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A
I'm Sean Fedisy.
B
I'm Amanda Davis.
A
And this is the Big Picture, a conversation show about movie stars. It's been two full years since our last 35 under 35 movie star ranking. This is our fifth time at it. We started these rankings during the pandemic and have revisited them every couple of years. So we. Stars age out, new names come in. The two biggest movies in this year's Oscar race featured new discoveries. Hollywood can still do that work. And the most anticipated movies of the year, Dune Part three, the Odyssey, Brand New Day are loaded with young stars. Let's take stock of them right after this. This episode is brought to you by the Autograph Journey credit card from Wells Fargo. The Autograph Journey credit card from Wells Fargo is built for travel. You can earn rewards wherever you book your favorite hotel site your go to airline and more. You you get five times points with hotels, four times with airlines, three times on restaurants and other travel, and one point on other purchases. Whether it's a big vacation or a quick getaway from booking your stay to that first meal when you arrive, you're turning your trips into rewards with the Autograph Journey credit card from Wells Fargo. Learn more at Wells Fargo.com autographjourney Terms apply. This episode is brought to you by Volkswagen. There is such a thing as becoming too comfortable in your day to day. But our favorite films are with stories that make us change the way we think. They weren't made by people content to just sit back and watch the world pass by. This is your sign that you shouldn't either from us, from VW and the other drivers out there, grab the wheel, do what you love, even if it means taking the road less traveled. Learn more@vw.com okay, how did you feel about my strategizing on the schedule for the aftermath of project Hail Mary, the drama the reboom of movies. With this list that we're doing today, it's wise.
B
It's also in anticipation of a spring to summer that is quite loaded, culminating in the Odyssey, which I do think is sort of the one movie litmus test of are you a movie star or not? Is did you get cast in the Odyssey? Yeah.
A
Weirdly, you don't need we don't need stars to sell the Odyssey. And yet they're all in the movie.
B
Right? But it's not about selling the movie. It's about selling themselves. It's like you really, you need at this point not just the Nolan but the Odyssey stamp of approval in order to truly be considered you Know a list?
A
Yeah, this one. This is interesting. So on the one hand this weekend at the box office you've got a movie that completely defies the idea that movies will ever need movie stars again. The Super Mario Brothers Galaxy movie, which we were extremely kind to last week on the show, just made a goddamn ton of money. $372.5 million worldwide, $190 million in five days of release in the U.S. we were on spring break with our kids last week. So was the rest of the child bearing world and many of them took their children to go see this movie. The box office is up 26% year over year.
B
Yes.
A
And to that I say not only are we back, we are Johan Sebastian fucking Bach. We are so back. We are backington like it is unbel how back we are with movies. How do you feel about it?
B
Is that adjusted for inflation up 26%? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
A
Well, how much does inflation gone up in one year?
B
I think. And Trump's America. I know you're just learning about gas prices, Mr. Ev, but it is a little tough.
A
I don't need to know anything about them anymore. I, I don't know. What is the percentage increase?
B
That's nice that people. It's, that's great. Movies. They're back. They all went to see Super Mario Galaxy.
A
Yeah, among other things.
B
Sure. Yeah.
A
You know, they went to go see Goat and they went to go see Wuthering Heights and they went to go see obviously Project Hail Mary and they also went to go see the drama, which did pretty well over the weekend considering it's a movie that hit the ball, that did not reveal its big secret, that did not reveal the turn in the story. It made $14.4 million in America over the weekend and made twice that overseas. Or excuse me, made twice that total when you include overseas. And so this movie, which cost roughly 28 million, has already made 28 million at the box office.
B
Yeah.
A
The movie was sold entirely on Zendaya and Robert Pattinson.
B
This one feels good. This one feels a little bit less. You know, this Super Mario Brothers Galaxy, whatever that piece of slop is actually called, was engineered to make a lot of money at the box office and we happily participated in it. And that's, that's, yes, you know, that's all good commerce turns, you know, whether or not straits are open or not. So that is, whatever this. Which is.
A
You're getting very political. Are you, are you angling for third chair on jmo? There is a space on this network for Those discussions.
B
I host Women Wednesdays on jmo. Okay.
A
Yeah. You're not usually in the room.
B
By the way, this week's episode. Goodbye, Pam. Goodbye. With the Christie. You know, like, quite a week for us.
A
All your gals from your favorite administration are getting a boot. Yeah.
B
Tune in to Women Wednesday.
A
Okay.
B
We took a break last week because on Women Wednesday, we really take Easter seriously. You know, it's very holy.
A
Okay, and what were you doing?
B
Which one is Wednesday? They don't do anything on Wednesday. And, like, the Easter Thursday's Maundy Thursday. That's. And that's Last Supper.
A
Okay.
B
Friday is Good Friday. That's the cross. That's the thing. Tears the curtain.
A
Yeah, I know, I know. I understand. I'm trying to hear you talk through it.
B
Saturday, sort of unaccounted for. You know, I don't know what's going on.
A
Big nap.
B
Well, I actually did what he was
A
getting his powers up in.
B
Like, according to Cannon, he is risen. But not on Saturday.
A
No, he was. He was. When he was recuperating.
B
Okay.
A
And he was channeling the feelings of the Father and getting ready to rise on Saturday.
B
Is he in the tomb or not?
A
The corporeal form.
B
Yeah. What's happening to the corporeal form at that point?
A
We call this the mystery of faith.
B
I just want a timeline.
A
That's just not how it works. You have to give yourself over to the spirit.
B
That is not how I work.
A
I know, I know. It's so true.
B
Okay, so, whatever. Congrats.
A
Most people were not giving up their time to the spirit. They were checking out Zendaya and Robert Patrick.
B
Only Wednesday, I went to see Super Mario Galaxy. Now, that's what most people were doing. But this is, you know, writer, director, starring movie stars. It is mostly people talking. There is a fun amount of, you know, gross out and, like, a little bit of thriller and a little bit of, if not like, action, then at least horror flourishes.
A
Yeah. And I heard from people who saw it over the weekend that it was just a great movie theater experience. You know, that in the room there's some shocking reveals. There's a lot of broad humor, actually, that plays really well in this space. God forbid we release more comedies in movie theaters. And I don't know if maybe we didn't spend enough time when we were discussing the movie, digging into just how funny it is, you know, that there is that kind of cringe, discomfort comedy that the movie, I think, attacks really well. And so people seem to enjoy it. And we mentioned materialists last week. And this is a very similar shape to Materialists, a very similar shape to Zendaya's last movie of this sort, which was Challengers a couple years ago. Our beloved Challengers. And it's very exciting.
B
It's a Fun Lane that A24 has found. And we keep talking about what's gonna happen to movie theaters, especially with the consolidation and the powers who will not be named, and where is the center of movie going? And can these newer studios fill it a little bit? And it's weekends like this, we're like, oh, yeah, okay, maybe they can just make a movie for grownups.
A
I agree.
B
We're excited about.
A
The thing that has to happen for this to work, though, is that somebody like Robert Pattinson and somebody like Zendaya need to sign on for a movie like this in between their $250 million event Epic Films. And, you know, effectively just count on the material being good enough that it will be worth their time and that they'll feel excited about it and probably just not make nearly as much money on it as they could on almost any other thing that they would spend their time doing. And it's a sacrifice. And some stars do this stuff and some don't. We were really tough on Chris Pratt when he made Mercy earlier this year. Technically an original movie, but a very stupid original movie.
B
I think you mean evil.
A
That's your word. That's your word. As we know, you're not with Christ. You're thinking about the evil. That's what you understand. And I'm glad that they took this chance. And I'm curious to see what kind of legs it has, because there is a reveal. And I don't know if it will hold up to word of mouth, but it does seem like people were very curious this first weekend. So it's good news and it's great news as a segue for what we're doing today, because this is like the proper test, the drama for the thing that we're always talking about. And I still think stars matter. I still do. I don't know if they. There are. I don't know if there's more than one that exists in the way that we had 25 in 1996. There may only be one, and we can discuss whether or not we feel that's true. But there is still something happening with recognizable faces, with people that young people become invested in on television shows, on TikTok, on all sorts of places where stars are coming from now that then are. It still feels like movies are the ultimate feeder system. Like they are the ultimate destination. If you're trying to get to a level of awareness, give or take, you're Mr. Beast of the world. What do you think about that supposition?
B
I think it's true. But I do think that there is also still something that separates a movie star from all the wannabe fame people. Because what we have seen is that the casting strategy where it's how many TikTok followers do you have or how many Instagram followers do you have? Obviously that doesn't always communicate like skill in acting, but it's not usually that successful in terms of getting non movie audiences to, to a movie. There is something about an actual movie star, someone who is famous, has some talent and some presence, but is also associated with the genre of movies, which is separate than being associated from a franchise. You know, Robert Pattinson and Zendaya are both in franchises, but they have both been, you know them independently of Batman or Spider Man. They have their own Personas and their own awareness, but people still look at them and think movies as opposed to YouTube or sports or whatever. And you do. I think that you need that association to get people to take the jump to actually see a movie. It can't just be oh, you know me, so you'll see any product that I'm in. I think we found that that doesn't work across any medium.
A
Yeah, especially for something like the drama, which is not pre branded in any way. There's nothing, there's nothing in the world other than the wedding, fake wedding announcement in the, in the newspaper that was issued that would indicate that this is anything other than just a standalone movie. And so it's interesting because I think that the star thing is now very much about the balance that you're describing that those two stars have pursued, that it is independent or smaller character based films that come once every two or three franchise films. And that's really the only way to navigate it. I give Zendaya a lot of credit for making movies like Challengers, Malcolm and Marie. You know, she has pursued, yeah, cool stuff, risky stuff, stuff that doesn't always work and has used her credibility and her fame to I think work with interesting filmmakers and take chances. But you know, the Housemaid and one of the stars of the Housemaid that will appear on this list that was pre branded and in a different kind of way, in a classical Hollywood kind of way, a successful novel, a steamy erotic thriller, you know, a very sexy movie that's different from the Odyssey. It's different from Brand New Day, but it is a little closer to those than it is to Marty supreme, for example, which is a recent example of a genuine movie star pushing a movie to nearly $200 million almost by force of charismatic will.
B
And also an old school example of the movie star press tour and the the thing that we said or that industry watchers and Entertainment Weekly said every week in the 90s of this person can open a movie, which is not really a thing that happens anymore with the exception of Timothee, Chalamet and Marty supreme, and is honestly not even a metric in the same way it was back then. Because there is under this understanding that there are so many different valences of like getting people to the movie theaters. It's just isn't 100% star based and hasn't for some time. Hasn't been for some time.
A
Yeah, it's been interesting doing this with you for so many years now because people who we weren't sure if we should even add to the list four years ago or six years ago now have graduated fully. It was interesting just to think about the fact that two former members of the list won best Actress and best Actor at the Academy Awards this year. And you know, Jesse Buckley and Michael B. Jordan were names that we were putting on the list five, six years ago. And with Jesse Buckley, it was like, I see something here. You know, I don't know if this person's really gonna burst through after Wild Rose and Chernobyl, but she's an example of like, we took a risk on someone as fans of hers.
B
Sure. But also even there, the definition of movie star is like she won an Oscar for a very Oscar coded film, Hamnet, which did not, you know, open to millions and millions of dollars. And her quote unquote big box office swing, the Bride, which opened a week before the Oscars.
A
Yep.
B
She did not open that movie. You know, no one did it didn't open, it didn't work for a number of reasons. But that the definition of movie star now is not just 100% box office. It can't be because of the way the movies are.
A
Yeah. So I was trying to think about this because, you know, we're getting ready to do the Meryl Streep hall of Fame later this week. And I was thinking about actors of her generation. And Meryl Streep at this point has now had a re apex like multiple times where she's opened $100 million movies in her 60s.
B
Is she about to do it again?
A
I think she will which is remarkable and I would say unprecedented in movie history. Someone who at this stage of her career. And we'll talk about that more later this week. But I was thinking about Glenn Close and how Glenn Close, he also ran is. I know, sadly. But Glenn Close is a movie star. She is someone who can headline a movie. She is someone who has given awards worthy performances. She's been in successful films. But you would never be like, of course this movie is guaranteed to make $500 million because Glenn Close is in it. And I feel like someone like Jesse Buckley and maybe some other people that we'll talk about, who we're adding to the list are in a similar zone where if you can carry a movie on your shoulders and it can make $50 million domestically in 2026, that is something that is actually not something to be overlooked. And we shouldn't only be thinking about this by the standards of billion dollar films. So there's, I think what I'm saying is there's balance. Michael B. Jordan helping push sinners to where it went would not have been possible were he not in Black Panther and Creed. But now that he was in those movies, he's using his strength as a star to make bigger original films. So I see all of this as part of like a daisy chain of success. What other stray thoughts do you have about where we stand with this enterprise and our young stars?
B
So our Rubric here is 50% what you've done, 25% what's coming next, and 25% squishy. You know, like we put it down
A
as who you could be.
B
Who you could be. You know, it's the, you know it when you see it definition. And it is that sort of ineffable, like movie star quality that you and I throw around a lot. And it is really something that like, is instinctive and, and it's kind of just really how an audience responds to you. But it's interesting to watch how the definition of like movie star quality has changed even since we've been doing this, but also generationally and also what does it mean for an audience to respond to you? They have to respond to you in the film. I think they do have to respond to you outside of the film more and more. Like press tour wise, what even are the valances and what works as a movie star? What doesn't work? Again, we will be talking about Timothee Chalamet and what people respond to. So that one's imperfect, but is also usually the deciding factor. Right. And it's because that's our list. And we're in charge.
A
That's right.
B
And we're students of this.
A
Yeah. And I feel comfortable holding onto that very fake mathematical formulation that we created some years ago. I was thinking a bit about television, too. And we have thought about TV as again, a part of the feeder system over the years, but we have a handful of very noisy contributors. I would say, to the potential of this list that are active right now, the one that I can think of the most is that was doing this the last time we spoke was looking back on the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast and saying, wow, was this the most impressive trampoline for five or six people. And most of those people were not huge parts of the film. Like Sydney Sweeney was in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but had a very small part, Austin Butler. We didn't really know at the time what he would become just from that role as Tex. But this year I look at it and I say, okay, there's. There's really three shows and probably two shows and one that's like a little behind. But Euphoria now has this extraordinary footprint in terms of its cast, which includes now Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi as this power trio at the very top. And three, I mean, they weren't like small bit characters in the show. They were the show. They are three of the five primary characters.
B
I'm not sure why you're talking in past tense because I'm told that we're threatened with another season of Euphoria very soon.
A
In one week.
B
Yeah.
A
Part of the reason why I think this list is also well timed and they're still on it. This is not a Beverly Hills 90210 situation where they're just bailing after two seasons.
B
It is Beverly Hills and 9210 where they've gone to college now. Right.
A
I think that they graduated high school, graduated beyond that. I think there's a big time jump that is coming.
B
Oh, good. Okay.
A
Cassie's character. I read Sydney Sweeney has her own OnlyFans page.
B
That sounds right.
A
That's how she's earning a living. I think she is maybe married to Jacob Elordi's character at this point and he's supporting her, but has some concerns. Oh, will you be watching?
B
I'm sure. No, absolutely not. People can tell me about it, but I mean, I just. I have other things to watch. And listen, did you know that the
A
new season is shot in VistaVision? That is not a joke, Jack. Did you know that Trust me, I'm aware, brother. I'm pumped. Me, too. I love Euphoria. It's insane, but I enjoy it. In addition to those three stars, Austin Abrams, who we just saw in Weapons. And we'll talk about a bit more here, Barbie Ferreira, Maude Apatow, Storm Reid, Hunter Schaeffer, who was on the 2024 list. That's a lot of people who are up for this.
B
Can you name the casting director of Euphoria?
A
Is it Francine Mazler?
B
It's Jennifer Venditti.
A
Oh, that makes so much sense. Yeah. Also an A24 television show. That makes a lot of sense. Jennifer Venditti has found a lot of people over the years. The other show is Stranger Things, which just came to a conclusion at the end of last year, and I didn't watch it, and I quit the show after two and a half seasons.
B
I quit the show after two and a half episodes. And I'm still constantly amazed, though, at the staying power not just of the show, but of these. Of these kids. And, you know, and they. They keep bubbling up. And Juliette Lippman will always tell me, oh, yeah, Stranger Things. Joseph Quinn, apparently on Stranger Things, who knows? He'll. He'll always be George Harrison to me.
A
I think that was his big breakthrough,
B
honestly, this is what I'm told. But they're all. It's funny because it really was a gigantic phenomenon and a huge vehicle for a lot of people, but it doesn't exist in my world. And they don't exist till they come to the movies.
A
Well, there's a new movie that hit Hulu over the weekend called Pizza Movie that stars Gatton Mazzarazzo, who is one of the stars of Stranger Things, but I wouldn't even put him in the top 5 of people who could potentially break out from this show. You've got Millie, Bobby Brown, of course, Finn Wolfhard, Maya Hawke. You mentioned Joseph Quinn and Sadie Sink, who we're learning more and more these days, may or may not be Jean Grey in the X Men.
B
Oh, is that what we're learning?
A
That's what we're learning.
B
Isn't she also on stage right now? Is she being Juliet?
C
That is correct.
B
She's being Juliet. How's it going?
C
I think they just did their first show on the West End, like, recently.
A
Sadie Sink is playing Juliet on the West End. Who's her Romeo?
B
Noah.
C
Noah Jupe.
A
Wow.
B
Vogue is really covering this, like, intensely for some reason. So I have a lot of. I have a lot of info.
A
Okay. Spoiler Alert. Neither Noah Jupe nor Sadie Sink are on our list.
B
Okay. Yes.
A
And I thought a lot about that because neither of them have really been the star star of any major movie. They've both done a lot of work. But it did have me wondering, kind of what is the. How much of that, the 5050 do you want to lean into when you're making choices, you know, like what you could be and what you have coming up versus what you've already done? No, Ju's been a lot of movies.
B
Yeah.
A
But I don't know. I'm already questioning the choices that we made now. I'm hearing all this West End news.
B
That's what it is. I don't think the reviews are great. Again, I haven't really clicked through.
A
That's the thing is when movie stars do theater, they usually get trashed anyway, so it's not a big deal. In addition to Stranger Things and Euphoria, we've also got Industry, which had a real pop in its fourth season and of course, has had kind of a rotating cast. Now, like, Harry Lottie has moved on from the show. David Johnson has moved on from the show. But Mahala is still there. Marisa Abella is still there. Kiernan Shipka joined this year. She is making some noise. She wants her number to be called at some point. Do you think it will be on this episode?
B
Spoiler alert. No.
A
Okay.
B
But also, Industry is a television show. So what films has Kiernan Shipka been in recently?
A
She's been in a couple. Hit me with the list. She's been in some streaming joints.
B
I've been rambling as fast as I can.
A
She was in a horror streaming movie a couple years ago.
B
Sweethearts. Oh, she was in Last Showgirl.
A
Last Showgirl, that's right.
B
She was. Spoiler alert. Very briefly in Twisters.
A
Yes. One of the great kills of that year.
B
But I chuckled when that happened. Red one. Don't remember that. You know what? I never saw that. I was on leave.
A
Yeah, that was a very cool episode that we got to do about that movie, which everyone really liked. We all went out to the movie theater and we checked out Redone, starring the Rock. Dwayne Johnson. He was one of Santa's power elves, I think. Was that what they're called, Jack? Power elves?
C
I don't believe it's what they're called, but that is genuinely one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life.
A
Quite. Quite, quite poor.
B
Yeah. Rooting for her. And by the way, these are all the people under 35, they obviously added, like, Kit Harrington, Max Madison.
A
Yeah, that show was Kal Penn on it.
B
Industry briefly. Season four.
A
Yes.
B
Yeah.
A
I mean, J. Duplass was on a previous season. Oh, yeah, yeah. There have been plenty of. Industry is great. Are you ready to start getting into the nitty gritty of this?
B
Of course.
A
So the biggest losers of this round.
B
Is it a loser to no longer be eligible? I mean, I guess it means you're 35 or older. So in that sense, do you think
A
that makes you a loser? I think perhaps so.
B
Ye.
A
So 11 stars have aged out from 2024's list comes for us all. We needed to power up again. Here's who we lost. We lost our number one overall choice in 2024. Margot Robbie. She's gone. Jennifer Lawrence was at number five. She's off the list. Kristen Stewart was at 12 off the list. Dev Patel, 16 off the list. Taylor Swift. Yeah, that was funny that we did that. 18 off the list at the time. Taylor's 62 now. How old is she?
B
She's about to have at least three bridesmaids weekends, according to reports. So I hope your invitation comes through soon.
A
Is she getting married?
B
Recently in the Spotify offices, they were playing a Taylor Swift playlist, including the song Taylor Swift wrote for Cats, the film which we saw together. One of the worst songs I've ever heard.
A
Yeah. Yeah. The movie was good, though, as I recall. Very, very. Is that still the.
B
You know, you've seen the King's Speech, but you still have never seen Tom Hooper as Les Miserables?
A
I have not seen it, no. One day, I promise. For sure. Bill Skarsgard, 21. He's out. Dakota Johnson, 27, out.
B
Yeah.
A
Jesse Buckley, 28, out. Josh O'. Connor. He would have had a nice plum
B
spot this year, I think. He's 35, right?
A
Yeah, he's 35. So he's out. Aaron Taylor Johnson, out. Brie Larson, out. Even though Rosalina reigns in the Super Mario Galaxy movie from last year's list. That's 11 people, seven of whom were women.
B
Can I ask something about Rosalina, just really quickly before we. I'm sorry. I know I'm derailing this, but it's just. So what happened that Rosalina just completely lost touch with Princess Peach?
A
She sent her away to keep her safe, I think.
B
Okay.
A
And she sent her to another land to be a princess. But then she didn't realize that she created trauma for Peach because then Peach didn't know her family.
B
Why did she send her away?
A
I don't know, probably just jealous of her little sister.
B
Okay.
A
No, I think there was a legitimate reason. There was like there was an incurring threat.
B
What are the stars called?
A
I don't know stars.
B
But they're safe. With Rosalina. It's just Princess Peach. Yeah.
A
She's a mother to them. Yeah.
B
All right, thanks. Thanks for filling me in. Thank you.
A
Other people who did not make our list but could have this year and have aged out. And I'll tell you the first person I thought of when I was thinking of this new endeavor was Jonathan Bailey, who starred in Wicked and starred in the most recent Jurassic film. And I'll tell you what, my wife has taken a real shine to him.
B
She's wonderful. He was the only good part of Wicked for good.
A
Yeah. She just powered through every season of Bridgerton. She was like, who's that guy?
B
Yeah. I mean, he has a who's that guy? Quality. It's just sort of.
A
He's 36.
B
The timing of when the last time we did this list. When those films came out. And then his birthday just didn't work out.
A
Yes. So maybe when we do 35 over. I don't think he's gonna be quite that popular. But. So he's out. Another late bloomer. Monica Barbaro. My beloved. She's out. She's also over 35.
B
You don't need to single me out on that. Our beloved.
A
Our beloved. Okay. Our beloved Jeremy Allen White. I think very much would have had a case for this movie.
B
He's Jabba the Hutt.
A
He's Roto the Hutt.
B
Okay.
A
Roto. Roto. Jack. Not quite sure. Okay. New best bit is asking Jack questions. I know he doesn't know the answer. Too. Jabba the Hutt's son.
B
Oh, okay.
A
Who I think in some of the animated shows is a baby who is kidnapped. But in this new film is an absolutely yoked Colosseum warrior. Will be doing battle with Mando.
B
What is his relationship with Jabba like?
A
I think it's kind of similar to Bruce Springsteen and his dad. I think. I'm not sure yet. We'll have to see. The film also aged out Lily James and Jack o'. Connell who had a very big year.
B
Who I learned has my birthday same birthday?
A
Jack o'. Connell. Yeah, but you're not the same age. Who's older?
B
Sadly, no.
A
All right. We dropped some people from this list.
B
Yeah.
A
We dropped.
B
We dropped a bunch of women.
A
We dropped a bunch of women. You did it. It was your choice. Why did you. We dropped one man as well. Who did we drop and why did we drop them?
B
Well, okay, that's. I was writing it again. We dropped Kaylee Spany.
A
How do you feel about that?
B
Not good. That we have another thing on this list called. Still not sure why we can't find a spot for them. Cailee Spaeny is on there. I think it's just that it's sort of a timing issue. I know that she was in the. Prometheus. No, not Prometheus. It was Prometheus.
A
No, Romulus.
B
Romulus, okay. Movie. Last year. But, you know, Priscilla and my favorite movie, Civil War, or like a couple years ago now.
A
She was in Wake Up Dead man,
B
but that was quite bad. And her character was not developed. So her.
A
I think Wake Up Dead man is good. I didn't really understand her character.
B
Well, they didn't know what to do with any of the people who were not Josh o' Connor in that or Daniel Craig in that movie and. Or Glenn Close, of course. Or Josh brolin. Sure.
A
That's four.
B
That's four. But these movies are made with, like, 25 people.
A
Enjoy. Wake Up Dead Man. She is going to be the star.
B
Yes.
A
In the next Sean Durkin movie. Deep cuts.
B
Very exciting. But that's. Again, that's not out yet.
A
And that's a 2027 film.
B
Yeah.
C
She also has Elden Ring and alien Romulus 2, which might make $4 billion combined.
B
Well, that's great. But none of that's happened yet.
A
I didn't cut Cailee Spaeny for the record.
C
I'm just providing additional context.
B
We had to make room.
A
Okay.
B
And I. And she is just kind of in a middle place. And it's. As I said, it's the timing issue. It's.
A
Is this because she wanted Kirsten Dunst to wear a dress in Civil War? Is this why you've done this? Try this on. It's green.
B
Yeah, it's green. It will help you feel like a woman. Because this is what womanhood is, as, you know, because you've been paying attention how.
A
That's right. I'm a friend to women. Everyone is saying that.
B
Yeah.
A
How often. How many times a day will you just put on a dress and look at yourself in the mirror and think, I've done it again. Femininity.
B
Yeah. Especially like in my home with. Living with two men under the age of five. It's three to four times, you know. Okay. Yeah.
A
That seems healthy. Cailee Spaeny out.
B
Yes.
A
Don't know if I agree with that, Jodie. Comer out.
B
You're. This is a list that you co authored, so.
A
I did. I did. Well, we'll come back to that. Jody Comer out. Terrific actress. I think she's made some good movies in the last few years. She is, you know, didn't really open the Bike riders and she had a smaller part in 28 years later. She's magnificent. In 28 years later.
B
We loved 28 years later. Again, this is another one where the timing of when this list falls in your career.
A
This is an example of you thinking like a studio executive where she's getting really close to 35 and you're ready to dispense with her. Right.
B
I'm like, good luck, Jodie Comer. No one talks like that.
A
Rachel Zegler has Speed Bump with Snow White. Yep. I think she'll be back, but at
B
this stage right now, she's doing Evita.
A
Is she doing Juliet?
B
No, she's doing Evita.
A
Evita. Oh, wow. You're putting a little.
B
Don't cry for me.
A
Putting a little spice on that Evita. Wow.
B
When will we do an Andrew Lloyd Webber episode? I guess we already did it with
A
Cats, but I find them all to be bad films. Evita might be the best movie, best adaptation of his work.
B
Yeah. Speaking of, we may or may not be on a Madonna movies episode at some point. I don't wanna. But it's not on.
A
I don't know if I've been fully booked for that. I am prepared to do it.
B
I was booked. Right. Officially.
A
I'm waiting for confirmation on my end.
B
But if I. I remember seeing Evita with the tea in theaters.
A
I saw it in theaters on a school trip. Wow.
B
Really? Yeah. Where was the trip?
A
To a movie theater.
B
Oh, I thought you meant, like, while you were.
A
We didn't see the stage show. Not the stage show or.
B
I don't know. I thought that you went to see the movie while you were in, like, Baltimore or whatever to see something. I don't know whether they're making a new.
A
Rachel Zegler has good casting.
B
Yeah. And she was nominated for an Olivier. I see.
A
Okay. I mean, she's terrific. I just don't.
B
She's really talented.
A
I think she needs to get some stronger movies going. Hunter Schaefer never really took off for her after the 2024 list. Thought it was going to the horror film for Neon. Didn't totally click. She might be back too. We'll see. We dropped lakeith Stanfield and we find him at a tricky moment in his career because we say this Always happens to women, but it's happening to a man as well, which is he's still very young and he's had a lot of bites at the apple. And there's a real sliding doors thing where I feel like one of the Star wars projects that was pitched, he was being tabbed as one of the key Jedi stars. And if that movie had happened before the Kathy Kennedy regime ended up, I think we'd be having a different conversation. But he had a couple of movies that didn't totally click. Book of Clarence didn't hit. And then all of a sudden you wake up and you find yourself the fourth lead in Roofman.
B
And also Die My Love and Die My Love.
A
Yeah. Which I thought that character was quite strange. And he was mostly a manifestation of desire.
B
Yes.
A
So I would like to see him similar to the photograph just in a studio movie is the lead.
B
But the photograph was 2020.
A
So I know that's what I'm saying.
B
It's been a while.
A
Yeah. After the photograph in Judas and the Black Messiah, I was like, okay, it's happening post Atlanta. This is happening for him. And it has slowed down a little bit. Also took off. Adria Arjona. Now, that is not a judgment on my feelings about her as a person.
B
I was so outraged when I noticed this that I, you know, googled and really sought to put my case together because I too, I'm just like incredibly pro. Adria Arjona. But the movies that she's been in recently have been smaller. And the Thomas Crown Affair co starring Michael B. Jordan is not out yet,
A
so she could be back. She just, you know, she's just continuing to be cast as the girl, you know, and not as the person at the center. And I think the Father of the Bride is probably the last movie where she was really at the. In the center of the frame. Right. Fair to say. So she's off. Those were tough cuts. There's a few people who are in the pipeline who we did not include. We'll mention them right now. Mentioned Noah Jupe, his brother Jacoby Jupe. He Of Hammond death.
B
Not. And also doing a bit at every awards show.
A
Yes.
B
He's very cute and very game.
A
Yeah, they're promising. Madelyn Cline.
B
Which one's that? Oh, I know what you did last summer.
A
Yes. She's the star of Outer Banks.
B
Outer Banks. Right.
A
Her co star from Outer Banks, Drew Starkey, also not here, by the way, but he's also going to be the star of that movie, the Sean Durkin film opposite Kaylie Spaeny. He was good and queer. I'm keeping an eye on him.
B
Of course.
A
The beatles Boys. So one made it, two made it, two made it, 2 didn't.
B
Yeah.
A
So, Harris Dickinson, what do you have to say for yourself?
B
You know, his time will come.
A
Okay.
B
John, movie's coming. And I. It's. Sometimes you just have things for yourself and that's fine.
A
Little tall for Jon.
B
I think they'll work it out.
A
Okay. Who's the other one?
B
Joseph Quinn. Stranger things. George. Yeah. George. Always overlooked.
A
What did you think of his work as the Human Torch?
B
I didn't really understand what was going on with the Human Torch.
A
Okay. He flames up. Flame On. Yeah, but Flame on did Armor.
B
Really? And then what's up with Vanessa Kirby? She's elastic.
A
Nope, nope. That's the film the Incredibles. She is the Invisible Woman.
B
She does this.
A
Yes.
B
She's like Violet from the Incredibles.
A
The Incredibles is inspired by the Fantastic Four.
B
Yeah, no, I understood that when I watched the Fantastic Four. And then the poor Ebon Moss backrack, speaking of people on Broadway didn't get to show his face.
A
Nope.
B
Except in flashback.
A
Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing.
B
And then Pedro Pascal is like.
A
His catchphrase is, it's clobbering time.
B
Okay. And then Pedro Pascal is like. Is so smart that he can't, like, hold his head up, basically. And it's the burden of intelligence. Right?
A
Yes. I'm one of the most relatable characters of 2025. I. Harris Dickinson is out. Joseph Quinn. Yeah.
B
None of those people are on this list.
A
Rachel Sennett.
B
Yeah, I mean, I get it, but she's. She put her money with TV for a little wish.
A
She didn't do that.
B
Well, maybe she'll come back.
A
Rap Chase. Hooie wonders. Also spent 2025 on a TV show. Havana Rose Liu, who I think is very good in this movie with another person who we did not include. Leo Woodall in Tuner.
B
Right.
A
And I hope it really works out for those two. And I believe in them. Leo Woodall definitely has the. He's got the look. He's got the look of a dude. You know what I mean?
B
He does.
A
He could be a player. Isabel May was recently the daughter in Scream 7 and she is from the extended Taylor Sheridan universe. Okay, she's not here.
B
Congratulations.
A
Nicholas Galitzin.
B
I wondered why you didn't put it on, but it's because Masters of the Universe hasn't come out yet. Well, and I see, by the way, that you've just Written me off. Masters of the Universe episode.
A
Yeah. I'm happy to announce I'll be doing that episode with Griffin Newman. It will be probably the most normal episode of all time. Griffin, of course, did voice Orko from one of the he man series adaptations.
B
And I know it's you, and you have your thing.
A
I think if it's a disaster of a movie which is in play, I don't want your negativity. I need to be protected by a safe space, and I'm viewing Griffin in this case.
B
But you don't think I can't just ask you about he man for a
A
while in the next episode, if you choose to see it? I'm not sure you're going to get anything out of Masters of the Universe. I don't think I am either. Although your sons may want to come see it with me.
B
I mean, you're welcome to take my sons anytime, for however many hours you want. Sai has like a. I don't really know anything about he man, but Sy has a bruiser he man quality by
A
the power of Grayskull. Yeah, he does. He is like Adam.
B
And he's veering towards the haircut also, you know, because the dang Sting.
A
Nicholas Galatzin. Maybe he should be on where you
B
want to put him.
A
Well, Red, White and Blue is very big. Red, White and Blue two is coming out.
B
Yes.
A
I don't think Masters of the Universe is going to hit. I could be wrong, but it is a big Amazon movie idea of you. The idea of you. Obviously, he was the star of that opposite Anne Hathaway. And I think he has one other big project coming up. Can you help me out figure out what that is?
B
I just stopped at Googling his age. Oh, he's in the Sheep Detectives. Is that what you were thinking about?
A
I was thinking of that. I'm not sure if that means he should be on the list, but I
B
was thinking of that. And he's also apparently in the new Peter Berg movie. The Mosquito Bull.
A
Yes.
B
Is that what you were thinking of?
A
That's a sports movie, and I think he's the star. Is he the star of that film?
B
Yes.
A
Shoot. Galitzin. What do you think?
C
I thought Masters of the Universe trailer looked abhorrent, so I personally would be out, but I think the case is compelling.
A
Okay. Thank you for that, Jack. I will keep him off for now, but you could say that maybe we screwed that up. Hannah Einbender from Hacks. We gotta see it first. She's the star of Teenage Sex and Death at Cam Miasma, the new Jane Schoenbrun movie. She's also starring in a movie that just premiered at south by a romantic drama, I think, and has.
B
Sorry, I was distracted because I was just reading the cast of Sheep Detectives, which I'm just really excited.
A
Feel free to share it.
B
No, I closed it. Now I'm focused. But Devil Prada May 1st and then Sheep detectives May 8th is just really amenable, you know?
A
Is Sheep Detectives something you're interested in?
B
No. And also, remember when we saw it at Cinema Comics and we were like, is this a joke? This was part of the famous Amazon presentation, which is late at night. So I was drunk.
A
Yes.
B
So. And then Emma Thompson did a whole. Did a reel from like a random street in London where there was someone carrying luggage over cobblestones. Do you remember this?
A
I do remember this. Yeah.
B
Yeah. I can't believe that's a real movie.
A
Movie's coming out in one month.
B
I'm pretty excited.
A
Okay. You know, I put Charli XCX on the list and you took her off.
B
I did.
A
I thought it was a funny bit.
B
Oh, do you have Charli XCX on the list? No. I do too, but we just. We don't have room here. We have to be.
A
She's doing a lot of acting though.
B
I know she's making her foray into movies and I think she's very good. And he really, really liked the moment. We watched A Hard Day's Night at Home last night at my house and I was like, oh, this is, you know, the moment is like in the grand tradition of this sort of thing, I'm very pro. But we just had to make room for other things over the last.
A
If you go back to last December all the way until this fall. So in a 12 month period, she will have appeared in not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, but seven films.
B
Sure.
A
Now she's only the star of one or two of them.
B
And how widely seen are any of those?
A
Not very.
B
We don't know.
A
I mean, Faces of Death comes out this weekend. She has a small supporting part in that movie. I don't know if the Gallerist yet received distribution after Sundance got some not very nice reviews, I would say. Cathy Yan's new movie, the Moment, that was a niche hit for the Amanda's of the world.
B
I enjoyed it. I'm very pro. I just think that we have to make room other places because she's a woman.
A
Yeah, there are a lot of women on our list. Lewis, pullman yeah. Hmm. Is this a mistake to not include Lewis Pullman? Is Lewis Pullman well known? He was a presenter at the Academy
B
Awards this year with his dad.
A
Yes.
B
Yeah. So.
A
So you're saying it's a Nepo thing. We should not include him because Nepos are not allowed on the list.
B
Their bit was about being a Nepo baby, if I recall.
A
That was quite painful.
B
Yeah. Not all of the bits were well written at the Oscars. He's wonderful. But I think this is another one. So he was in Thunderbolts and. Very good in Thunderbolts.
A
He's gonna.
B
And he's. Well, sure.
A
He's gonna be a big part of Doomsday, I think.
B
Yeah. But is Doomsday out yet?
A
No.
B
No, it's not. And then he was in Testament of an Lee in a supporting role. He was very good in that. But, like, you and I and four other people saw it. That's great. Wait, can we share the bit about how the Testament of Anley choreographer is the mean wedding instructor in the drama? It's perfect casting.
A
It's a brilliant salute.
B
Everyone involved.
A
Brilliant gag.
B
I just. I think it's happening, but not quite yet.
A
Okay.
B
I'm a big fan.
A
I've thought of someone else.
B
Okay. Kaia Gerber, speaking of. Yeah.
A
Not a star and yet weirdly very famous and has been in a bunch of movies. Has a small role in two movies that are coming out this month. She's in Outcome, the new Jonah Hill streaming movie which will be randomly appearing on Apple TV on Friday. And Mother Mary.
B
I'm a huge fan.
A
Okay.
B
But I. She's just. She's doing kind of like the Charlie XCX thing, but without even being at the center of the frame, which is just. She has good taste and is showing up randomly in cool movies.
A
Okay.
B
She won't be a very successful model you want.
A
Is she? How do you know that? You've seen her.
B
She's doing this. And she has. And she has a very successful book club that's very rigorous.
A
What was the last book that they read?
B
I don't know. Let's Google it together. But it's like, it's stuff. Both she and Dua Lipa are picking stuff where I'm like, that is way too hard.
A
What are we talking, like, William Gaddis? What are we talking about here?
B
I mean, Dua Lipa, it's not too hard. But she did like Marilynne Robinson recently. And I was like, I don't want to cry.
A
That's great.
B
No, it's Wonderful. I'm not negging any of it. I'm just kind of. Let's see. Kaia Gerber. Book Club, Library Science. Okay, what are we doing? Is this the most recent one? Ruins Child. This is independent publishing. I mean, listen, these are deep cuts.
A
Giada Scolidario.
B
That looks great.
A
Scoda Yarrow. Okay. Library Science. That's the name of her show.
B
This is the name of the book club. Yes. And that's the April book.
A
It's just a club. There's no podcast attached to it.
B
I believe that there is.
A
Is it a club that has a limited number of members?
B
You know what? I'm not a member, so I don't know. Let's find out. But. Oh, so Hamnet was a couple months ago. I did read that. Okay, but these are not.
A
Jamie Quatro. Stephanie La Cava. Sure, I know these writers. Yeah, that's cool. Stefan Zweig.
B
This is what I'm saying.
A
Eve Babbitts.
B
Yeah. The Rachel Kong book. That's exciting. Ellen Martyr. I've been wanting to read this.
A
This is real hipster millennial taste right here.
B
I know, but it's serious stuff.
A
Okay. Jane Fonda's memoir.
B
Sure.
A
Oh, I mean, listen, Gia Tolentino.
B
I mean, sure, we need to. We need to do a book club with Jane Fonda's memoir. It's so good.
A
Me and you.
B
Yeah.
A
Haven't read it.
B
It's crazy stuff. Anyway.
A
All right, well, sorry to Kaya Gerber. Seems like she's got other things going on. She doesn't need us. By the Numbers, we have 17 new entrants to this list, which is a lot. There are more women than men.
B
Yeah. Which, as I said, is. Is how Hollywood works, where we take them seriously at the age of 25 and then cast them off forever. We're part of the problem.
A
I'm always solving problems. If you listen to me consistently on this show, especially at the top of show, I'll say, here's what's happening. Here's what I think it means. Act accordingly. And if people want to listen, that's great.
B
Do you find that they listen?
A
You'd be surprised. You'd be surprised.
B
All right, here's the real question. Do you find that I listen well?
A
That I know doesn't happen. Well, that was kind of by design, right? I was like, let me get somebody who hates. But then they'll be more excited about my opinions because they know it'll already be pre negged so they don't have to neg for me. This is all. This is industrial design. Okay, that's what I'll say.
B
That's beautiful. You are, you know, you're the true puppet master.
A
One last name I want to throw your way before we get into the 35. Cooper Hoffman. This isn't the good actors list, Right. Once upon a time, somebody who worked on the Social Team here put this up and was like, here are the 35 best actors under 35. And everybody was like, you guys should kill yourselves because these are not the. The 35 best actors.
B
And that's the only time that's happened.
A
That one was particularly difficult because obviously movie stardom is what we're talking about here. But Cooper Hoffman did star in the Long Walk last year and very much carried the film with David Johnson, the industry star. And he's going to be in Greg Araki's new movie, I Want yout Sex, opposite Olivia Wilde and Charlie xcx. I think he also has the look, so to speak. Obviously also from a lineage of great acting. He's not here.
B
Did you know he's an artificial?
A
I did, yes.
B
He's playing Greg Brockman, co founder of OpenAI.
A
Yes, of course. And I definitely knew that.
B
Well, I thought after you watched your one AI documentary and you're like the
A
expert, you know, that man's name did not come up.
B
Okay.
A
There's a lot of. So Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. Listen, those sound like fake names.
B
Here's what I'm doing is I have. I'm hovering the cursor over his name on the artificial page and reading the like pop up biography. So his screenshot, his Wikipedia photo is him with a tiny Britney mic staring off into the distance looking very solemn. And then it says he's co founder and president of OpenAI. He began his career at Stripe in 2010 and he left in 2015 to co found OpenAI. Okay, good luck.
A
Greg Brockman and Sam Altman has tremendous Dirk Diggler and Reed Rothschild energy is all I'm saying. Yeah, those are great names. All right, should we do the list? Yeah. Any final.
B
Is artificial going to be at Venice?
A
In all likelihood.
B
I just got to book that trouble.
A
What happened last time you saw a Luca Guadagnino movie at Venice?
B
I got stuck in the rain for 45 minutes because someone I won't name who needed to make sure the sound levels were just right before letting us all in. It's okay.
A
Number 35 is I.O. deborah.
B
Yeah.
A
Now, I strongly considered taking I.O. off the list. I.O. was at number as was on the List last year. Yeah, she had a tough year. She did a lot of work. She was present. She starred in our buddy Mark Anthony Green's opus.
B
Yes.
A
She also in the King of After the Hunt. Yes. Appeared in after the Hunt. Unsuccessfully, I would say.
B
Yeah.
A
And she appeared in Ella McKay. Not her fault, but truly the weirdest part of Ella McKay to me was her subplot that felt kind of beamed in from another planet.
B
I also didn't know that she was going to be in it, so had a certain element of surprise.
A
Okay.
B
Um. Yeah, it's just a lot of swings on paper.
A
Good swings. Yeah.
B
And this happens sometimes that it's just things don't pan out for you, box office wise, critically, whatever. But so we have traditionally used spot 35 for, you know, as. As kind of like a thank you and. And a good luck and. And we'll see a real on the edge person, but also someone who really made a go. And I like that. IO. Edebari tried. And she is also very much like. She is still the star part. She seems like she has a real public consciousness now. A lot of that is because of the bear and a lot of that is because she's like, very beautiful and has embraced the fashion world. I think she has a Chanel partnership.
A
Do you?
B
I wish, man. Meryl Streep was wearing new Chanel today on the Devil Wears Prada tour.
A
When you were like, today, I thought you meant, like, I'd found coffee.
B
No, no, no, no. I just, you know, because she. It's interesting. She and Anne Hathaway are doing like the international photo call thing and they're really going for it. And I had this moment this morning where I was like, oh, now I'm in the phase of life where I want Meryl's outfit more than I want Annie's outfit. But in this case it's because she was wearing new Chanel. Chanel's very big right now. Don't have Matthew Blasi. I don't know you. You up on any of this.
A
I mean, you make it sound like Chanel was like down bad for 10 years or something because it's fucking Chanel. Like they're still. They're going to always be that shit was ugly Window at North Central.
B
Remember Margaret Qualley's outfits in the Glen Powell movie that we both like. The John Patton Ford movie.
A
Yes.
B
There was like, very tacky Chanel that on purpose.
A
How to Make a Killing.
B
How to Make a Killing. Good movie. Liked it. Anyway, that is old Chanel. This is New Chanel.
A
I owe Debris.
B
She has new Chanel, but she has not had a lot of luck at the box office, so she will be number 35.
A
She's appearing next in what looks like a supporting part in Clarissa, which is Ari and Chuko series adaptation. Reimagining of Mrs. Dalloway. Have you read Mrs. Dalloway?
B
25 years ago.
A
Okay. I've never read it. Virginia Woolf novel.
B
Oh, God. I have to rewatch the Hours.
A
I don't.
B
You're not gonna rewatch it.
A
Why would I rewatch the Hours?
B
I don't know. Because we're doing Meryl's to every one was enough. Same. But I don't know.
A
No, I don't.
B
The opening shot of her with a giant, giant bouquet of flowers is very big on Instagram. Anyway.
A
Okay, thanks for sharing. IO doesn't really have a whole lot planned beyond that. There's been talk that she's maybe making a Barney movie. Barney the purple dinosaur. In the spirit of the Barbie reimagining, but we'll see. Interesting pivot point for her career. Number 34. Do you want to read these every other. Do you want to go back and forth?
B
Austin Abrams.
A
Yeah. So my guy. My guy from Weapons who played the
B
addict, he's your guy, but he's really Chris Ryan's guy.
A
He is Chris Ryan's guy. Yeah. He has a very, very big year coming because he is the star of Zach Kreger's Resident Evil. Have you followed any of the news around the Resident Evil movie?
B
Just that those of you who are very excited for it are gonna get exactly what you want. There is.
A
There was some news about a test screening. Here are the phrases that were thrown out there. The Mad Max Fury road of horror movies and 90 minutes long.
B
I'm a huge admirer of Zach Kreger.
A
Let's go, baby. Let's go.
B
You guys deserve to have nice things, too.
A
It's so exciting. He's also gonna be in an original movie called Whale Fall from Brian Duffield, which comes out in the fall as well. And can I give you a really weird person who he reminds me of a little bit?
B
I thought you were gonna read the premise of Whalefall to me. Do you know what it is?
A
No. You should read it. I do, but I can't remember.
B
A scuba diver. Austin Abrams, searching for his father's remains in the ocean, is swallowed by a sperm whale, leaving him an hour to find a way to escape. So it's like escape Room. Job.
A
Correct job. Jonah.
B
No, Jonah. Jonah. Jonah. Yes, thank you. Sorry. That's what you mean. I know I'm gonna get kicked off Faith.
A
Go away.
B
I'm gonna get kicked off Women Wednesday.
A
You let go of the Christian rope and you begin. Forget these. These allegories, these tales that mean so much to our culture. Whalefall sounds really interesting. It sounds like a complicated movie to make. Resident Evil sounds incredible. No, the person Austin Abrams reminds me of, weirdly.
B
If you're inside a whale, are you swimming? Or you, like, does gravity work when you're swallowed by a whale? Like, but just production.
A
If you're not watching on video. You gotta see Sean's reaction on that one. Welcome to Amanda Dobbins Science Corner.
B
Is there water in the whale that he's swimming? Is there gravity? Like, what does it do to your center of gravity? Like, are you just walking around? Is it just, like, on a stage? Because he's just, like, in the. But then, is it moving?
A
I don't know. What are you. Are you asking about the production of the film?
B
Yes, I'm asking, like, what environment?
A
Brian Duckfield in September when he comes on the podcast.
B
I know what happens when you get swallowed by a whale. Like, are you also floating? Like, are you lighter? Are you subject to the, you know, that atmospheric pressure of the whale or of the ocean?
A
I gotta tell you, save it for woman Wednesdays. Like, what is this?
B
Excuse me, that's called Science Corner.
A
No, you're like. You think you're in the, like, what is her legend territory, but you're actually asking unanswerable questions. Like, I could never know what you're asking.
B
Maybe I. Again, Science Corner is just a conversation starter. What do you think?
A
I have no idea. I tell you what, more pertinently, I don't care.
B
Okay. Wow.
A
Austin Abrams.
B
Austin Abrams. I care about your work.
A
The actor that he reminds me of is Tom Hanks. I'm just going to put that out there. I've been trying to stay for the last five minutes, and he does, and so I'm happy that he's on this list. Number 33, McKenna Grace.
B
Yeah.
A
She's 19 years old. This is a swing. This is a swing. Is McKenna Grace a bigger star than Cailee Spaeny? In my opinion, she's not well, but
B
regretting you scream seven and she's in the new Hunger Games.
A
Yes.
B
You know.
A
Yes. And Five Nights at Freddy's two. She's been in a lot of very. She's been seen a lot in movies. That's a way to put it. I'm sorry.
B
Just okay. I'm, like, imagining McKenna Grace. Number 33. Way to go. I saw these movies.
A
Literally 32 more of these to get through.
B
I'm just imagining how big is the whale? How do you get from top to bottom? I think there's some childhood book illustrations floating through my head right now, but I'm focused on McKenna Grace and the hunger.
A
I thought the whale's name was Job.
B
Jonah. I was like, pretty close. That's not the whale. That's the man swallowed by the whale. I know that.
A
Yes, that's correct. Have you seen Pinocchio?
B
Which one?
A
Walt Disney's?
B
Yeah, a long time ago. He gets swallowed by a whale.
A
Are you serious?
B
Oh, I don't remember. I remember his nose. I remember Guillermo del Toro made him a fascist.
A
Swallowed by Monstro.
B
I remember Chow Papa.
A
Okay. All right. Well, you got some book learning to do. McKenna Grace, I think, is a good pick. I'm not sure if at the expense of Cailee Spa it makes sense, but she's in the Ghostbusters films, obviously, as well. She played Egon Spengler's granddaughter. Is that correct?
B
Yes.
A
Been in a lot of franchise stuff.
B
Yeah, but you need one of these. One of these people who is just kind of like, yes, I will be the shiny face of every single thing that. That makes a decent amount of money.
A
I generally agree.
C
77 acting credits by 19 is absurd.
A
That's scary. Wow. What a workhorse. Those are LeBron numbers. Number 32, Miles Caton. Okay, so he's incredible in Sinners.
B
Yeah.
A
He got a SAG nomination. He performed magnificently at the Academy Awards. He is a musician and has no acting credits lined up after Sinners. How do we feel about this?
B
Well, you don't want to stick him into just anything that's bad. I think we would feel worse if he had, like, McKenna Grace's lineup coming up. You know, Malz Gaten now in, like, five nights at Belly.
A
I think he might be playing the whale in Whalefall. I think they've been trying to keep that under wraps, but I.
B
So you want them to have, like, an actual music movie or something where they can use his particular talent. On the other hand, like, it's been almost a year since Sinners came out, so get on it.
A
Agreed. Number 31, Ava Victor.
B
Yes.
A
So they burst onto the scene with Sorry Baby.
B
Yeah.
A
They're gonna be in Teenage Sex and Death of Camp Miasma and also Behemoth. Very promising. I'm wondering, do you think Ava Victor will be a lead performer or a supporting character? In most of the work that they do,
B
has great character, actor shows up, steals three to four scenes energy, and then also can keep writing their own material like Sorry Baby for themselves. So you could see a world in which Ava Victor just shows up, keeps the lights on, keeps doing interesting stuff in other places and then writes their own work.
A
Yeah, interesting. I'm very curious where Ava Victor's career goes. Okay, number 30, chase infinity.
B
Yeah.
A
25 years old, has only appeared in one film and one streaming television series. Snubbed her an Academy award nomination. In my opinion, 1000% probably should have gone into supporting. That's just me. No.
B
Who won supporting?
A
Amy Madigan. Oh, yeah. No, they didn't want her to compete against Teyana Taylor.
B
Yeah, I think that was good. She was fine.
A
She's got a new film coming out called the Julius set.
B
Yeah.
A
She's also about to appear or maybe is already appearing on a Hulu show. Here's a weird question to ask while making a list like this in which she appears, but is she going to make it?
B
I hope so. I think it's as great like a launch in one battle after another as you can ask for. And I think that no one knows how to use actors quite like Paul Thomas Anderson. And he creates a very special place. But if you think about all of the people who have been featured in his films, they do find other landing places.
A
Yeah, I'm thinking of other people on our list who had incredible debuts like this. Yeah. I don't want to spoil any names, but we'll leave this up as we go through some of these conversations because there's a couple people who she reminds me of a little bit. This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Upsizing to a large popcorn. Smart move staying for the post credit sequence. Smart move finding ways to be financially savvy. Very smart move. Maybe the smartest, especially when you choose to bundle home and auto with help from one of State Farm's 19,000 local agents. Bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. Okay, number 29, Barbie Ferreira. This is kind of a reach, but it's a well timed reach. She is about to star in two movies in two weeks. She's the lead in Faces of Death, which comes out on Friday. And then she's also the lead in Mile and Kicks, which comes out on the 17th she was in Bob Trevino likes it last year. A well liked indie. She was previously on Euphoria. She's been in. Nope. I just. I feel, I. I feel. I feel a vibe.
B
This is your pick. This is. This is kind of where Cailee Spaeny was. This is where Charli XCX was in this range. And you take some swings again. Timing does play a factor in when we do this episode and when we release this list. But I buy it and I guess we'll see in a week or two. But right now.
A
Also a model.
B
There you go. I mean everyone's a model now. You're a model.
A
Am.
B
I mean your, your image and your Alex Mill shirts are regularly featured visually across social media and Netflix. So you know, it's really just a mindset.
A
Am I being compensated for that work?
B
Well, that's a larger conversation, isn't it?
A
Okay. 28. Dominic Sessa. Dominic Sessa, best known for his work and now you See me now youw Don't. As well as the Holdovers, his big breakthrough in the Alexander Payne film a few years back. And he will soon portray Anthony Bourdain in Matt Johnson's Tony. Total gut reaction. Will Tony be an Oscars movie?
B
I don't think so.
A
Okay.
B
Because I think I'm nervous about it. Not that I like everybody involved. I really like Matt Johnson. I obviously liked Anthony Bourdain. I like Dominic Sessa. Who else is in it that I'm forgetting?
A
I know.
B
Okay. But it's such a thorny subject and then it feels. If you're gonna do an unconventional biopic, it seems like an awkward situation in which to be doing that.
A
It's a great cast. Leo Woodall, also in the film. Antonio Banderas, Emilia Jones and Stavros Halkias. Stavy baby.
B
I like it. But I think that it won't hit the traditional biopic range. That gets you your Judy Oscar.
A
Okay.
B
And on the other side of things, I don't know how it's going to be.
A
I hope it will be as good as Judy. Jesus. I think another dude who's got the look who needs good material. But I thought he fit in pretty well in the big shiny dumb third. Now you see me movie.
B
He was very charismatic. Yeah.
A
Yeah. Number 27. Also a vibes pick. I'll say. But I like the pick. Emily Bader. Who we saw. Who I saw, not for the first time, if someone reminded me that people we meet on vacation, which was her big breakthrough, is not the first time I ever saw her the first time I ever saw her was in Paranormal Activity, Next of Kin, which she was the star of, which was, I think, the Amish set Paranormal Activity movie directed by William Eubank, one of the great underrated program directors. She's got two movies coming out, the 99ers, in which she's playing Mia Hamm in the biopic of the U.S. women's soccer team, and is apparently gonna be in a remake of Thirteen going on
B
30 for Netflix, which was met with a lot of hand wringing among the 13 going on 30 conversation.
A
Like community, do you consider yourself.
B
I'm not a member of that community, so I respect Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo immensely. But they can remake.
A
You respect them immensely.
B
Immensely. Immensely.
A
I think I've seen it. I think I've seen it.
B
It's just. It's not one of my ones. I think I was a little too old when it happened.
A
You were neither 13 nor 30.
B
Correct.
A
So we saw her at the DGAs, and I was just like, God damn. That's pretty much why she's on this list. She's just very striking and has something that is extremely rare, I think, in actors, which is I will call a Sandra Bullock quality. She's not the hottest actress ever. She's not. Maybe not Meryl Streep, but she has a kind of very relatable normality.
B
Yeah. While also being really, really pretty.
A
She's beautiful, but. And I'm not trying to reduce that, but there's something very regular about her, something common seeming in a good way that I think makes it very easy for her to plug into modern stories. And so I'm curious to see her, you know, taking on a biopic role. That's a different kind of acting. Maybe she's got more arrows in her quiver than I know about, but I think we both were pretty impressed with her.
B
She's instantly relatable to the point that at the. At the DGA's, she was in the bathroom at the same time. And I almost reached out to her. Just be like, you were so great, which I don't know that person. And I don't like talking to celebrities. I like. I really don't like talking to people, but there is something. She has, like, a connection with audiences. So I think it's a good pick.
A
Okay. Number 26 is Bad Bunny.
B
Yeah.
A
Bad Bunny is a superstar. Yes. He's appeared in multiple films. Now, it seems like if he wanted to do this, between his work in Caught stealing, Happy Gilmore 2, Bullet Train, and also his work in the WWE and on Saturday Night Live.
B
Yeah.
A
He probably could just act in comedies and, I guess in action movies to some extent. And he does have a film coming called Puerto Rico. It's like a little bit of a cheeky pick, but maybe not as much as I think it is. I don't think it could definitely happen.
B
He was the best part of Happy Gilmore, too. I watched the whole thing. He's really good. He obviously has a ton of presence, and he's sort of that thing where he has a huge audience from. From music, from wrestling, from just from all the other things that he does where it's like, oh, we put a very famous person in this movie. But to your point, he backs it up every single time. So I think it works. This is sort of. This is. Taylor Swift is no longer eligible, but this is the Taylor Swift spot.
A
It certainly is. Okay, 25. A late ad.
B
Yes.
A
Which I feel good about. It's Aaron Pierre. Now, if it were merely on the strength of Rebel Ridge, I think it would have been a debatable pick. He's done some voice work in Mufasa, the Lion King, and in Goat. He was on the Underground Railroad series adaptation. His next three things are really fucking big. So he's in Star Wars, Starfighter, the new Gosling movie, by the way. Gosling out of the Daniels movie. You saw that?
B
I did. I saw that.
A
What do you think happened there?
B
I think that it was announced, and
A
then, like, 36 hours later, he was out.
B
I think some people really wanted him to be in it.
A
They jumped the gun.
B
Yeah. And so they announced it, hoping that it would work out.
A
Interesting. Nevertheless, Aaron Pierre will be in Starfighter. He'll also be in man of Tomorrow, the next Superman movie. And he's going to be on the streaming series Lanterns. Now, I assume you did not listen to the house of our hypedraft.
B
I love you all, but no.
A
Okay. I was on that episode. I selected lanterns. I think I selected lanterns.
B
Tell me more about Lanterns.
A
Lanterns is so.
B
A man is swallowed by a whale.
A
Damon Lindelof, adapting the Green Lantern story from DC Comic Books. Do you know about the lanterns? They're an interstellar core of crime fighters and superheroes. They have rings. Those rings.
B
And are they different colors?
A
Create anything that they can imagine with their mind.
B
But how powerful are their minds?
A
Well, it's a good question. It does come up over the years in the comic book, the TV series, which stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as two canonical. I think they're playing Hal and John two Very famous lanterns, but it's pitched as a true detective style kind of boots on the ground crime show. But then they also have these rings where they can make green superpower stuff. And my take on that episode was like, they better be fucking lanterning. Like, if it is just like a gritty, like, you know, Logan style, like, we're just out here solving crimes thing. Big fucking problem for me.
B
So all the lanterns are green?
A
All the lanterns are green.
B
It's not like a. There may be some captain situation where you're like. You get. Or, like, mighty.
A
I'm not a lantern expert.
B
Okay. That's not like a Power Rangers.
A
I'm not a Lanternite. I like the Green Lantern comic book series, but I'm not an expert.
B
And historically, the movies have been quite bad.
A
Well, there's only been one film.
B
Okay.
A
And it stars Ryan Reynolds, and it's.
B
Right, and that inspired the crucial Bill Simmons article about movie stars, right? That's correct.
A
Yes. And hilariously, after that piece was written, Ryan Reynolds turned into perhaps the single largest movie star of his generation. Yeah. I think Bill's summation there was like, this guy doesn't got it, I'm sorry to say. And you can make the case that he doesn't got it, but he has. He has managed to transform himself into a very, very popular person. Aaron Pierre. That's a TV show. That's not even a movie. But being in these two big movies and then hopefully things with the mold of Rebel Ridge and then famously. Rebel Ridge. He wasn't supposed to be in that movie. It was John Boyega, I remember, and he left the film and Aaron Pierre replaced him, and he is phenomenal in that movie. So again, some vibes picks going here. We're starting to.
B
Green Lantern Corps.
A
Corps, yes. C O R, P. Yeah, but it's not a corporation.
B
No, no, I know, but it's Green Lantern.
A
Green Lantern.
B
So they're all green?
A
Yes.
B
Okay.
A
Yes, they're all green.
C
If you could lantern any item, what would it be?
A
Well, they're impermanent with lanterns, like, so, like.
B
But how impermanent?
A
Probably the heartbreak Kid on 4K. Elaine May's masterpiece.
B
But then it goes away.
A
But just to watch it one time.
B
Okay.
A
And then I feel good about that.
B
Okay.
A
What would you. Lantern.
B
The Chanel dress that Meryl Streep wore this morning. Cause I can just wear it and then it goes away, right?
A
Yeah, yeah. Okay.
B
I know. I really want. I want to get some Prada stuff to wear for the Prada. The Devil Wears Prada two episodes.
A
Okay.
B
But it's like, you know, it can't just be Prada. It has to, like, say Prada or else no one will get it, you know? So then that is a whole thing. I'm not gonna get there in time.
A
Is this. You're just really hoping that a brand coordinator from Prada really likes movies or something? No one from.
B
No one from Prada knows what a podcast is, and it should stay that way. That's what makes Prada Prada.
A
That's very funny and also not true. Okay, Aaron Pierre at 25. Number 24 is Mia Goth. Yeah, we almost forgot Mia. I take responsibility. Yeah, Mia, one of my gals, somebody I've been repping for for a long time on this show.
B
But you, you were a little hesitant. Cause I texted you last night and I said, we forgot Mia Goth. We gotta put Mia on. And you said, I don't know. You said, I'm a little worried about Maxxine.
A
Well, the post Maxine thing, it didn't spike. I thought it was gonna be bigger. I thought that movie would have been a little bit more of a thing, considering how much love there was for Pearl and X beforehand. Didn't totally pop. Now, obviously, she was in Frankenstein, which was very widely seen. I thought not her best performance in Frankenstein. Didn't love that character.
B
Take it up with Mary Shelley.
A
Well, it's not the most faithful adaptation. Nevertheless, she also has a huge roster of films coming up, including Star Wars, Starfighter, and this summer, she's in the Odyssey.
B
Right. So the Odyssey test, It's a minor character, but I didn't check to see whether if you're in the Odyssey and eligible, you're on this list. But I do think we're pretty close to that.
A
Almost everybody who's gonna be in the Odyssey sub 35 is on the list.
B
Yeah, I think so.
A
I love her. I think she's great. You know, I don't know if anybody's going to the movies to go see Mia Goth, but when I'm at a movie and Mia Goth shows up, I'm like, hey, now, what's going on here? What's happening with this kooky lady? So happy to have her.
B
She's always really good.
A
She is. I think she's really figured out what her thing is in movies. Number 23, new entrant Dylan O', Brien, who, you know, perhaps we've been overlooking a little bit in previous episodes, but since 2024, has appeared in Saturday Night, where he was terrific as Dan Aykroyd Twinless, where he played twins. Anniversary. You still haven't seen Anniversary, have you?
B
No.
A
Okay, Anniversary pod coming soon. Send help. One of the nice surprises of the year. And then he's got a bunch of new projects coming up, including Apparatus Being Human, which is Sean Hader's follow up to Coda, coming out later this year. Potentially an Oscars film. And I don't know what Marceau is. What is Marceau? So, Dylan o', Brien, is it a Marcel Marceau biopic?
B
Let's see.
A
Famed mime.
B
This is. Yes, it is.
A
Are you being serious? Is he playing Marcel Marceau?
B
Yo, I'm reading you the IMDb thing.
A
I just plucked that out.
B
This is the true story of Marcel Marceau and his involvement in Nazi Germany, the French Resistance.
A
There you go.
B
Sick. Oh, Mark Strahan is the other person in here. He's playing Gaston. Don't know who he is, except he's
A
Gaston from the Beauty and the Beast.
B
Wow, that sounds great.
A
Who's directing this movie?
B
David Petrarca.
A
David Petryka.
B
Petrarca.
A
Petrarcha.
B
The director of. Yeah, it seems TV director. And this might be first feature.
A
Let me ask you this. Where are you at on mimes?
B
I appreciate the craft. A little weirded out by it.
A
Okay, good to know. Number 22, Daisy Edgar Jones.
B
Yeah, this is one where I was like, I don't know. And then I pulled up to the the credits and I was like, oh, yeah. Daisy Edgar Jones is in a lot of hits.
A
Hollywood is booking her right now as well. She has the Sense and Sensibility adaptation coming up later this year. She has Here Comes the Flood, which is the new Denzel Robert Pattinson crime movie. She is going to be in A Place in Hell, which is Nick winning Refn's new movie, which is probably going to Cannes. You know, she had those crawdads singing, right? She did that. She was twisting twisters, twisting round Glen Powell. You know, I think jury's out on whether she's good, but she's.
B
I've had a good time in all of these movies.
A
Yeah, Fresh.
B
Which people always want us to talk about.
A
Yeah, I saw it. Sebastian Stan.
B
Yeah, that was a film.
A
Saw it at Sundance 2022. I think during COVID It was all right. She is not quite at that. Like, oh, Daisy Edgar Jones is in this. I'll go check that out. Yeah, but.
B
But it's also more of these.
A
She's more of the twisters. And then all of a sudden.
B
Well, but she's also of the association where you're like. Oh, and Daisy Edgar Jones was also in that. She's reliable. She's like a safe pair of movie star hands.
A
Yes, yes. Okay. Number 21 is Barak Yogan.
B
Yes.
A
Now, we've just seen his work in the Immortal man, the Peaky Blinders film.
B
Sure. And crime 101 where he's doing a similar thing.
A
Yes.
B
I mean, a different. He's cast in a similar role.
A
Yes.
B
They meet, without spoiling things, different ends.
A
Did you see Hurry Up Tomorrow, Trey? Edward Schulz's film about the Weeknd starring Jenna Ortega.
B
What? Wait, the Weeknd?
A
You know, the pop star? Yeah. Hurry Up Tomorrow. You're not familiar with this film? Came out last year.
B
Oh, I do remember this. No, I never saw it.
A
Do you remember when the Weeknd performed for us at Cinemacon last year to promote this movie?
B
I do. That's. I do remember that.
A
That was very strange. She did a three song mini concert for thousands of movie theater executives.
B
No, no, no, I wasn't there yet. You were texting me live from it. Because it was the Lionsgate presentation and I was on the plane.
A
The film was not a success. But Barry Keoghan was sort of like the Weeknd's manager in the movie, kind of doing a similar performance. I'm a little worried about him doing one note. Yeah. Banshees of Inisheron is of course different. And I want to see that Barry more also Ringo. You know, he'll be Ringo.
B
Ringo. And coming.
A
He'll be Ringo, which I think is good casting.
B
Yeah.
A
He's gonna be in The Batman Part
B
2. Who is he?
A
Batman? No, he was the Joker in the Batman. He was the guy in the cell in Arkham Asylum.
B
That was Barry Keoghan, like at the end. Yeah, but remember when I had to text you being like, who was that at the end of the Batman?
A
Yeah. When you asked that were.
B
You said that was the Joker. But I. Well, if I didn't know it was the Joker, how would I know that was Barry Cogan? As I couldn't see.
A
You have any. You have the computer that you just type things into.
B
No, no, no.
A
You had been more like you just looked up whaleful.
B
Well, that's true, but I had forgotten that that was sort of a block on. I watched that movie over four nights on like two hours of sleep.
A
The Bad Man, a good film.
B
He's very tall, that Batman. So I'm rooting for him.
A
Barry Keoghan, interesting moment in his career. You know, Saltburn. That was a thing.
B
Yeah, I liked It.
A
You did well.
B
I had a good time. That's different.
A
I didn't. I thought it was bad.
B
I know.
A
Number 20 is Micah Monroe. Not in my wildest dreams would I have thought this would happen. I thought she was going to be relegated to the indie final Girl dustbin. And she's making moves right now, you know, Love to see it. She obviously had a huge breakout with Long Legs, which was a huge horror hit. We just discussed her work in Reminders of Him, which I thought was not her strongest, but I like that she's trying to branch out. No, definitely not her fault.
B
Yeah. It's the material.
A
She has a very big couple of years coming. She's going to be in a horror movie later this year called Victorian Psycho. And then next year I believe she'll be in they Follow, which is the sequel to her big breakthrough. It follows David Robert Mitchell's movie and he's back to direct the sequel. 32 years old at it. Also at a turning point for actresses who have done the kind of work that she does.
B
Reminders of Him. Box office right now. Let's take a look.
A
I'm gonna guess it's at 37.
B
It is at 45 domestic.
A
Nice.
B
And 33 international.
A
So creeping towards 100.
B
There you go.
A
Creeping towards a hundred.
B
Okay. So that worked out for her.
A
I mean, that movie must have been very cheap to make. Right. We got Bradley Whitford's quote. We got Lauren Graham's quote. We got. Who else's quote?
B
Are they in North Carolina? Where are they? Are they in? No, they're in. No, they're not in North Carolina. They're in Colorado because. Where. His land, you know, where he's building the house and he's.
C
I'm. I'm looking at Wyoming.
B
Oh, interesting. Okay.
A
Man love Wyoming. Beautiful, beautiful country. Beautiful part of the world.
B
Where did. Where do we think they actually filmed it, though?
C
Alberta, Canada, Calgary.
B
Okay, well, there you go. So they got those tax breaks.
A
Canada, too. Number 19, 31 years old. Saoirse Ronan.
B
Yes.
A
Now, it's been a quiet stretch.
B
She got married. Believe they had a kid.
A
Yes. Foe, the Outrun and Blitz all didn't turn out the way that we had expected.
B
No.
A
She was pretty high on this list last time. In fact, while you're vamping, I'm gonna look up just a little bit.
B
She is one of the great actresses of her generation and has that sort of like, Meryl Streep esque quality. I mean, she's been nominated for. Is it four or five Oscars?
A
Under four.
B
Yeah, four. But I think that was like four at age 27 or something. It's real accomplished territory. And obviously she started very young. It took me a long time to forgive her for the. For the Atonement, but that's just how good she was in it. And also Hannah, the other Joe Wright film.
A
Yeah, Hannah.
B
Hannah.
A
Yeah.
B
That's not.
A
It's Hannah.
B
Well, I thought it was German, but maybe I'm just. Because Cate Blanchett is in that. But maybe she's not playing Lydia Attar in Hannah.
A
No, I think she's an evil American CIA operative.
B
Yeah, that sounds right. But then that's a good movie, Hannah.
A
I agree. Joe Wright.
B
Joe Wright. Have you watched the.
A
No. Mussolini. I want to watch it again. Stop making TV shows like. I don't know what to say. Joe Wright, three and a half hour Mussolini movie. 100% would watch it in a minute. A thousand percent episode Mussolini miniseries. I don't know, man. I gotta do the laundry and shit. I got stuff to do.
B
Empire of Light is a Joe Wright, right? No, Sam Mendes. Sorry, sorry.
A
For the Joe Wright. Joe Wright would never.
B
I know, I know.
A
Joe Wright's big blunder, which some people like, but I didn't really get it all was Cyrano. I didn't really get that.
B
Oh, I didn't get that either. That's what I was thinking of when I googled Empire.
A
I appreciate Joe Wright, former guest of this show. I think he's very interesting director.
B
Anyway. Saoirse Ronan, very talented. Just hasn't been doing as much. And the last couple didn't pan out.
A
I mean, well, she's going to be in the Beatles.
B
I know Linda. So what do we think that means? Because they're doing one movie for each band member.
A
Yeah, this is a good question.
B
And so will Linda be just in the Paul movie?
A
Reminder, we only have three more years to talk about this, so Two. Don't try to.
B
Two. Two.
A
Yes. I was making a joke.
B
I think I did say to my son last night, they're making movies about these and you'll be six years old when they come out. Cause I had to do the math for it. So you can go see all of them. But yeah, that's sooner than you would think. So Linda will definitely be in Paul, but will Linda show up in the George or the John or the.
A
It's all about the time period that they focus on for those characters, right?
B
Yeah, I know. But then also, how much is it focused on one person versus what's going on?
A
My Instincts tell me that the Paul or. Yeah, that the Paul film will be about the breaking point for the band.
B
Okay.
A
So it'll be like my instinct.
B
68, 69. And then do you think it'll go through Scotland?
A
I don't.
B
Okay.
A
I don't. I think it's gonna be that.
B
Do you think he goes last?
A
That get back period is gonna be where we see those two.
B
You think he goes last or you think Jon goes last?
A
I would guess Jon, because I think Jon's will have to feature Jon's death in some way.
B
Okay.
A
And so that. That will be. It'll be like a chronological bridge.
B
But I don't think that there's anyone who's paying for these movies who's gonna let you put out a Ringo or a George film. First of the four.
A
They're coming out all in the same day.
B
No, I thought they were coming out one week at a time.
A
One at a time.
B
Yeah. It's like that's even a worse idea than Horizon 1 and 2.
A
You might be right.
B
Yeah.
A
But can't you do John or can't you do George first? And do George and you can do Germany and Ed Sullivan and then Ringo joining the band. And then because Ringo's not there at first, and yes, George meets these two Liverpudlian chaps, joins up with them, then we get Ringo getting kind of introduced, I guess. So when we use Ringo to take us through, you know, revolver, rubber sole, we're traveling in India, we're having all these revelations.
B
Well, don't you want George for that? Don't you want to flip that?
A
Maybe you can't go Ringo first.
B
I know it's a real problem.
A
Well, you may be thinking about this all wrong in that each of the films may cover lots of different timelines
B
and I mean, they may all be featured. And then maybe our understanding is that it's not one film for each guy, so you don't have to then sell a bingo film first.
A
Oh, so it won't be individually focused.
B
Well, I don't know.
A
See, that would be novel to me is if each one was a character film that actually makes it a more appealing. If it's just like Lord of the Rings for the Beatles, I'm not as interested in that. I will watch it.
B
Of course, you know that you can't. But you already said you can't start with Ringo, so I think you can
A
start with George, though.
B
You're going to try launching. I'm sorry, to be that creature I hate most. Like at Studio Market exec right now. But, like, I like the marketing.
A
That's the person you hate most.
B
That's true. That's not the person I hate most. I really like a lot of marketing people. But, like, you're trying to tell me that you want to open this project with a solo Joseph Quinn film about George Harrison. Like, good luck. We have lots of evidence that that's not how it's going to work.
A
I think the most obvious move is to open with Paul Mescal and John Lennon because of the star power and the recognition. The. But that is the most.
B
Is Paul playing Paul McCartney.
A
Sorry. With Harris Dickinson and John Lennon. But because of the arc of Lenin. And I don't mean Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov, I mean John Lennon.
B
Wow. Honestly, I'm very impressed that you could do the full name there.
A
So I've studied his work. I'm betwixt in between on this whole thing.
B
Okay.
A
I'm torn asunder.
B
You're the most stressed out that you'
A
Sam Mendes knows something I don't. What do you know, Sam? Show me the way. I'll follow you anywhere except to the Empire of Light.
B
Start with Paul and finish with John. Like, as a list maker, as a person who puts together editorial projects, like, you know that. I agree.
A
This is one week in between. How is there a Paul movie going first and Linda's in it.
B
We still have not seen Horizon 2.
A
I know, I know.
B
Fuck. We just haven't seen it. It's out there. We haven't seen it.
A
Should we start a film distribution company and present the film and then we
B
can present all four Beatles films in the order we think they should be released?
A
I think Sony has the rights to those anyhow. Saoirse Rowan would be partners. Movies. They'd be partners.
B
They need partners.
A
They have a partner. Netflix. So we're all synchronized together.
B
Here we go.
A
Maybe we can all team up. Saoirse Ronan, 19. Feeling good about it. You fought hard for the philly boy at 18. Who is it you forgot?
B
Superman, butthead. Superman. And also, you know how I realized that you forgot Superman was I just pulled up the box office for 2025 and went through the top 10 films to make sure we weren't forgetting any major stars. And then, lo and behold, David Corenswet.
A
What percentage of Americans can name the man who portrays Superman?
B
I don't think it matters when it's Superman. Okay.
A
I'm just asking.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, when Christopher Reeve came through as Superman in 1978, he did every talk show in the world and he became instantaneously famous. That didn't happen for Corn Sweat. That doesn't mean he wasn't a good Superman. I thought he was. And I like that movie. And I'm looking forward to man of Tomorrow a little bit less so Supergirl. I. I'm. This is interesting because it's a. It's an old test applied to a new crop. And we're kind of moving out of this era of movies and this is still one of the biggest parts that you can have.
B
Yeah.
A
Did Henry Cavill ever make this list?
B
I don't remember. Why don't you search our document?
A
He did not.
B
Did he ever make 35? Over 35?
A
I don't know. I don't think so. He's currently 42. So he has been over 35 for the entire run of the series. Okay, but I don't.
B
Well, you're competing against. It's, you know, a larger net at 35. I don't know. I mean, I think that the really brand name superheroes and still the role that they play in the box office, like in the movie's economy. That movie made so much money.
A
Okay, I'm rolling with you. You love Superman.
B
I thought he was very charming. I thought he was good. That's the other thing. I thought he was good. He was good in Twisters too. Edgar Jones makes the list. David Corin, Sweat. You're doing the work.
A
Fair enough. How old is Rachel Brosnan?
B
I do think I googled this and she is 35.
A
Damn. We just missed.
B
I know.
A
Damn.
B
I checked and Nicholas Holt is like early is. Is even older, but I thought he was good.
D
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A
of the Big Picture is presented by State Farm. Sure, being an expert at movie trivia is impressive. You know what's even more impressive? Being smart about saving money. And a great way to do that is by saving. When you choose to bundle home and auto with the State Farm personal price plan bundling. Just another way to save with the personal price plan. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer. Availability, amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state number. 17. Hailee Steinfeld. She had been back burnered a little bit. You know, she, she was doing spider verse voice work.
B
Yeah.
A
But sinners kind of threw her back in the mainframe. But then now she got married.
B
Yeah, she just had a kid.
A
She's having a baby. She had a baby. Okay.
B
Yeah.
A
That's nice.
B
Congratulations.
A
Curious if she goes right back into movies after this. I really like her. I've always really liked her. And she was one of the people I was thinking of when we were talking about those big breakthroughs that people like Chase Infinity and Ava Victor had where they're sort of like, whoa, who's that? She had that very early in True Grit, got an Academy Award nomination for that performance and has made good movies, but maybe has not totally lived up to what I thought was gonna happen for her.
B
So in my mind, and this I learned during the Sinners and like post Sinners press tour because I had the same experience, I was like, whoa, Hailee Steinfeld. Like I had forgotten didn't realize that you could do that as a grownup. But I think after True Grit, she, you know, she launched a singing career and she was in some. She was in the edge of 17, which is very good. But she was like in Pitch Perfect, she was doing kind of just skewing younger, which she was younger. And so she was not, to the best of my knowledge, like a Nickelodeon star, but I had her in that box of just like of teen star. And so Sinners was like a reintroduction of, oh, she's grown up and she's very talented. There's a generation younger than us that has been keeping with Hailee Steinfeld the
A
whole time and her pops song career and her. Did you watch Dickinson?
B
No, I didn't, but people really liked it.
A
Yeah.
B
Yeah. But so Hailee Seinfeld has a fan base. It just has not been us until Sinners.
A
Did you watch the Hawkeye television series set at Christmas?
B
Yeah, I think that I. Is she. But like, is there something about a bumblebee?
A
She was in the film Bumblebee.
B
I watched Bumblebee. I can't remember why that.
A
Was there something about a bumblebee for
B
some episode that we did where I had to. I watched Bumblebee and I know that the Hawkeye show, Bumblebee is a Transformers film. Right. And I know that the Hawkeye shows happen at Christmas because I remember Chris and Mallory and Joanna saying very insistently, like, it's a Christmas show. And I still didn't watch it.
A
Okay. She's 17. Feel good about this. 16 is Paul Mescal.
B
Yeah.
A
Very famous. Has led big movies. He was the star of Gladiator 2, which did not quite elevate Hamnet, obviously one of the most discussed movies of 2025, if not one of the most seen. Not nominated there. Not the worst thing in the world. He's been previously nominated. He is going to be Paul McCartney, which I really have mixed feelings about. And I've said that before and I'm saying it again.
B
Say more. This is now just a Beatles pod. A Beatles and whales pod.
A
Here's one of the things that I think you and I both like about Paul. There is such a dark core under the sweetness and under the aw, shucksy balladeer.
B
Yeah.
A
And he has got this engine inside of him. I don't know if Meskal can get there.
B
It's funny that you characterize it as a darkness. I characterize it as almost like a dissociation. That there is a part of him that he is completely Unconnected from. He is obviously a deeply ambitious and I mean, he is a musical genius, which we like in the true dictionary sense of the word. But not to bring up the infamous post death interview again, but there's something in that.
A
Hung up on this. Yeah. Even thinking about it, by the way. We didn't discuss the fact that you think somehow that you're going to die before me, which there's a zero percent chance of happening. Zero percent.
B
No, I just. I watched it in the moment. I was just like, wow, that's exactly what Sean would do. And it's just like. But there's just a disconnection from the emotions. Right. Which you make fun of me for, not for putting things in a box. But I think that he is like, not.
A
I think he's. I always think he's been protecting something. I always think he's been shielding something.
B
Yeah. But I always think it's almost like he's protecting it so much that, like, the whole register is not available.
A
And you think Meskal can do that?
B
I don't know whether he can, but it's different than darkness. It is like, it's separation, so. And I agree that he is like a very warm, connected, emotional person.
A
Yeah. I think, you know, like in Aftersun, he's very withholding. His character doesn't say the turmoil, but it's very evident. He communicates the turmoil really, really well in that film.
B
And he also communicates, like, the love for his. Like, Paul McCartney can almost just kind of be robotic. And you're like, what's going on? Why. Why are you talking like that? Or what are you doing?
A
I know it's so askew from, I think, how most people who are just like, vaguely like, aware of the Beatles but not obsessed with the Beatles think of him, though. They think of him as like, you know.
B
Yeah. They think of him leading a sing along for, you know, Hollywood's best and brightest at the Fonda Theater at the age of 70. How old is he? 80 something now?
A
I think so. Yeah. We didn't get invited to the Fonda Theater for Hollywood's best and brightest.
B
Yeah.
A
Was that. Is that literally what it was called?
B
No, but did you. You didn't see the guests.
A
Did you consider yourself amongst the best
B
and brightest of Beatles fans? And I did look at the list and I was like, I don't know how many, like, hardcore fans there are here.
A
I felt overlooked.
B
I think that they could have saved us a couple spots, but that's okay.
A
I never know about any of these
B
Things I only learned about it from Matt Bellamy's newsletter.
A
Okay. Number 15 is Kiki Palmer.
B
Yeah.
A
Keke Palmer has 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 movies coming out in the next two years. She was delightful in one of them days. Iconic to me. And. Nope. I'm currently watching her on the television series the Burbs with Eileen. That's our show right now. It's okay. It's not bad. I love Boosters. Coming out in a month. Haven't seen it yet.
B
I haven't either. I'm excited.
A
I'm looking forward to it. So I heard it's pretty good fashion film, by the way.
B
Yeah, I know.
A
One of them days too is happening.
B
Great. I would watch 45 of those, but not in TV form. Just make movies.
A
Is Sister Act 3 really happening?
C
According to IMDb.
B
Well, but IMDb is not, you know, I know. We. Sister Act 3.
A
So Lauryn Hill coming back.
B
I mean, I'm like too excited to actually form words right now. Do you know how important. Sister act and Sister Act 2, we've
A
talked about it some over the years. Yeah. They're both very good. I'm a huge fan.
B
Just absolutely. When the kid does the backflip at the end of Sister Act 2, I remember it well. Really? Really. And I was just the right age. Impressionable stuff. So I've never seen the musical. And I can't really find any info about Sister Act.
A
You should do an Emile Ardolino pod.
B
Yeah, I know.
A
That's really your guy.
B
I know.
A
Emil Ardolino, Dirty Dancing, Sister Act. Chances are Three Men and a Little lady and the Nutcracker. The Nutcracker that you love. And Bette Midler's Gypsy.
B
And it's a beautifully photographed Nutcracker.
A
That's your guy.
B
I know.
C
In March of 2025, Whoopi Goldberg said the Sister Act 3 script was finished.
A
That was a year ago, so it could be cooked. We don't know.
B
Did she say that on the View?
C
That was reported by Variety.
A
That's excellent.
B
Okay.
A
Okay. Kiki Palmer, 15, number 14. Mikey Madison.
B
Yeah.
A
Huge arrival here.
B
Sure. You won an Oscar.
A
Surprise Best Actress win over a year ago for her work in a Nora. We had seen her in the Scream films and Once Upon a time in Hollywood before this. And she was on Better Things. And she's now about to appear in the Social Reckoning. One of the stars of this new Aaron Sorkin written and directed feature film.
B
Does that have a date yet?
A
October 9th, I believe. October 2nd.
B
Wow. So the actual. They're doing the same thing as they did for Social Network. Because wasn't Social Network also New York Times, same time of year. Okay. All right. I just, you know, I'm working through it. I will be ready emotionally when the time comes. Okay.
A
I believe. Is it her? Jeremy Allen White and Jeremy Strong are the stars of that movie.
B
Yes. And I also, according to Wikipedia, I'm seeing that Bill Burr, Wunmy Masaku, Billy Magnuson and Betty Gilpin.
A
Oh. Oh, my God. Betty Gilpin.
B
Sheesh.
A
A bunch of people. I really like there. She's also gonna be in the Mast of the Red Death, which talked about a couple times. The Charlie Pollinger adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story. I like her a lot. I hope it works out. She's got a. She's got a great vibe. She's obviously a very skilled actor. If you ever see her speak and then watch Anora, you can see what a talented actor she is. Number 13, Ariana Grande. Now, tricky one, because on the one hand, Wicked. Wicked for good. Huge movies.
B
Yeah.
A
You know, she was Oscar nominated for Wicked. She's gonna be in Fokker in Law, which low key. Might make $500 million.
B
I expect it to.
A
And she's the new big addition. And I guess she's not gonna be a Focker. Is she gonna be. Is she the titular Focker in Law?
B
Is she the titular in law, or is she the titular Focker?
A
Is she the titular in law to the Fockers?
B
The titular role. I'm googling Focker in Law.
A
Does Greg Focker have a son or a daughter?
B
She's.
A
Is her last name Focker? It is not.
C
It's Olivia Jones.
B
Olivia Jones.
A
Olivia Jones. All right, well.
B
Oh, but do you know who the Focker that she's marrying is?
A
No.
B
Skylar Gozondo.
A
Oh, yes, I did know that. Which is a genius casting.
B
And then Beanie Feldstein is playing a sister.
A
Oh, love to hear it. Okay. I actually don't care about these movies at all, but I like that casting. Meeting the parents is funny. I'm not sure.
B
I think this will make a lot of money.
A
It will. It definitely will. Okay, that's ariana Grande. Number 12. Margaret Qualley. Margaret Qualley. Not exactly opening movies. And yet I feel like is getting increasingly very famous.
B
Yeah.
A
Now, like full blown. I am a magazine cover star level of famous.
B
Totally. And that was.
A
Obviously has a famous marriage, you know, but.
B
And also, I mean, it was a great cover. Like that cover had, which is a vanity Fair cover had a little bit of the feeling to me of, did. Did someone else fall through at the last minute? And we're gonna.
A
Because it was her.
B
Yeah. But she is so. I mean, she is obviously very beautiful, but has that magazine cover quality. It reminded me a lot of the Daryl Hannah, Tina Brown cover from, like, the early 90s. That was also, like, early in Tina Brown's career anyway. Like, she made that cover, so. And she has that quality. Right. And she has that quality in a lot of movies, even if the movies themselves are always a little off kilter or if maybe she doesn't totally fit in them. And you're like, what's Margaret Qualley doing here? But she's still very watchable and memorable and, yeah, very high profile.
A
This is subject to change, but she is gonna be one of the stars of Ridley Scott's new movie, the Dog Stars, and she'll have increasingly big roles coming in the future. I think the substance did a lot for her profile. Yeah. Number 11, Jenna Ortega.
B
Yes.
A
Now, since we last recorded, she has had Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice, which was very big. She also had two duds in Death of a Unicorn in Hurry Up Tomorrow. However, she's the star of the Great beyond, the new J.J. abrams movie. Her and Glenn Powell.
B
Yeah.
A
She's also apparently going to be in a remake of Single White Female. And she's in Taika Waititi's long delayed Clara and the sun, which I'm fairly certain is coming out this year, too. So big 2026 for her. Claire in the Sun. Big literary adaptation. Yeah.
B
An Ishiguro adaptation.
A
Yes. So, you know, that's Taika Waititi. I don't. You know, could be a mess. I'm not really sure. But she's still only 23 years old.
B
She's very big.
A
And obviously.
B
Yeah, it's. Yeah. But it's happening. And she is. It seems like she has the Netflix TV stardom cemented, but enough name recognition that she will keep doing movies and clearly wants to keep doing movies and doing things other than Wednesday.
A
Yeah. She's like one of those people who's secretly on letterboxd but will never give her account.
B
Yeah. But all of her film references and things that she does give out are very accomplished. Number 10, did you see Robert Pattinson calling out other actors? He's just like, they don't really seem to like movies, which is amazing and also, I think, pretty insightful and about why some people have more interesting careers than others. And anyway, you can tell that Jenna Ortega Also likes movies.
A
Yes, I agree. I hope that means she starts making some better movies. I find that. What. The things that she proclaims as her favorites are not often reflected in the choices that she makes, even if she's trying in some cases. But nevertheless. Number 10 is Austin Butler.
B
Yes.
A
This is his last year of eligibility. He's 34 years old. Complicated. 20, 25.
B
Yeah.
A
Very amusing in Eddington. Maybe a little young for that part, but very amusing. And caught stealing didn't take off.
B
No.
A
I got what he was going for. I knew what he wanted. He wanted Brad Pitt's California or that's what he wants Denzel Washington's Ricochet. You know, like just a nasty little crime movie to break up all the prestige shit that he's doing. I got the idea. It just didn't. It didn't hit for me.
B
I don't think that he's quite nasty enough for that part. And for some of the nastier Brad Pitt stuff, that seems to be his guiding light. Yeah, his blueprint. Like, I don't know whether Austin Butler has that Fincher, you know, like, dead inside in him, but I think he has a lot of other. You know, he's kind of like Paul Mescal, where it's like, do you have too much, like, emotion and softness for all the things that you're being asked to do? But maybe you just find different ways to use that.
A
Miami Vice and Heat 2 are both on the slate. And, I mean, this is just absolute chaos for CR And Bill. Just. I've never seen news that could more discomfit those two guys. And Austin Butler being a participant in both of them would be very challenging. The Heat 2 thing is not confirmed. So.
B
So what is confirmed now about Heat to Bale and Leo?
A
That's it.
B
Okay.
A
Butler has been rumored. Driver has been rumored. I don't know if those would be the younger versions of key characters. Would Butler just play Chris Shaherlis, you know? And is Leo playing the bad guy? That's something I've heard speculated.
B
Okay. That would be fun for Leo.
A
Could be interesting. Leo could be playing. I don't know. Leo's not playing Pacino, that's for sure. I don't know what to expect from that. There's been a suggestion that he might be cast as American Psycho in the American Psycho remake, which Luca Guadagnino is going to make one. And I don't know if that's going to happen anymore. You know, we really hope he makes it happen.
B
I'm rooting for Him. I get it.
A
Number nine is Elle Fanning rocketing up the list.
B
Well, that's what a surprise Oscar nomination will do to you.
A
Yes. And she had a huge year last year. She was in a complete unknown at the end of 2024 and then was the lead of Predator Badlands, and also Sentimental Value got that Academy Award nomination. Now she's going to be. Is she Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping? I think so.
B
Let's see Sunrise on the Reaping movie. I should also just say while we're Googling this, that I got some core Hunger Games lore. Incorrect. Effie Trinket is the publicist, and then Lenny Kravitz plays the stylist whose name starts with a C. Can't remember what his name is. Hunger Games stylist. Let's Google this stylist. Okay. Cinna. A soft C like Sai
A
El Fanning is incredibly talented and is doing the thing that you like to see, which is like, Yokim True over here, Predator over here. That's the pathway. Hunger Games over here. And then I'll do something a lot smaller on the next go round. So top 10. Wouldn't have guessed it five years ago.
B
We wouldn't have guessed it until Oscar morning. We were like, oh, okay, congratulations.
A
Who hasn't seen Predator Badlands?
B
Congratulations to Rachel whatchamacallit. What's her last name?
A
Rachel Kemp.
B
Yes. Yeah.
A
She was wildly mistreated by that journalist at that Netflix junket, I gotta say. Number eight, Florence Pugh. In 2025, Florence Pugh appeared in the film Thunderbolts, aka New Avengers. And she was. What was her name? Vladimir Ilyich Ulianov Lenin.
B
How do you remember that specifically? How many, like, full Russian names can you do? Because I find, like, the patronymics and everything to just be very confusing.
A
Too. Too many to count, I would say.
B
Why, like, when did you. Is this from a history course? Like, how does this stay with you? This is kind of. This is one of the major hurdles for me in Russian literature is that I just like, who are we talking about half the time?
A
Well, those Karamazovs are brothers, you know, so you gotta remember one of them. Florence Pugh is gonna be in Doomsday and Dune Part three.
B
Yeah.
A
What an insane weekend for her.
B
I like the efficiency. Right. I think you only have to pay for, like, one stylist, one glam team at that point.
A
Is she the only actor who's gonna appear in both movies? Like Will Zendayas, Will M In Doomsday. Do you think will Flo Pew be
B
the only one Robert Pattinson isn't in Avengers?
A
No. That would be sick if he was actually Dr. Doom and it wasn't Robert Downey Jr. If he just ripped the mask off and he was like me, Victor Von Doom.
B
I'm trying to think, Brolin. Thanos. Thanos is gone.
A
Good guess, but I don't think he.
B
Okay, you got to give me some credit there, Thanos.
A
Honestly, maybe he is. And frankly, he probably is.
B
Momoa.
A
He's in dc. He was Aquaman and now he's gonna be Lobo.
B
We talked about this once before, but I don't remember what he does.
A
Lobo is DC's answer for Wolverine. He's kind of a marauding vigilante type.
B
Okay, but is Lobo a real animal? Did you see they're reintroducing Wolverines to Colorado? Someone sent me the news. Huge. No, no, no, no. That was that. My friend Gilbert. Our friend Gilbert texted me that. Yeah, no, I don't know. I can't think of anyone else. That's a big. So who do you think has a bigger grooming budget? Disney or Warner Brothers? So, like, where is Florence Pugh going to expense this for this? This tour?
A
Honestly, not something I care about. I think she is an amazing actress.
B
I do, too.
A
And I think it's very interesting that her last three films will be Thunderbolts, Avengers, Doomsday and Dune Part 3. I hope she gets a chance to flex.
B
Yeah. Does she have anything else in the pipeline? Not that's announced.
A
That is interesting.
B
Yeah.
A
Number seven is Anya Taylor. Joy.
B
Yeah. Princess Peach herself.
A
Princess Peach is absolutely cooking right now. She did not cook in the Gorge, which is a movie that did not work that went straight to Apple tv. Furiosa mid cooked. It was sauteed.
B
Yeah.
A
Yeah, it was.
B
She was fine in it.
A
A gentle grilling. Yeah, she's good. I think she's good. I think she's good in Furiosa.
B
Yeah, she's good. It was more that the. We only cared about Chris Hemsworth in that movie, which was. The issue with the film was the construction of it.
A
She plays a much more important role in Dune Part 3, but I don't think she. Does she have anything planned after this?
B
No. I'm learning about an upcoming crime thriller television miniseries for Apple TV that she's going to be in with Annette Bening, Timothy Oliphant, and ingenue Alice Taylor.
A
Hate to hear about that. It's terrible news.
B
It's called Lucky. And, oh, Drew Sarkey is also recurring.
A
Who wrote and directed it.
B
That's a great question. Created by Jonathan Tropper.
A
Oh, sure. He's the author of the forthcoming Star wars movie.
B
Okay, well, I still can't figure out what happened.
A
He created your Friends and Neighbors starring Jonathan.
B
Yes, this is a. Reese Witherspoon is. Is one of the producers of this. I can't figure out what it's about because it's based on Melissa Stapley's novel of the same name, but they're not hyperlinking to that.
A
Well, I don't respect that. Anya Taylor Joy is doing that. I'm not. She's on notice. Okay. She's at 7, but she's on notice.
B
She's at 7, but she's on notice.
A
More films.
C
I believe there is a rumor that she could potentially be in a Joni Mitchell biopic from Cameron Crowe, but that is not anywhere close to being confirmed.
A
Yes, I've heard the same.
B
Lucky centers on a woman, Taylor Joy, who left behind the life of crime she was raised in years ago, but must now embrace her darker, criminal side one final time in a desperate attempt to escape her past.
A
She's the titular Lucky.
B
She. Well, we don't know. I guess that's what the miniseries will explore.
A
But her name is Lucky.
B
No, it centers on a young woman named Lucky. It doesn't say.
A
Okay, number six is Jacob Elordi.
B
Yeah, that's right. Go ahead, share this. To me, this is a movie star. If movie stars were measured by height, he would obviously be number one. No, I mean, he's been on a run. And we didn't love Wuthering Heights, but it's, you know, a cool choice. That and Saltburn, Frankenstein we also didn't love, but he got an Oscar nomination out of it. Paul Schrader, Sofia Coppola, like he does. He has interesting taste, he's doing cool stuff, and he has the presence. In one woman's opinion.
A
Is the Outer Dark film actually happening?
B
I don't know. He's also allegedly in the Ridley Scott film with Margaret Qualley.
A
Yes, the dog stars. I. Yeah, it was discussed at Cannes 2025. It was going to be Jacob Elordi and Lily Rose Depp and Laszlo Nemes. The Son of Saul director was going to adapt Cormac McCarthy's book Outer Dark. I haven't heard much about that. I wonder if that's going to happen. It's an interesting one to keep track of. He is following the path.
B
He is.
A
And I'm Happy for you. And I think he's a very talented actor, so I hope good things for him. Be kind of interesting to see what they do with his character on Euphoria this year because he's a real bastard on that show and I know he enjoys playing complicated characters, but the things he does in the first season are vile. Number five, Millie Bobby Brown.
B
Yep.
A
Now, Millie Bobby Brown, of course, the star of the Electric State and the Enola Holmes films. Sure.
B
A new Enola Holmes films coming this year.
A
Yes. Number three in that series.
B
How did you feel about how they wrapped up Enola Holmes tale?
A
A lot of loose threads. Perhaps they should gather them and string them together for number three. Look forward to finding out what those crazy kids do. Stranger Things concluded. She is. Every generation has stars like this. I don't get it. But she is insanely popular and it would be foolish of us to not recognize just how followed she is. And I think that's the appropriate word.
B
I think every generation has a movie star just like this. But she is also unique and very of her generation. And that she's just fully a Netflix star.
A
Correct.
B
And all of those movies.
A
She's like a contract girl from the 30s where she only makes movies for Columbia.
B
Everything that is coming up is Netflix. So that obviously gives her a huge amount of reach and it's baked in. You know, her audience from Stranger Things will just watch this slop. With all respect to Enola Holmes 2, which I haven't seen, but it is.
A
I find the Enola Holmes films fairly inoffensive. Yeah, they're fine. The Electric State should be destroyed. It should be. We should find all extant copies and destroy it. That's my feeling about that movie.
B
Can I read you the logline of Just picture It. Her upcoming Netflix romantic comedy co starring Gabriel LaBelle.
A
Oh, please do. Gabriel LaBelle. Another name on our long list.
B
Two college students are surprised when their phones glitch and start showing them pictures from 10 years in the future as a happily married couple with kids.
A
Wow. Just picture it.
B
Yeah, there you go.
A
I don't hate it.
B
I don't hate it either.
A
It's very 1980s themed. Yeah, but you know, like, vice versa. Or Back to the Future.
B
I will probably watch it.
A
I enjoy Gabriel Lebel.
B
I do.
A
I think he's talented.
B
I do, too.
A
Number four is Tom Holland.
B
Yeah.
A
Now, on the one hand, you might say, what has he done besides Spider Man? And my response to that is Spider Man. He's Spider Man. He is a very good Spider Man. These movies have all been extraordinary successes.
B
I think his challenge is, can he do anything beyond Spider Man? Which is both like a career industry challenge. And also he has a very winning presence as Spider Man. Spider man is now 30. He's almost 30. And that the further you get from teenagedom, it is a Beverly Hills 90210 problem.
A
So this new Spider man is obviously. He's gonna be a little more grown up in the movie. He's also Telemachus in the Odyssey.
B
Yeah.
A
And that's a big part. He's a critical. That's a critical role. It's not titular, but it's critical, essential to the story. He's also reportedly attached to a movie called American Speed, opposite Austin Butler, which is about three renowned race car driver brothers, two of whom were embroiled in the 1980s IMSA scandal, where drivers funded their racing careers through criminal means like drug trafficking and money laundering. Now, that's a great idea for a movie. Yeah, that's Goodfellows meets Days of Thunder. I mean, come on.
B
I'm open to it. I was afraid that it was gonna take sort of like an iron claw turn.
A
Oh, where they keep dying.
B
Yeah. Well, there are three brothers. Yeah. That would be sad.
A
I like Tom Holland. I'd like to see him do one thing that isn't Spider Man. That I enjoy, but I like him.
B
Well, the Odyssey coming to theaters in July. Maybe you'll like it.
A
I hope to.
B
Yeah.
A
Number three is Sydney Sweeney. Just when they think she's out, she pulls him back in.
B
Yeah. Just when no one sees Christy, out comes the housemaid.
A
Everyone sees the housemaid. Everyone really saw the housemaid.
B
Yeah.
A
The Housemaid is one of the only movies that came out in 2025 that felt like 1986 or 96 or 2006. Literary adaptation of a junkie movie that is like half knowing, half in on the joke, half completely serious, designed only to gratify our most base pleasures as movie watchers. And it worked. And it worked. And it would not have worked without Sydney Sweeney. That's just a fact.
B
The Housemaid is the one that we were supposed to get really drunk for for our holiday party, right?
A
Yeah.
B
I wish we'd done that. I mean, I had a great time anyway, but it's one of the rare movies where you identify that, and then it delivered on that. The promise of being a really fun movie to watch while getting rowdy at the movie.
A
I was just so tired at the end of the year. I mean, I wasn't.
B
It didn't work. It didn't work. But maybe for Housemaid Secret, starring Sydney Sweeney and Kirsten Nevada.
A
Oh, it's called the Housemaid's Secret.
B
According to our wonderful research and production assistant, Lucas Kavanaugh, Amanda Seyfried's not gonna be in the Housemaid Secret. I just wanna let everyone know. I misspoke. It's just Sydney Sweeney and Kirsten Dent.
A
I see.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. You think they'll have the same chemistry?
B
I believe in Kirsten Dunst.
A
She's got a lot of stuff lined up here. Did you ever end up seeing Echo Valley, the Julianne Moore film that also is Apple TV with Sydney Sweeney where Sydney Sweeney played her drug addict daughter?
B
No, I didn't.
A
Okay. It's too bad.
B
Sorry.
A
Number two is Zendaya.
B
Wait, you just skipped past Custom of the Country, Which.
A
What's Custom of the Country?
B
This is an Edith Wharton adaptation. Oh, yeah. Coppola was working on it for a long time.
A
Sammy Sweeney is making that.
B
You have said that's exactly the right way. So I also have some concerns.
A
But there was an adaptation of this, was there not?
B
No, it was that Sophia was working on it for a very long time for Apple tv and then they scrapped it.
A
Has there never been an adaptation of this?
B
I don't know.
A
Sydney Sweeney to star as Undine Sprague.
B
Yeah.
A
Josie Rourke directing. This seems challenging.
B
I would agree.
A
Okay, well, you know what? Keep taking chances. Keep. Keep.
B
I mean, it is a book to movie of source.
A
Sure is. Okay, number two is Zendaya.
B
Yes.
A
Which means Timothee Chalamet is number one. So was there any part of you that wanted Zendaya to be number one?
B
No. And I. There was a moment where I was like, should we be switching Zendaya and Sydney Sweeney? And I didn't want to do it. And then I remembered just because I'm rooting for Zendaya and I really like the drama, and I really like that Zendaya does stuff like the drama in between being in Spider man and Dune. But she is also. She's in Spider man and in Dune, so she has the box office to back it.
A
She does.
B
So I'm good with Zendaya at number two. I still think that Timmy has, like, has the full range.
A
I fully agree.
B
Yeah.
A
Zendaya, her slate coming up is Dune 3, Odyssey, Brand New Day, Shrek 5. That's the Infinity Stones. That's like that. She has the Iron Gauntlet that she's gonna be seen in every movie that everyone goes to see for the next 18 months. So just in terms of sheer recognizability and star power, name recognition, that is the mountaintop. And I'm hopeful for more of the dramas and challengers from her in the future, but gotta take your hat off. Like, she's kinda operating the chessboard very masterfully right now.
B
She's still doing the Ronnie Spector movie, right?
A
I believe so.
B
Okay.
A
I believe so.
B
I think that.
A
I don't know what stage that's in.
B
Yeah, I don't think it started filming yet. I know she was asked about it and she gave one of those, like,
A
was it Barry Jenkins?
B
Is that who's doing it as of 2025?
A
Yeah.
B
But I don't know if it's happened. Anyway, I hope it happens.
A
I hope it happens too. And I think that's very clever. Casting number one is Chalamet. He crossed 30 years old. He's held you down five Decembers. Damn. And you know he's going to do another one with Dune Part three.
B
Yeah.
A
Wonka two, I hope doesn't happen. I hope they kill it with fire. James Mangold crime motorcycle movie, would like to see it open. Marty supreme is, you know, an instant classic. The finishing touch, one might say, after the previous dominances that he has had.
B
And the most amazing thing is that he's only 30.
A
Is there a case to me that he should take a break after Dune
B
part 3 and just not be around? Do you mean a break from making movies or from being in the public eye?
A
Well, they're interwoven, right? I mean, you can't. I mean, he has proven to be such an expert marketer that if he makes a movie, he needs to sell it. Otherwise, why is he getting paid to make the movie? Like the. That's part of the deal now with him. Cruz, for a long time was the same way where Cruz could sell the shit out of a movie. Cause he just was. He would go all over the place, but he would also seem untouchable at the same time. I'm just curious if he should maybe literally just take 18 months off so he's not seen.
B
I don't. Well, then it goes away. And as his partner of three years. Thank you for our foundation. Kylie Jenner would say to him, just when they're tired of you is when you got to hit the gas. Right.
A
Perhaps you're right.
B
That's quoting the moment. For those of you that aren't on my level or on Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner's level. I know. And also, he's not that type of guy. And that's not why he works. That's not like, what makes him a star. For him to just be like, well, now I'm going to sit back and reflect. No, he's always, like, touching the fire.
A
Do you think he's in Avengers Doomsday?
B
I sure hope not. No white drugs and no superheroes.
A
That's right.
B
From one Leo to another.
A
Yeah, I guess he's also attached to Richard Powers 2024 book playground. Are you familiar with that book?
B
I became familiar with it when this was announced that this is what he's doing.
A
It's about a tech billionaire suffering from dementia. Okay, I haven't read this book. I don't know, it sounds intriguing. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
B
Yeah,
A
Timmy probably should have been the winner last time over MARGOT Robbie.
B
It's 50% what you've done. He hadn't opened Marty supreme yet. We were hopeful. Yeah, he hadn't done it yet, Margot. And listen, Barbie, that was a real thing. Wuthering Heights was a real thing. Yeah, we didn't like it, but it was a real thing.
A
Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. What about a big, bold, beautiful journey?
B
Well, that was also Colin Farrell's fault, you know.
A
Okay, damn shots.
B
You win some, you lose some.
A
Any closing thoughts on this list? Shall I run it down one last time?
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. You have to scroll all the way back up to the top 35. IO Edebri, 34. Austin Abrams, 33. McKenna Grace, 32. Miles Keaton, 31. Ava Victor. 30. Chase Infinity, 29. Barbie Ferreira. 28. Dominic Sessa. 27. Emily Bader. 26. Bad Bunny. 25. Aaron Pierre. 24. Mia Goth, 23. Dylan O'. Brien, 22. Daisy Edgar Jones. 21. Barry Keoghan. 20. Micah Monroe. 19. Saoirse Ronan.
B
18.
A
David Corenswet. 17. Haley Steinfeld. 16. Paul Mescal. 15. Kiki Palmer. 14. Mikey Madison. 13. Ariana Grande. 12. Margaret Qualley. 11. Jenna Ortega. 10. Austin Butler. 9. Elle Fanning. 8. Florence Pugh. 7. Anya Taylor Joy. 6. Jacob Elordi. 5, Millie Bobby Brown.
D
4.
A
Tom Holland. 3. Sydney Sweeney, 2 Zendaya. And number one, Timothee Chalamet. We've done it again.
B
And just to be clear, this is our definitive list of the best working actors. From a qualitative standpoint, we are accredited and so we can, of course, assess skills and make these decisions definitively. And we have.
A
These are the heirs and heiresses to Marlon Brando. That's how we have evaluated this process. We've studied all the acting techniques. We have practiced the method as podcasters. We only do this at each other when we're off mic as well, just to stay in character. This is a character and yep, these are the best actors. Okay, good job. Closing thoughts.
B
I feel good. This didn't feel as complicated as it has.
A
A lot of names went off.
B
Yeah.
A
So there was a lot of open spots. And so I would say 35 to 25. Took some chances.
B
Yeah, why not?
A
That's what it's all about.
B
That's what we do here.
A
Do you think you're going to take any chances with the Meryl Streep hall of Fame?
B
Maybe. I'm excited to talk about it and I think that this is an unusual one where I, like, I have a very, very. We both have a very, like, deep bench of like these movies. We've spent a lot of time watching them, thinking about them, but they're probably very different because her filmography is so large and also so varied in a way, like towards Amanda movies as well, that we'll see. There might be disagreement.
A
You're expecting Bloodsport?
B
No, not necessarily, but I do. I just think we'll get to talk about more movies and, like, types of movies we don't usually talk about.
A
That is very true. There's a bunch of movies that don't come up very often on her list. It's amazing. We've never done her, so that'll be a lot of fun. We'll do that on Friday. Thanks to Jack Sanders for his work on this episode. Thanks to Lucas Cavanaugh as well. We're building the Meryl Streep hall of Fame later this week. See you then. Sa.
The Big Picture Podcast (The Ringer)
Episode: The 2026 Movie Star Rankings: 35 Under 35
Release Date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Sean Fennessey & Amanda Dobbins
In this special episode, Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins return for their fifth edition of the "35 Under 35 Movie Star Rankings." Every two years, they reassess the landscape of Hollywood’s next generation, recognizing the young actors shaping the future of filmmaking and the evolving definition of “movie star.” This year, their discussion is propelled by a robust spring/summer film calendar (including tentpoles like The Odyssey, Dune Part Three, and Brand New Day), record-breaking box office numbers, the ongoing debate about the role of stars vs. franchises, and the ways TV and streaming continue to shape stardom.
They break down their selection process, the changing nature of celebrity, notable omissions from the list, and how new projects and media crossovers are influencing which actors break through to real "movie stardom."
“We have 17 new entrants to this list, which is a lot...there are more women than men.” (45:54, Amanda)
The definitive rundown (from 35 to 1), with key discussion highlights on notable names, and why they placed where they did.
On box office being "back":
On The Odyssey & the modern movie litmus test:
On defining movie star:
On TV's impact:
On the difficulty of ranking:
Sean and Amanda emphasize the rapid evolution of what it means to be a “movie star”—not just a product of box office receipts, but a complex mix of viral moments, TV crossovers, adventurous choices, and indefinable charisma. The 35 under 35 list reflects both the shifting ecosystem of Hollywood and the enduring dream of singular, iconic stardom. The top tier—Chalamet and Zendaya—remain peerless, but the next generation is constantly in flux, full of promise and surprises.
Amanda (128:22): "So there was a lot of open spots...I would say 35 to 25, took some chances."
Sean (127:53): "These are the heirs and heiresses to Marlon Brando...We've studied all the acting techniques. We have practiced the method as podcasters..."
—
Next on The Big Picture:
Meryl Streep Hall of Fame, deep dives on star filmographies, and more.