12 Hot New Stars We Can’t Wait to See More from in 2023

Halle Bailey, 22, first burst onto the scene thanks to her main role on Grown-ish, and she only garnered a more devoted fanbase with the infectious R&B hits she recorded alongside her sister, Chloe. But, 2023 is poised to be an even bigger year for the youngest Bailey sibling.

In the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid, the 22-year-old will portray the lead role of Ariel, alongside such stars as Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem and more. Meanwhile, Bailey will also star as a young Nettie Harris in the latest musical adaptation of The Color Purple.

London-born actor Kit Connor, 18, sure made a splash this year as Nick Nelson on the Netflix teen romance series Heartstopper. Thanks to his emotional and nuanced performance as a high schooler figuring out his sexuality, Connor certainly held his own alongside big names like Olivia Colman, and he even won the Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performance.

Now, all eyes are on Connor to see what he does next. It's already been confirmed that the 18-year-old will star in a film adaptation of Laura Taylor Namey's YA romance novel A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. But also—Heartstopper has been renewed for a second and third season at Netflix. So, we don't think Connor's going away anytime soon.

You may recognize Ayo Edebiri, 27, for her voice work on Big Mouth or her recurring role on Dickinson, but the Boston native really had her breakthrough after playing the talented young Sydney on FX's The Bear.

While her intense restaurant-based series has already been renewed for a second season, Edebiri is also set to star in the upcoming film Bottoms from director Emma Seligman (Shiva Baby). In this teen comedy, Edebiri plays a high schooler who conspires with a classmate to set up a “fight club” that's ostensibly a form of female empowerment, but is actually meant to help them hook up with cheerleaders before graduation.

Last summer, you likely scrolled through Netflix and saw Nicholas Galitzine's face on the homepage due to Purple Hearts, a romance film that topped Netflix's list of most-watched movies and ultimately ended up becoming the streaming site's 3rd most-watched film of the year.

This year, Galitzine, 28, is ready to make viewers swoon once again, thanks to two more major romance films. Not only will the British-born star play Prince Henry in the upcoming adaptation of Casey McQuiston's Red, White & Royal Blue, but he was also star alongside Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You, another screen adaptation of a popular novel. Get ready for Galitzine to become one of Hollywood's biggest heartthrobs.

Ncuti Gatwa is one of the incredible leading cast members of Netflix's Sex Education, and while we could watch him portray Eric Effiong forever, there's plenty more to look forward to from the 30-year-old.

2023 is sure to be Gatwa's year, with the Rwandan-born actor starring in Greta Gerwig's Barbie and a new drama miniseries titled Masters of the Air. Meanwhile, Gatwa made history in 2022, when he was announced as the next incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, becoming the first Black actor to ever fill the role.

You likely know Myha'la Herrold, 26, for her lead role on Industry—the British drama series that is like the investment banking version of Succession—as well as her appearance in the 2022 horror hit Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.

Well, we're expecting to see way more of Herrold (and thank goodness for that). Perhaps most anticipated is her upcoming part in the adaptation of Rumaan Alam's thriller Leave the World Behind, which will also star Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Kevin Bacon and Julia Roberts. But, Herrold will also star alongside Shailene Woodley, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen and Sebastian Stan in Dumb Money, which tells the story of the Wall Street Crash catastrophe following GameStop's Reddit-produced stock increase. We'll be anxiously awaiting both.

Long before HoYeon Jung, 28, had her Emmy-nominated role on Squid Game, the South Korean actress was a celebrated model, walking runways for major labels, and eventually becoming an ambassador for Louis Vuitton in 2021.

Luckily, Jung's foray into acting wasn't just a one-time thing. The 28-year-old will make her feature film debut in the upcoming A24 movie The Governesses, directed by Joe Talbot (The Last Black Man in San Francisco). Meanwhile, Jung will also star alongside Cate Blanchett in a forthcoming thriller series from Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity) titled Disclaimer.

Minha Kim, 27, led one of the most gripping shows of the year—Apple TV+'s Pachinko—based on Min Jin Lee's acclaimed novel of the same name.

And thanks to this breakout role, Kim is ready to take the world by storm. She has already nabbed a part in the upcoming crime thriller Exposure from director Sun-Young Chun. Also, Pachinko fans can breathe a sigh of relief, because the series was renewed for a second season.

Famous social media star Benito Skinner, 29, has racked up millions of hits for his realistic impressions of Shawn Mendes, the Kardashians and more, as well as the comical characters that he makes up himself.

Now, Skinner is ready to take his talents to the silver screen, as he recently signed a deal with Amazon Studios to produce Overcompensating, a comedy about an Idaho football player who is trying to come to terms with his sexuality while in college. With millions of fans already devouring his content, we're sure that Skinner's comedy will be hit.

Comedian Megan Stalter, 33, continuously steals the show as chaotic assistant Kayla on Hacks, and the actress recently had a stint on the Peacock reboot of Queer as Folk too.

But these roles feel like just the beginning for Stalter, who has gone viral numerous times on social media for her hilarious clips (we're sure you saw that “Hi, gay!” pride video) and who seems poised to become one of the biggest names in comedy. Look out for her in Chelsea Peretti's feature film debut First Time Female Director.

The second season of The White Lotus *unsurprisingly* generated loads of buzz (The twists! Jennifer Coolidge's one-liners! Those controversial Gen-Z costuming decisions!). But, among a stacked cast of actors, one of the standouts was 28-year-old Italian actress Simona Tabasco, who portrayed the savvy sex worker Lucia and won over viewers with her performance.

While Tabasco has already had recurring roles in a number of Italian shows, her White Lotus performance brought her international attention, and in turn, she signed with WME last month, meaning we will hopefully see more of this star in 2023.

One of the biggest (and best) Marvel surprises of the year was the arrival of Ms. Marvel, a new miniseries on Disney+ that follows a 16-year-old Avengers fangirl who eventually gains her own superpowers. Starring Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani, Ms. Marvel received acclaim from critics, and it had everyone wondering what Vellani would do next.

Now, the 20-year-old will reprise her role in The Marvels, a new sequel to Captain Marvel that is set to hit theaters this summer (and which will be Vellani's big screen debut). Also, it has been confirmed that Vellani will play Kamala Khan once again in the 2026 film Avengers: Secret Wars.