Iman Vellani
Would Ms Marvel have been as compelling if its cute-as-a-button debutant wasn’t frontlining the show? A natural in front of the camera and a delight in her interviews, 19-year-old Iman Vellani has won fans across the world. The best thing about the Canadian teen of Pakistani origin is that she wears her identity effortlessly on her sleeve and despite the huge responsibility of representation thrust upon her, this screen superhero comes across as just another young woman navigating through life... and now celebrity-dom.
While her time as the redoubtable Kamala Khan on the Marvel series has earned her descriptors like “an adorable bundle of charisma” and “full of youthful verve and irresistible moxie”, it’s her time off the show that makes Iman endearing — her wacky sense of humour (“In elementary school, there was a teacher who would always call me an Apple product — like I-Man, iPod,” she had said in a recent interview) and the fact that she name-drops (like having “mundane conversation”, by her own admission, with Marvel super boss Kevin Feige) without ever making it seem like she’s showing off. A girl we love... and want to see more of soon!
Jodie Comer
Considering that her most famous role is that of a murderous sociopath, one is bound to do a double take to see Jodie Comer on this list. But it’s precisely the wicked coolth that she exudes as Villanelle in Killing Eve that makes Jodie Comer attractive. Quick wit and wicked repartee is her characters’ forte — besides gleefully packing off her victims, of course, in ways that can only be described as batshit crazy— and it is to the 29-year-old actor’s credit that she has managed to make Villanelle both vile and vulnerable across four seasons.
Jodie Comer’s unique transformative ability in front of the camera makes her a hot favourite for many a big role, but the fact that she still keeps things simple, despite being a star, is what makes her crush-worthy. Like when she once landed up at a high-profile interview in black
T-shirt and leggings because “my iron’s broke and everything else is scrunched up”. When she does dress up, few women can rock a suit and tie the way she does!
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s talent is both monumental and multi-hyphenate. While many may put down her popularity to the eponymous character she’s created and played in Fleabag — a free-spirited, sexually active, angry young woman whose confusion in all things life held up a mirror to most millennials — it is also her stellar work as writer and producer (think Killing Eve, think James Bond) that makes her a creative powerhouse to reckon with. The fact that she can surprise with her writing — a twisty signature and seat-of-the-pants style has been in her work from the beginning — is what makes Waller-Bridge stand out from her peers. And what’s not to love about a woman who writes lines like, “‘Chic’ means boring. Don’t tell the French!”
Ana De Armas
Once we get past how stunning, tip to toe, Ana de Armas is, then we can easily see how she has carved out a new kind of celebrity. As Variety puts it, “Ana de Armas has proved to be the celebrity of the moment — a star who shines despite the absence of everything that makes a star”. Holly’s new ‘it’ girl has been around for a while, but it was only in 2019 that she broke out with the sleeper success of Knives Out. Parts in big Holly like Blade Runner 2049, No Time to Die and The Gray Man have paved the way for her to play Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming Blonde. It’s a going-up-the-ladder story that holds much inspiration, given that she was raised in the small Cuban city of Santa Cruz del Norte and hails from a family of immigrants.
Her intensely private personal life — apart from a year-long relationship with Ben Affleck — adds to the doe-eyed beauty’s mystery. She also has her heart in the right place, constantly donating to her home country — “My suitcases go full of clothing or medicine or supplies — whatever people need — and come back empty,” she had said once. And the fact that she is constantly breaking glass ceilings (“A Cuban playing Marilyn Monroe. I wanted it so badly.” she has said recently) makes her someone we are crushing on. Pretty hard.
Zendaya
There is so much about Zendaya that is worthy of stanning. Not only is the 25-year-old one of the most gorgeous and talented women on screens big and small right now — she is what is widely known as a triple-threat entertainer, excelling in acting, dancing and singing, and is already the youngest-ever recipient of a Primetime Emmy award for Lead Actress— Zendaya also actively supports and brings awareness to the Black Lives Matter movement, the fight for women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, and voting. “If people know your name, they should know it for a reason,” she has often said.
Already a part of big Holly — Dune to Spider-Man — we love how she always embraces her roots, ranging from African to German to Scottish, on the red carpet. She is, in short, what American rapper LL Cool J has described her as, “She’s cool. You can manufacture fame. You can manufacture publicity. You can manufacture songs. You can’t manufacture cool.”
Olivia Colman
Who doesn’t love Olivia Colman?! Her prowess as an actor can never be disputed, but we are more in awe of how she is off screen. We got to see much of it when she accepted the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Favourite, instantly making us warm to her as she bumbled nervously through her acceptance speech (she later admitted she was drunk, but knowing her, Colman could be joking). Colman, 48, is also wickedly funny on talk shows and always comes across as a down-to-earth person. She has made it very clear that she won’t lose weight for any role —“If anyone told me I was too fat for a role, I’d have them!” A woman we love!