The Hollywood leading man is a moniker bestowed on stars who can carry films on the strength of their name recognition and talent. The likes of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Will Smith are all still working today and continue to command an adoring public that flock to their latest films.
But the leading man environment is also changing, skewing younger. In recent years, actors like Timothee Chalamet and Tom Holland have become big draws despite their young age but they aren't the only ones. Here's a look at the actors ready to become the biggest names in cinema, and what are their next big projects.
Austin Butler
Having started in television on shows like The Carrie Diaries, Arrow and The Shannara Chronicles, Butler has had a meteoric rise after being cast to play the king of rock 'n' roll Elvis Presley. He also appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, but it was Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis that turned Butler into a household name.
The role earned him his first Oscar nomination, which he built on with a starring role in Dune: Part Two as Feyd Rautha, an evil Harkonnen general. Despite already being sought after, it’s the prospect of appearing in Michael Mann’s Heat 2 that should cement Butler’s status as a leading man.
Harris Dickinson
English actor Dickinson has been keeping busy, appearing in all manner of projects big and small. In 2018, he starred in the television series Trust about the real-life abduction of John Paul Getty III. In 2019, Dickinson then starred alongside Angelina Jolie in Disney’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.
He also appeared in art house cinema fairs such as The Souvenir: Part II and Triangle of Sadness, the latter of which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2022 and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars last year.
Dickinson’s latest film is a crime thriller alongside Nicole Kidman called Babygirl. His next project will be a period piece directed by Steve McQueen and has him starring alongside Saoirse Ronan.
Jacob Elordi
Elordi burst on the scene with the HBO teen drama show Euphoria, which also gave rise to stars such as Zendaya and Hunter Schafer. Since then, the Australian actor has taken on roles in acclaimed films such as Saltburn and Priscilla.
This year, Elordi appears in Paul Schrader’s newest film Oh, Canada alongside Richard Gere and Uma Thurman. Future projects include a starring role in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein as the monster. Elordi is 1.96 metres tall, making him suitable for roles in action films while his charming demeanour dovetails with potential roles in rom-coms.
Charles Melton
A star on the long-running show Riverdale, Melton became more recognisable outside those circles after starring in Todd Haynes’s film May December with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore. In the film, Melton plays the role of a man who fell in love with his schoolteacher and grew up to marry her.
Melton’s performance received attention during award season including nominations from the Critics Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. He is set to star in the second season of the Netflix show Beef alongside Oscar Isaac, Cailee Spaeny and Carey Mulligan.
David Jonsson
One of the stars of the recent film Alien: Romulus, it’s clear from reviews that Jonsson is the standout performer in a cast that includes many young talents. Playing the role of an android, Jonsson joined the likes of Ian Holm and Michael Fassbender, who previously portrayed androids in the Alien universe.
Jonsson has also appeared in the HBO Max show Industry and the Fox Searchlight romantic comedy film Rye Lane. His next projects include a biopic about the life of British boxer Chris Eubank as well as the Second World War film Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.
Glen Powell
Arguably the fastest-growing star on the list, Powell has experienced immense popularity since appearing in Top Gun: Maverick with Cruise. He has been acting from a young age with appearances in Spy Kids 3: Game Over and The Great Debaters. He even appeared in one scene in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.
Since Top Gun, he has starred in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man and Anyone But You alongside Sydney Sweeney. More recently, he starred in Twisters. Powell’s boyish charm has made him a favourite on social media, and fans can look forward to seeing him in Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, a remake of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film of the same name.
Caleb McLaughlin
Netflix show Stranger Things has become a blockbuster for the streamer, with every season drawing new fans and subscribers. McLaughlin, one of the show's young stars, has broken away to begin carving a career for himself.
The actor previously appeared in Steven Soderbergh’s High Flying Bird and Shooting Stars, a biopic about LeBron James and his high school teammates who propelled him to greatness.
McLaughlin is still mostly preoccupied with the last season of Stranger Things, but he is also set to appear in American Dream: The 21 Savage Story, a biopic in which he plays the role of the rapper 21 Savage.
Joseph Quinn
Another alumnus from Stranger Things, Quinn joined the cast for the most recent season of the show and quickly became a fan favourite playing the role of Eddie Munson, the rocker with a heart of gold.
Quinn’s pre-Stranger Things work includes an episode of Game of Thrones and a role in Steve McQueen’s acclaimed series Small Axe. He also recently appeared in A Quiet Place: Day One alongside Lupita Nyong’o. And while he is set to appear in Sir Ridley Scott’s next film Gladiator II, a sequel to the 2000 film, Quinn’s fans are most excited for his appearance as Johnny Storm in the upcoming Fantastic Four film from Marvel.
Damson Idris
The star of the long-running series Snowfall, Idris has been mostly relegated to television work which also includes appearances in Black Mirror and Swarm. The young British star is set to be thrust into cinema with a starring role in F1 alongside Brad Pitt in which he plays a racing driver.
The project, which has been filming since last year, is directed by Joseph Kosinski who recently made Top Gun: Maverick. It is set to be the most realistic depiction of what it’s like being in a Formula One car due to filming taking place during actual races.
Paul Mescal
Irish actor Paul Mescal became recognisable after starring in 2020’s Normal People, a mini-series adaptation of Sally Rooney's book of the same name. His star rose even further after starring in Aftersun in 2022, which earned him an Oscar nomination.
Mescal’s biggest role arrives this year in Gladiator II, in which he plays Lucius, the son of Russell Crowe's character from the first. Mescal is also currently filming Hamnet, a biopic about William Shakespeare from Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao.
Ramy Youssef
Stand-up comedian Ramy Youssef has expertly pivoted into becoming a multidisciplinary actor in the past five years. First, he wrote and starred in Ramy, a satirical look at his own experience as a Muslim Arab-American. The show had two acclaimed seasons and was nominated for three Emmys.
Since then, Youssef has appeared in the Oscar-winning Yorgos Lanthimos film Poor Things alongside Emma Stone and Willem Dafoe. He also voiced a character in the Disney animated film Wish and became the first Arab comedian to host an episode of Saturday Night Live.
For his directing work, Youssef was nominated for an Emmy this year for directing an episode of The Bear titled Honeydew.
