enola Holmes 2020
No. 19 Millie Bobby Brown: Unwatchable but a Netflix win.
Enola Holmes 2 2022
No. 19 Millie Bobby Brown.
Damsel 2024
No. 19 Millie Bobby Brown.
The Electric State 2025
No. 19 Millie Bobby Brown: The Russo brothers' next Netflix movie.
Valentine's Day 2010
No. 18 Taylor Swift.
The Lorax 2012
No. 18 Taylor Swift: Voice work.
The Giver 2014
No. 18 Taylor Swift: Sean saw it in theaters.
All Too Well: The Short Film 2021
No. 18 Taylor Swift: Star and director.
Amsterdam 2022
No. 18 Taylor Swift: The David O. Russell movie.
Cats 2019
No. 18 Taylor Swift: The skipped entry.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 2023
No. 18 Taylor Swift: The concert film, and why she's on the list.
Judas and the Black Messiah 2021
No. 17 LaKeith Stanfield: 'We got one.'
The Harder They Fall 2021
No. 17 LaKeith Stanfield.
Haunted Mansion 2023
No. 17 LaKeith Stanfield: The dip begins.
The Book of Clarence 2024
No. 17 LaKeith Stanfield: Biblical satire that didn't work.
Monkey Man 2024
No. 16 Dev Patel: A modest hit; he still has it.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar 2023
No. 16 Dev Patel.
The Green Knight 2021
No. 16 Dev Patel.
The Personal History of David Copperfield 2019
No. 16 Dev Patel.
Slumdog Millionaire 2008
No. 16 Dev Patel: Where it started.
Rabbit Trap 2025
No. 16 Dev Patel: Coming up next.
Lady Bird 2017
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan: A magical movie.
Little Women 2019
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan.
Ammonite 2020
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan.
Atonement 2007
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan.
The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan.
Foe 2023
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan: Few people saw it.
The Outrun 2024
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan: Sundance buzz, a fifth-nom hope.
Blitz 2024
No. 15 Saoirse Ronan: Steve McQueen's WWII drama.
Saltburn 2023
No. 14 Barry Keoghan: A wild swing; the Murder on the Dance Floor effect.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer 2017
No. 14 Barry Keoghan.
Dunkirk 2017
No. 14 Barry Keoghan.
Eternals 2021
No. 14 Barry Keoghan.
The Batman 2022
No. 14 Barry Keoghan.
The Banshees of Inisherin 2022
No. 14 Barry Keoghan: An Oscar nomination.
Bird 2024
No. 14 Barry Keoghan: The new Andrea Arnold, at Cannes.
Spider-Man: Homecoming 2017
No. 13 Tom Holland: Big fall from No. 5; he is Spider-Man.
Onward 2020
No. 13 Tom Holland: Voice work.
The Devil All the Time 2020
No. 13 Tom Holland.
Cherry 2021
No. 13 Tom Holland.
Chaos Walking 2021
No. 13 Tom Holland: One good movie for adults, please.
Crimes of the Future 2022
No. 12 Kristen Stewart: Very funny; doing her own thing.
Love Lies Bleeding 2024
No. 12 Kristen Stewart: 'I'm doing what matters to me.'
Love Me 2024
No. 12 Kristen Stewart plays a buoy that falls for a satellite.
Underwater 2020
No. 12 Kristen Stewart.
Sacramento 2024
No. 12 Kristen Stewart.
X 2022
No. 11 Jenna Ortega: The Ti West movie.
Scream 2022
No. 11 Jenna Ortega.
Scream VI 2023
No. 11 Jenna Ortega.
Miller's Girl 2024
No. 11 Jenna Ortega: Held the florid Lolita-lite together.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024
No. 11 Jenna Ortega.
Death of a Unicorn 2024
No. 11 Jenna Ortega.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga 2024
No. 10 Anya Taylor-Joy: About four weeks out.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2023
No. 10 Anya Taylor-Joy: Princess Peach, who drives now.
The Gorge 2025
No. 10 Anya Taylor-Joy: Scott Derrickson's Apple movie.
The Northman 2022
No. 10 Anya Taylor-Joy: Where she was last time.
Aftersun 2022
No. 9 Paul Mescal: Academy Award nominated.
The Lost Daughter 2021
No. 9 Paul Mescal: A small part at the beach club.
Carmen 2022
No. 9 Paul Mescal: Millepied's unwatchable adaptation.
All of Us Strangers 2023
No. 9 Paul Mescal: A great supporting turn.
Foe 2023
No. 9 Paul Mescal, with Saoirse Ronan.
Gladiator II 2024
No. 9 Paul Mescal: The one everyone wants to hit.
The History of Sound 2025
No. 9 Paul Mescal, opposite Josh O'Connor.
Oppenheimer 2023
No. 8 Florence Pugh: Small but memorable.
Dune: Part Two 2024
No. 8 Florence Pugh: Mostly setup for Part Three.
Thunderbolts 2025
No. 8 Florence Pugh: Basically the star, as Yelena.
Black Widow 2021
No. 8 Florence Pugh: Where she stole the movie.
A Good Person 2023
No. 8 Florence Pugh: The Zach Braff movie; tough stuff.
We Live in Time 2024
No. 8 Florence Pugh: John Crowley, Chris's auction pick.
The Kissing Booth 2018
No. 7 Jacob Elordi: Amanda's favorite, per the bit.
The Sweet East 2023
No. 7 Jacob Elordi.
Priscilla 2023
No. 7 Jacob Elordi: An optical illusion of height.
Saltburn 2023
No. 7 Jacob Elordi: The Euphoria-wave chosen one.
Oh, Canada 2024
No. 7 Jacob Elordi: Paul Schrader, at Cannes, with Richard Gere.
Frankenstein 2025
No. 7 Jacob Elordi: Del Toro; deadbolts in the neck.
Anyone But You 2023
No. 6 Sydney Sweeney: Her fame propelled it to a phenomenon.
Reality 2023
No. 6 Sydney Sweeney: An audacious movie.
Immaculate 2024
No. 6 Sydney Sweeney: A cool final ten minutes.
The Voyeurs 2021
No. 6 Sydney Sweeney: Also pretty audacious.
Echo Valley 2025
No. 6 Sydney Sweeney.
Eden 2024
No. 6 Sydney Sweeney.
No Hard Feelings 2023
No. 5 Jennifer Lawrence: Better than Anyone But You, and it bombed.
Causeway 2022
No. 5 Jennifer Lawrence: Good in it.
Elvis 2022
No. 4 Austin Butler: 'That guy, he has it.'
Dune: Part Two 2024
No. 4 Austin Butler: Weirdly captivating, doing Stellan Skarsgard's voice.
The Bikeriders 2023
No. 4 Austin Butler: Classical energy, opposite Jodie Comer.
Eddington 2025
No. 4 Austin Butler: The Ari Aster Western.
Dune 2021
No. 3 Zendaya: Pre-branded IP, so it's held against her.
Challengers 2024
No. 3 Zendaya: Sean's best movie of the year; she's ascendant.
Wonka 2023
No. 2 Timothee Chalamet: Cynical, per Sean, and it worked.
A Complete Unknown 2024
No. 2 Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan.
Barbie 2023
No. 1 Margot Robbie: $1.45B; she produced it and starred.
I, Tonya 2017
No. 1 Margot Robbie: Oscar-nominated, not a box-office hit.
Suicide Squad 2016
No. 1 Margot Robbie: The comic-book credit.
The Wolf of Wall Street 2013
No. 1 Margot Robbie: The Gen X / millennial anchor.
Asteroid City 2023
No. 1 Margot Robbie: One scene, lights out, steals it.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing DeadpoolVenomSnow White and the HuntsmanCarmen: A Hip HoperaBabette's FeastSouth Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutLa Dolce VitaPulp Fiction
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV Lessons in ChemistryAndorEuphoriaStranger ThingsKilling EveThe White PrincessDevsMare of EasttownThe BearBig MouthBetter ThingsIndustryThe ChangelingDaisy Jones & the SixWednesdayThe LeftoversFosse/VerdonMaidNormal PeopleThe Crowded RoomHawkeyeChernobylFargoThe Queen's GambitHollywoodThe Twilight ZoneCurb Your EnthusiasmEntourageGirlsThe IdolSuccession
Video games ODMario Kart
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