Rising stars 2022: The actresses to watch - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Celebrity The new screen stars of 2022 By Julia Llewellyn Smith - February 27, 2022 They’re taking over our TVs and stealing scenes at the cinema… Julia Llewellyn Smith meets the mega-talented actresses on a fast track to fame RISING STARS OF 2022 THE BUSHTUCKER BREAKTHROUGH Jessica Plummer, 29, was in the band Neon Jungle before joining EastEnders. She starred in the BBC drama The Girl Before over Christmas What was it like working on The Girl Before? I’d only dreamed of acting next to stars like Gugu Mbatha-Raw and David Oyelowo. I felt incredibly daunted; I still can’t believe I have their numbers in my phone. Now it’s just been shown in the US.A producer emailed me a picture of the billboard in Los Angeles and I squealed! Your characters have had some dark storylines, including domestic violence and murder… If I had £1 for every direct message I get in my Instagram saying ‘Please could you not die in your next show’ I’d be rich! I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020 showed you in a completely different light I’d watched it for years and thought, ‘I’d never do that.’ But when it came to it, I’m super competitive and can’t resist a challenge. I’m so proud of all the things I did, like drinking blended goat’s penis. I also decided to go naked in the shower rather than wear a swimming costume because I knew they’d never show it. The first time I did it I heard all the cameras turning away. So at least I had a proper wash – if you can call being hosed down with a watering can ‘proper’. Are you glad your five-year-old daughter Noa sees more diversity on television than you did growing up? As a child I loved it when after swimming my hair was wet, and it would stretch down to my waist because it looked like all the princesses on television, who were predominantly beautiful Barbie dolls. It’s so important for children to see people like themselves. Noa’s my driving force. I do everything to make her proud. What’s next? I’m figuring it out! I want to choose strategically. Watch all four episodes of The Girl Before on BBC iPlayer THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON Hoyeon, 27, has been modelling since she was 16. She became a global star as the female lead in the Netflix series Squid Game Could you ever have imagined the reception Squid Game would get? I hoped it would do well because we all put so much hard work and effort into it, but I never imagined that it would have the global reach it did. I am super proud of the team. I wanted to go back to the set and throw a party for the whole cast and crew and give them a warm hug. The series is dark but was the atmosphere on set fun? Yes, at lunch we used to play the children’s game Crocodile Dentist. Though our rule was if you get bitten by the crocodile then you have to buy everyone drinks or dessert. How did you research your role by talking to people who had defected from North Korea, as your character had? I watched a documentary called Madame B about a woman who leaves her husband and sons behind in North Korea to seek a better life in China, but gets sold to a farmer by smugglers. She eventually becomes a smuggler herself just to survive and be able to earn enough money to reunite with her sons, who she manages to get to Seoul. When you were modelling, you were known for your red hair. How did that come about? I dyed it reddish brown when I was modelling in Korea. Then the day before I flew to New York for the first time, I went to the salon and asked them to add a little more red because I wanted a change. The red turned out much more vibrant and strong but I liked it. So it was half deliberate and half accidental. What secret talent do you have that will surprise people? Swimming. I used to participate in competitions when I was 14 years old – although I always came second. THE PEAKY BLINDERS NEWCOMER Charlene McKenna, 37, who starred in BBC drama Ripper Street, will soon appear in Peaky Blinders as IRA boss Captain Swing and ITV’s adaptation of Graham Norton’s novel Holding Was acting always the plan? No, I grew up in the middle of nowhere and my parents ran a mushroom farm, then a pub. I didn’t think acting was something you could do. You starred in Ghosts in the West End with Lesley Manville and became her lodger. How was that? I call her my ‘London Mamma’. We lived together for a year and a half. We’re both Monica from Friends – neat and super-particular. We’d drink martinis and organise drawers. You met your husband filming Ripper Street. What was your lockdown wedding like? We had four guests and friends watched on Zoom, including one who forgot to mute himself so every time he made a noise, the camera switched to him. But it was still romantic and special. What was it like filming Peaky Blinders without Helen McCrory? I admired her for so long. The last thing she said to me was, ‘I can’t wait to see what you do next.’ I had that in my head all through filming: ‘Don’t let Helen down.’ THE SINGING SCREAMQUEEN Melissa Barrera, 31, starred in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film In The Heights. She can now be seen in Scream, the latest in the horror franchise You and your three sisters were brought up by your mum in Monterrey, Mexico. Was acting always your ambition? In my Mexican hometown, going into musical theatre was unheard of – but Broadway was my biggest dream. I studied performing arts in New York, then I was in a reality show and a couple of Mexican soaps. But I wasn’t satisfied so one day, on impulse, I packed two bags and moved to Los Angeles. I slept on my friend’s couch, trying to find an agent. How did you find working with Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell in Scream? Scream has been around for my entire life. I must have watched it for the first time when I was ten and became obsessed with horror films, so being with Neve and Courteney was the kind of moment you dream of. I was also obsessed with Friends, so I had to try hard to keep my cool. But Courteney is so chilled and generous and has Sunday family dinners on her patio by the ocean in Malibu. I can’t believe she’s my friend now! Soon we’ll see you in the film Carmen, a modern-day reimagining of the opera. Did you enjoy working with Normal People’s Paul Mescal? Because of Normal People, Paul was a heartthrob in Mexico and in Australia where we shot Carmen. He’s only 26 but very wise for his age. THE SLOWBURNER Estella Daniels, 41, starred as Nala in Sky’s Sinbad and plays Christine opposite Erin Doherty in the current BBC drama Chloe What was it like working with Erin? She’s really cool. I was steeling myself to meet Princess Anne [Erin’s character in The Crown], but she’s just the opposite. When she opened her mouth, I was like: ‘What is going on?’ She’s really down-to-earth. Is it true your Nigerian parents didn’t want you to act? Mum was a barrister, Dad an engineer, and they wanted me to be academic. I floated around before I finally went to university and got a media degree I’ve never used – purely for them. As soon as I finished I relentlessly pursued acting. I found a school and trained in the evening and worked during the day to pay for it. Your son’s two now. Has it been easy to combine your acting career with looking after him? I was worried about how I’d juggle work with being a mum but it’s the best decision I ever made. And my husband’s a teacher – so his working hours are structured. THE COMEDY CHAMPION Taj Atwal, 34, got her break in the comedy Stella before appearing in Line of Duty as PC Tatleen Sohota. This April she stars in the film Memory with Monica Bellucci You left home at 16? I was a handful: fearless and mouthy. I dropped out of college, but luckily they had me back. I’m grateful they encouraged me to apply to drama school. Did you realise what a phenomenon Line Of Duty was? No, thank god, because I’d have been a wreck! They wanted me back but Kay Mellor asked me to do The Syndicate. It’s very hard to say ‘no’ to Kay. She’s like your mum. Your first big role was in Stella with Ruth Jones. Are you a comedy natural? Yes, most of my career has been comedy. Indians and northerners use it as a deflection against the jibes they know are coming. What are you doing next? A Channel 4 comedy, Hullraisers. THE ROYAL POWERHOUSE Eliza Butterworth, 28, starred in Netflix drama The Last Kingdom. Her West End debut was in The Windsors: Endgame as Princess Eugenie How did it feel finishing filming on The Last Kingdom? Very emotional – the cast and crew had become like family. I started off just in a few scenes but as the series progressed my part became bigger. In each season I’d age ten years, so by the end I had grandchildren who in real life were the same age as me! Are you anything like the very forceful Lady Aelswith you play? She and King Alfred were a power couple – the Beyoncé and Jay-Z of Saxon times– whereas I see myself as quite flighty and bubbly. That said, at drama school they saw a gravitas in me and always had me play a lot of powerful, fierce characters. How was it to go from that role to playing Princess Eugenie? I had to go from something very dark to something very silly, but the toughest bit was getting Eugenie’s voice right; I had to set my jaw in a really strange position. All my friends were begging me to record a message for their voicemails. What’s your secret passion? I can play the drums and I’m obsessed with The Great British Bake Off. What’s your upcoming Sky series A Town Called Malice about? It’s the story of a crime family in the Costa del Sol set in the 80s, with great music and fashion. THE BRIT SCHOOL INGÉNUE Rhianne Barreto, 23, was in Amazon Prime drama Hanna. She also co-starred with Keeley Hawes in ITV’s Honour and Christopher Walken in BBC One’s The Outlaws You’re from a family of nine I’m the second eldest. With so many siblings you had to step up, but the younger ones also learned to socialise quickly; they’re much cooler than me. Was acting in the genes? Not at all. My dad’s a building contractor and my mum stayed at home raising us all for a long time. But I’ve loved acting ever since I appeared in a mash-up of Oliver!/My Fair Lady in year five. You went to The Brit School, alma mater of Amy Winehouse and Adele It taught me so much but didn’t help me get into drama school. I applied to several without success. Then I got an agent and a part in a film called Share. What was it like having Christopher Walken as one of your co-stars on The Outlaws? We were all quite awestruck; he’s an icon. The other actors were like, ‘We know him from The Deer Hunter’– but for me it was the film Hairspray! THE MOVIE-MAKING MULTITASKER Missy Malek, 25, has acted on stage opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Hamlet, co-stars with Michelle Dockery in an upcoming Netflix drama, and last year wrote and directed a short film We’re Too Good For This Is your directorial debut based on a true story? Yes, it’s about a gang of disabled drug dealers. Some of their story was fictionalised but a lot you see – like the moment when the deaf dealer turns off her hearing aid to shut down negotiations– is true. We’re in talks to turn it into a TV series. How did you get started? I always wanted to act – I joined the National Youth Theatre at 14 – but I studied philosophy at Oxford University first. What did you learn from acting with Sir Ian? If your scene partner isn’t spitting in your face their voice isn’t loud enough. I was literally spraying him so the audience would hear me! Tell us more about Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal… I play a courtroom clerk – law’s my dad’s profession, so I asked him how things worked. At the end Michelle Dockery gave me a book of poetry; she was so kind. THE BAFTA TRAILBLAZER Georgina Campbell, 29, has appeared in ITV’s Broadchurch and is in the mystery-drama Suspicion for Apple TV+ What was it like to work with Uma Thurman in Suspicion? She’s such an icon. I was starstruck. I felt the same about Olivia Colman on Broadchurch – very tongue-tied. You started acting at 15, so was it something you had always wanted to get into? No. My mother was a teacher and my stepfather a bookbinder – there’s no acting in the family. I was just approached on the street and asked to audition for the drama Freak. I had the look they wanted. I made the film but stayed in school and went on to university. In 2014 you were the first black woman to win a Best Actress Bafta for your part in Murdered By My Boyfriend, winning ahead of Sheridan Smith, Keeley Hawes and Sarah Lancashire. How did that feel? It was amazing [to win] but I wasn’t aware of that at the time. That was the cherry on the top. What’s in the pipeline? I’m filming Bird Box (a Spanish spin-off of the Sandra Bullock horror film). I play an English woman who’s in Barcelona when scary things start happening. How would you behave in such a situation? There’s no way I’d survive! I’m quite pampered; I like a bed. THE NEW-STYLE ACTION WOMAN Clara Rugaard, 24, starred in the film I Am Mother with Hilary Swank and will soon be seen in Sky’s The Rising When did you start acting? I’ve been working since I was 11 when my dad saw an advert for open auditions for Mary Poppins at the National Theatre in Denmark, where we lived. I’m also the Danish (Disney heroine) Moana, because I dubbed her singing. Why did you move to London? My dad’s in the Navy and was transferred there. My mum’s Northern Irish so she was very happy. When they moved back to Denmark I stayed – there were more opportunities here. What is The Rising about? I play Neve who discovers she’s dead and then realises she was murdered. She’s furious and determined to fight for justice. Neve competes at motocross. How are your motorbike skills? I had a week of training prior to shooting. My stunt double said I should go for my licence, but the idea of riding in London terrifies me. What’s up for you next? You’ll see me in a couple of films – Press Play, a romantic drama, and Love Gets A Room, set in the Warsaw ghetto during the Second World War. The Rising is coming soon to Sky Max and NOW THE AUSTEN HEROINE Rose Williams, 28, starred in the ITV period drama Sanditon and is in the upcoming film Mrs Harris Goes to Paris Mrs Harris Goes to Paris is about a 1950s cleaner, played by Lesley Manville, who goes to Paris after falling in love with a Dior couture dress. Did you enjoy filming it? Yes, it brought a bit of glitz and glamour after months of lockdown. My character was inspired by Jayne Mansfield, so I bleached my hair blonde. I’ve always wanted to play 1950s dress-up, so it was a lot of fun. Your mum worked in costumes for the BBC? Yes and I worked in [upmarket boutique] Dover Street Market and thought about pursuing a career in fashion. I started helping mum on odd jobs and ended up on set, then suddenly had this urge to act. I had no idea how the industry worked so I cold-called agents and landed a job in a historical drama based in Toronto. I’d never been on a long-haul flight before. It was very character building. How did your leading role as Sanditon’s Charlotte Heywood come about? Another actress was offered the part but dropped out, so at the last minute it came to me –I couldn’t believe it! What would people be surprised to learn about you? I’m a Lego geek. Yesterday I made a bunch of flowers that I’m going to keep in a vase and at Christmas I got a set based on the Friends café Central Perk. THE GRITTY GO-GETTER Saffron Hocking, 28, appeared in the TV series White Gold and London Kills. She plays Lauryn in the Netflix series Top Boy At the end of season three of Top Boy, your character was fleeing for her life. Did you have to keep her return a secret? Yes, we had to keep the news I’d be back under wraps for a long time. Before Top Boy, the worst problems any of my characters had were cheeky affairs; with this I really had to dig deep. Before a scene I’d lock myself away and listen to really sad music– no Rihanna! My mum’s Nigerian, my dad’s Cornish and I was brought up in London, so Top Boy [set on an estate in Hackney] reflects the diverse London I know. Did you always want to act? I asked my mum this recently and she said, ‘Yes. You never shut up!’ What’s one thing that might surprise people about you? I nursed a fox back to health. He approached me in the garden looking very malnourished. I started feeding him and bought him a hut for when it got cold. What are you up to now? I’m filming an ITV drama called Riches. It’s the UK’s answer to Succession. Top Boy’s second season will be on Netflix from 18th March. THE NAVAL NEWCOMER Anjli Mohindra, 32, started out on CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures. In 2018, she starred in BBC’s hit The Bodyguard and last year played Surgeon Lieutenant Tiffany Docherty in Vigil, the BBC’s most watched drama of 2021. Why do you think Vigil was such a smash hit? I’m not sure. We were worried as we’d all just come out of another lockdown that it would trigger memories of claustrophobia and cabin fever, but it seems as a nation we like that! Personally, I thought I had a pretty good handle on claustrophobia but then I lay in one of the bunks and thought, ‘Jesus! This would be very difficult.’ Did you take any tips from your father who was in the British army? He was posted to Germany so between the ages of nine and 12 we lived on a naval base so I already had some sense of the camaraderie and loyalty people have for each other in the forces and the humour you have to find because that job is pretty relentless. In Germany you were the only ethnic minority child in a school of 2000 When I was in secondary school I definitely wished I wasn’t Indian and wanted to be white. I just desperately wanted to fit in as most kids do. I was embarrassed by the food in my lunchbox and I’d swot up on the music my friends’ dads would listen to so I could say; ‘Yeah, my dad plays this all the time too.’ Now I’m out the other side and wanting desperately to embrace anything remotely Indian so that I can honour my heritage. After studying drama you felt your career go in a different direction from your peers Yes before we were all together and playing all kinds of parts. Then we were let out into the industry and suddenly it felt like there was a glass wall in front of me. The parts I was being offered were so stereotypical. I thought ‘Why can’t there be an Asian character who takes drugs in the park or who’s a superhero?’ What are you up to next? I’m in The Lazarus Project on Sky Max in April about a group of agents preventing the end of the world by resetting time. I’m also adapting Anita Anand’s biography of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, who was the daughter of the last Maharajah of Punjab and Queen Victoria’s goddaughter. She became a suffragette and a revolutionary. THE NEST BIG THING Mirren Mack is 24 and appeared in Netflix’s Sex Education before starring as Kaya in BBC1’s The Nest. She will shortly be seen playing Queenie in Small Island at the National Theatre Your dad’s an actor (Billy Mack), your mum’s a drama tutor and they met doing a play together – did they encourage you to go into the profession? There was about a minute when I was slightly good at chemistry and Dad was saying, ‘Be a chemist.’ But it was no good I succumbed. You starred in Sex Education which can be quite explicit – were you worried about your parents seeing it? My family watch all sorts of things together and I’m sure if I had had sex scenes they’d have been there with a banner flags waving. Luckily, I had none as my character Florence was asexual. There is hardly any representation for those people at that time and the amount of response I got was amazing. In The Nest your character offers to be a surrogate to an infertile couple (Sophie Rundle and Martin Compston), all sorts of twists and turns follow … That formed my taste in telly: I love something where I think I’ve worked it out before the end and then get it all wrong. In 2020 with Britain just coming out of the first lockdown, you modelled for Sky’s Young Portrait Artist of the Year, how was it? I have a terrible habit of being able to fall asleep anywhere – I even once fell asleep standing up, so I was really worried I’d nod off and offend someone. But in the end it was the easiest four hours ever; I was so fascinated by the effort everyone was putting in and not knowing what they were going to deliver. Small Island is based on Andrea Levy’s novel about three women’s interconnected lives in the 1950s. Tell us about your part in it? I play Queenie, a farm girl who always dreamed of a more glamorous life. She’s big-hearted but makes a huge decision that’s very upsetting. You’re named after William Wallace’s wife. Yes. It’s not quite the same as the Braveheart story, but Mirren was attacked and killed by an English solider, William killed him in retaliation and that led to the Scottish fight for freedom. My sister’s an artist and her name is Molly and my Dad says she’s named after his favourite dinner lady at school! It’s the alliteration that makes it work for both of us. What are you up to next? Later this year you’ll see me in Netflix’s The Witcher: Blood Origin with Lenny Henry and Michelle Yeoh. My character’s called Merwyn so everyone mixed up her name and mine all the time. For tickets to Small Island at the National Theatre please visit; nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/small-island THE ONE WHO HAD IT ALL SEWN UP Carla Woodcock, 23, starred in Netflix’s Free Rein, and has appeared in Emmerdale and Ackley Bridge. She’s about to appear in ITV’s Tell Me Everything Are there any actors in your family? No, my mum’s a teacher and my dad’s a former coal miner but I always loved performing. I was 17 and doing a B-Tech in performing arts when I went to a really small local agency – one woman using the back room of her house. She put me up for just one audition for Free Rein and somehow I bagged it. Filming was the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced, I was completely wide-eyed and I ended up doing three series. Tell Me Everything is coming soon, tell us about it. It’s a six-part coming of age story following 16-year-old Johnny, played by Eden H Davies, who is dealing with undiagnosed depression and anxiety. His wider group of friends include my character Zia, and you realise none of them have it together, they’re all dealing with their own issues – family, trying to forge an identity, sexuality, falling in love – just making lots of mistakes, which is what being a teenager is all about. The writing’s very relatable. All the characters are just average teenagers. What do you do when you’re not acting? I got into sewing during lockdown. We’re not talking Met Gala gowns but at the start of the pandemic I made a lot of face masks and I’ve made a skirt and a dress. And finally, what’s next? I’m waiting to see what happens after Tell Me Everything is released! DOMINIC GRAHAM-HYDE, MOLLY MATALON FOR NETFLIX QUEUE, EILISH McCORMICK, JOSEPH SINCLAIR, DAVID REISS PHOTOGRAPHY, PIXIE LEVINSON, RYAN SARADJOLA, DWGH PHOTOGRAPHY, WOLF MARLOH, JOE PUGLIESE, MICHAEL SHELFORD RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR 50 of the best celebrity Halloween costumes of all time Shirley Ballas ‘ Strictly gave me back my hope’ Davina McCall discusses how men can help women going through the menopause Popular in Celebrity TV chef Gino D Acampo on Sardinia Sophia Loren and scary salads May 25, 2017 The Evergreen Goddess Exercise guru Diana Moran on looking fit and July 10, 2017 More more Julianne Moore November 13, 2017 Author Jill Mansell on designer notebooks commissioning art and the family January 16, 2018 EMOTIONAL TIES Kelly Hoppen on vodka vintage finds and being a April 4, 2018 ‘ I have no regrets’ Millie Mackintosh on divorce debt and reuniting May 20, 2018 EMOTIONAL TIES TV presenter and tennis player Annabel Croft shares her July 1, 2018 Stella Parton ‘ Dolly and I have always been close’ August 12, 2018 Anna Friel on getting jeered in the street shared parenting with September 23, 2018 Queen of primetime Charlotte Riley on juggling rising stardom with pregnancy October 21, 2018 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. 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