The Forbes 30 Under 30 is a list in which 30 honorees under the age of 30 from each industry list are scouted and selected by the editors of Forbes, independent judges, celebrity judges, and industry experts.
The 2023 North America list is out and many notable figures have made it to the list of Hollywood & Entertainment establishing themselves as successful actors, comedians, and directors at a young age. Here is a list of some notable figures that have made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list this year:
1) Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan agreed to do the lead role of high school student Devi Vishwakumar in the Netflix teen comedy series Never Have I Ever in 2019. Despite having no acting exposure, the actress won many hearts with her performance in the series. The show ended in June but this is just the beginning for Ramakrishnan.
2) Jasmin Savoy Brown
Actress Jasmin Savoy Brown first showcased her acting abilities in the HBO mystery drama series The Leftovers, the ABC legal drama series For the People, and the Showtime psychological drama series Yellowjackets. In recent years, the actress gained popularity for her work in movies like Sound of Violence (2021), Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023),
3) Andrew Barth Feldman
Actor Andrew Barth Feldman’s most recent performance alongside Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings (2023) earned him popularity and praise from viewers all around the world. Feldman is also a singer and dropped his first single Every Pretty Girl in 2021.
Also read: No Hard Feelings Review: Jennifer Lawrence & Andrew Barth Feldman Shine In Fun Comedy
4) Molly Gordon
Actress Molly Gordon made her acting debut at the age of 6 but her performance as the recurring character Claire on the FX series The Bear in 2023 made her popular among a wider audience. Over the years, she has appeared in various movies and TV shows like Animal Kingdom (2016-2018), Life of the Party (2018), Booksmart (2019), and Good Boys (2019).
5) Emma Seligman
Emma Seligman is a budding director who studied film at New York University Tisch School of the Arts. The director released her first short film, Void, in 2018 and released the feature adaptation of her 2018 short film, Shiva Baby, in 2020. Her most recent film, Bottoms (2023) received positive reviews from critics, creating bigger opportunities for her.
6) Mekki Leeper
Comedian Mekki Leeper’s decision to drop out of college to become a comedian paid off as the actor’s career reached new heights in the past few years. In 2023, Leeper was nominated for an Emmy award for writing Jury Duty, Amazon Freevee’s viral TV series, in which he also starred as Noah Price (Juror #11).
7) Jenna Ortega
Actress Jenna Ortega first made her acting debut in the sitcom Rob (2012) but the trajectory of her career changed in the late 2010s and early 2020s. The actress gained popularity for her performances in the Disney Channel sitcom Stuck in the Middle, the second season of You (2019), Yes Day (2021) Scream (2022), X (2022), and Scream VI (2023), and Netflix horror-comedy series Wednesday.
Also read: Twilight Fans Are Not Happy After Director Claims Jenna Ortega Could Have Replaced Kristen Stewart
8) Please Don’t Destroy (Ben Marshall, Martin Herlihy, and John Higgins)
American comedy group, Please Don’t Destroy, consists of Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy. In 2021, the group was hired as writers on Saturday Night Live (SNL) to produce prerecorded digital video. In 2023, they wrote and starred in the movie Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain.
9) Haley Lu Richardson
Actress Haley Lu Richardson first became a well-known name in the industry after she appeared in Ravenswood (2013–2014), The Edge of Seventeen (2016), and Split (2016). Her breakout role came in the 2017 movie Columbus and then she went on to star in various TV shows and movies like Support the Girls (2018), Unpregnant (2020), After Yang (2022), The White Lotus (2022), and Love at First Sight (2023).
10) Matt Rife
Matt Rife has been a comedian for over a decade now but his career took a turn when a Tik Tok video went viral and the comedian became a superstar overnight. The actress showcased his hilarious jokes in his self-produced comedy specials Only Fans (2021), Matthew Steven Rife (2023), and Walking Red Flag (2023). As for his latest special with Netflix, Rife was criticized for a domestic violence joke.
11) Lexi Underwood
At the age of 20, actress Lexi Underwood established herself as a talented actress thanks to her performances in TV shows like Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, Showtime’s The First Lady, and Freeform’s Cruel Summer. In 2018, she founded her own production company, Ultimate Dreamer Productions, and also made her directorial debut with the docu-short, We The Voices of Gen-Z.
12) Noah Schnapp
Actor Noah Schnapp became a household name after he played Will Byers in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things. The actor has also appeared in Hubie Halloween (2020), Bridge of Spies, and Waiting for Anya (2020). Sources have revealed that Netflix has been “keeping an eye” on him and the actor has come under scrutiny recently for sharing his opinions on the Israel-Hamas conflict.
13) Alyah Chanelle Scott
With a BFA from the University of Michigan’s musical theatre program, actress Alyah Chanelle Scott has been trained. She proved that she has what it takes to be a superstar thanks to her performances as Whitney Chase on the 2021 HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls and as Timberly Fox on the 2022 Hulu series Reboot.
14) Rachel Sennott
Rachel Sennott, who is also a comedian, has showcased her acting side in films Shiva Baby (2020), Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), and Bottoms (2023) and in the HBO drama series The Idol (2023). Her transition from comedy to acting has turned out well for her as she has gained a loyal fan base with her remarkable acting.
15) Cailee Spaeny
Cailee Spaeny’s work as Priscilla Presley in the biopic Priscilla (2023) earned the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 80th Venice International Film Festival this year, proving her versatility as an actress. She has also appeared in movies like The Craft: Legacy (2020), Pacific Rim Uprising (2018), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), On the Basis of Sex (2018), and Vice (2018).
