Hollywood seems to be taking notes from projects such as “Black Panther,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” and more strong women of color leads. Over the past three years, we have seen more leading ladies representing diverse upbringings, cultures, and beauty in America. We love to support and celebrate the next leading ladies of the future. So whether you have seen them on the small screen or big screen, prepare as these Gen-z queens make their mark in la-la land.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the lead character in Mindy Kaling’s coming-of-age Netflix comedy-drama “Never Have I Ever.” This new Hollywood face has quite the story of how she received the leading role, Devi. Her audition tape stood out to Kaling, along with the fact that she did not have a headshot or acting experience. She was giving her the one in a million chance to audition and surpass the leading role, which was a great call for the show because she masters the complexities of teenage angst, hormones, and peer pressure amazingly. Viewers couldn’t get enough, and neither could Netflix. The mega-streaming service renewed the teenage drama for season two, and we are here for it. While she protests for equality and aims to represent south Asians accurately, you can find her on Instagram being an amazing 18-year-old.
Rachel Hilson
This 24-year old television star isn’t new to the limelight. With a few projects under her belt, you have probably seen her work. Her most recent roles in “This Is Us” as young Beth and Hulu’s “Love, Victor” as Mia Brooks have stolen hearts. With the emotional range and witty jokes, each scene in which she appears captivates us and wants to see more from her. One surprise we did enjoy is that this queen also can strum up a tune on a ukulele. Who doesn’t love a good song on a gloomy day? You can follow more of this tv star and her music here.
Rachel Zegler
This 19-year-old soon to be silver screen star will be playing the lead in Steven Speilberg’s adaption of West Side Story. While she captured the heart of the most known director in Hollywood, this Colombian-American queen is winning fans, using her voice to spotlight the issues on TikTok blocking “Black Lives Matter” protests on their app. You can find more from this future leading lady on her Instagram.
Lana Condor
Lana Condor is one starlet we love to celebrate. Stealing our hearts into All the Boys, I’ve Loved Before on Netflix and the sequel, To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. What we know about this Vietnamese-American queen is that not only does she steals our hearts as the main love interest but also as a YouTube creator. See this video below of her boyfriend and her attempting to cook a Brazilian meal together.
We wanted to add in more, but that will be saved for part two of highlighting young Hollywood. Let’s continue to champion and celebrate these queens as they come into their voice and impact.
The Queen Sessions 