14 Rising Stars Who Made Huge Career Advances in 2022, and They’re Unlikely to Stop There

Last year, many new movies and TV shows came out. These productions had good stories and high-quality production, but also great acting. Some actors were already known to the audience, while others were new discoveries. Their talent helped them become popular and talked about in the entertainment industry.

Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Jenna Ortega started her career at a young age, despite her parents’ initial reluctance to support her in this interest. The young actress has not only starred in full-length films and television series, but has also appeared in commercial spots for major brands such as McDonald’s and Colgate.

It took Jenna 10 years to achieve global fame and unconditional recognition from the audience. In 2022, she made a splash as Wednesday Addams in the series Wednesday, receiving a nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series at the Golden Globe. The series had an impressive 341.23 million hours of viewing during the first week of streaming, and Jenna Ortega saw a tremendous increase in social media followers: she gained 10 million followers in 10 days from the moment the series was released.

Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things

Joseph Quinn’s journey to international recognition was a rocky road that started with high school theater productions. Constant auditioning rewarded with the occasional small role finally paid off when Quinn got a call from his agent, who said, “Hello, is this Eddie from Stranger Things?”

The role of Eddie Mason was fateful for the actor. The character received unprecedented love and devotion from fans of the show, as he became a collective image of all those who once felt like social outcasts. Joseph Quinn’s convincing performance was praised by the show’s fans, resulting in Quinn being named one of the most popular rising stars in the UK in 2022.

Thuso Mbedu, The Woman King

Thuso Mbedu was widely known before 2022, but only to the viewers of South Africa. She became a TV star in her home country and was even nominated for an International Emmy Award twice for one of her roles in a local television series. Today, the actress is listed as one of the top 10 actors of 2022 according to The New York Times and is known worldwide.

She came into success after her hard work in the main role in The Woman King. Her character, Nawi, is a woman warrior, protecting the West African kingdom Dahomey in the 1800s. The role was a true challenge for the woman, but critics praised her work.

Aimee Lou Wood, Living

Aimee Lou Wood has already won a place in the hearts of many people and has been acclaimed by critics for her work as Aimee in the Sex Education series. In 2021, she successfully established herself by winning the Best Comedy Actress BAFTA award. In 2022, she stepped beyond television and appeared as one of the central characters in the film Living.

This was Aimee’s first lead role in a film, and she got to work with the renowned Bill Nighy. The film received positive reviews from critics, and Aimee was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award for her work playing Miss Margaret Harris.

Simone Ashley, Bridgerton

“This year has been wild,” the British-Indian actress said in one of her interviews. 2022 brought a lot of new changes for the actress, who is also well-known thanks to her work on Sex Education. She got the main role in the second season of historical fiction-romance Bridgerton, and people loved her character for her charisma and humor.

Jamie Campbell Bower, Stranger Things

Another star who appeared in the 4th season of Stranger Things is Jamie Campbell Bower. Before appearing on Stranger Things, the actor had already been in Harry Potter and Twilight, but audiences loved his portrayal of Vecna.

On Stranger Things, Jamie Campbell Bower played several characters with very different features, and he was so impressive that he’s now on IMDb’s list of top 10 popular actors of 2022.

Austin Butler, Elvis

At first, Austin Butler saw acting as a therapeutic way to overcome shyness, not realizing it would become his calling. Soon, Butler fell in love with theater and eventually got himself in the world of film and television, playing supporting roles.

With the release of the biographical film Elvis, everyone now knows who Austin Butler is. The movie got a 12-minute standing ovation at Cannes, and the lead actor received many awards and praise from critics for his outstanding acting. Today, he is on the list of the most sought-after early career actors.

Emma D’Arcy, House of the Dragon

Emma D’Arcy started their acting career in school plays and then moved on to theater. According to critics, their theater background was part of what helped them succeed in the role of Princess Rhaenyra in House of the Dragon.

By accurately portraying such a complex character, Emma D’Arcy quickly went to the top of the list of rising stars on IMDb and was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category Best Actress — Television Series Drama. The actor also loves giving interviews, and clips of those meetings are spreading across the Internet, creating even more interest in Emma among audiences.

Amelia Alcock, House of the Dragon

Amelia Alcock is another star of House of the Dragon. Even though she was already known to Australian audiences, the whole world found out who she was when she played the role of young Rhaenyra Targaryen.

Amelia had never watched Games of Thrones, but she still wanted the part in the prequel. Later, the actress would say that she knew intuitively that House of the Dragon would be a breakthrough for her career. And that is exactly what happened: Amelia is at the peak of her popularity now, even if she is finding the experience a little strange.

Dominique Thorne, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Many people first saw Dominique Thorne in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, which premiered in 2022. The actress played Riri Williams (known as Iron Heart in the Marvel universe), who builds a machine to track down Vibranium.

At first, the actress auditioned for the role of Shuri, but then she was offered the part of Riri. Her incredible talent really impressed the viewers and the crew, so Marvel announced the development of a solo project, Ironheart, which is going to be released in 2023.

Mia Goth, Pearl

Mia Goth drew attention to herself thanks to the lead roles in the X horror films that came out in 2022. Her current main role is that of the character Pearl in Pearl, for which she received critical acclaim and numerous nominations in the “Best Actress” category, together with a well-deserved place among the rising stars of contemporary cinema.

Julia Garner, Ozark and Inventing Anna

Julia Garner has been storming the film industry for 5 years and has received a positive response from the public. However, 2022 was a particularly good year for her. First, she starred in the continuation of the Ozark series, for which she already received an Emmy Award. Secondly, she played the role of the scandalous scammer Anna Delvey in the Inventing Anna series.

Anna Delvey is considered one of the actress’s most important roles today. To successfully embody the character, Julia Garner personally met with the prototype of her character and worked hard on her pronunciation to accurately convey her accent.

Jessica Darrow, Encanto

Jessica Darrow is different from the other actors on this list because her breakout role was a voiceover performance; she voiced Luisa Madrigal in Disney’s Encanto. But IMDb still included her on their top 10 rising stars list of 2022.

Encanto has quickly become one of Disney’s most popular projects, and Luisa Madrigal’s signature song is on the 8th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. After this breakthrough, Jessica Darrow started getting lots of movie offers and developing herself as a musician.

Madelyn Cline, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Madelyn Cline is a rising Netflix star. She has successfully established herself as an actress in the teenage series Outer Banks, which has been running since 2020. In 2022, she made her big-screen debut, playing one of the key roles in Rian Johnson’s detective film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Currently, this is the biggest role of Madelyn Cline’s career.

What early career actors and actresses have you discovered lately? Why did you like them?