By Kevin L. Clark ·January 19, 2021January 18, 2021
Despite the COVID crisis, Black Hollywood continues to stand up, speak up, and make a difference on- and off-screen. From John Boyega’s passionate Black Lives Matter speech in London to Skai Jackson and her dedication to exposing “as many racists as she can,” this rising class of leading young men and women are the change many fought to make a way for and they are loud and proud.
Hollywood’s pesky habit of ignoring characters of color from the blockbuster charts is quickly eroding into a new wave. Studios such as MACRO (Charles D. King), ARRAY (Ava DuVernay), JuVee Productions (Viola Davis), and Outlier Society (Michael B. Jordan) are engaging international audiences and telling unforgettable stories that speak to a healthy surge of creativity happening in the game.
And thanks to these talented stars on ESSENCE’s Young Black Hollywood list, it hasn’t been hard to miss just how impactful 2021 and beyond will be with these names headlining marquees here and abroad. In case you’ve been slipping on your Black Inspiration trivia, here are this year’s must-watch stars to add to your respective queues.
1. Ryan Destiny
Ryan Destiny | Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images
In no ranking order, we begin with Ryan Destiny, the former Love Dollhouse girl-group member and current star on Freeform’s grown*ish. While most may recognize her from the FOX TV musical drama, Star, Destiny’s IMDB is infused with a wide range of upcoming art, culture, and film projects. From topping the bill as boxing phenom Claressa Shields in Barry Jenkins’ Flint Strong to starring in pgLang’s first partnership with Calvin Klein, Destiny’s destiny is looking like pure melanated magic.
2. Tone Bell
Tone Bell | Photo by Dan Steinberg/REX/Shutterstock
The past few years have ben quite fortuitous for Tone Bell, the Decatur, Georgia-born comedian and actor. Despite the panny, he has created his own stimulus package with roles on CBS (Fam), Netflix (Bojack Horseman), BET (American Soul), and the digitized-big-screen (Amazon Prime’s Sylvie’s Love). Ever the hard worker, Bell’s stock will rise to new heights, especially when audiences see him as John Levy in the Andra Day-led The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
3. Quinta Brunson
Quinta Brunson | Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Entertainment Weekly
Quinta is now the one “who got money” after her viral Instagram series about “The Girl Who’s Never Been on a Nice Date” led to numerous opportunities. The writer, director, actor, and all-around fly human being has made history with A Black Lady Sketch Show and created the impressively-titled Quinta Vs. Everything for Facebook Watch. Always developing a way to let her talents flourish, Brunson is embiggening her bag to include more star-leaning work (Lazor Wulf, Big Mouth) and made fans go “gah-gah” with her casting as Alex in the new late-night TZGZ-animated comedy series, Magical Girl Friendship Squad, which is airing now on SyFy.
4. Eli Goree
Eli Goree | Photo by Katie Yu/Freeform via Getty Images
Ever get those moments where you say to yourself, “I’ve seen this actor somewhere before,” and realize they just have that classic Black Hollywood appeal? Halifax, Canada’s own Eli Goree is exactly that mix of Bellafonte-Poitier charm with a gravitas that shows in projects such as Race and ‘Da Kink in My Hair. And with his head-turning performance as Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali in Regina King’s One Night in Miami, Goree shines amongst a cavalcade of talent the likes of Aldis Hodges, Leslie Odom Jr., and Kingsley Ben-Adir in what’s easily one of this year’s best movies — hands down!
5. Dominique Fishback
Dominique Fishback | Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
It may be conceited to write that it is “just Dominique’s time and we’re living in it,” but the truth is hard to deny. The Pace University performer has racked up hit after hit after hit, leading her to the top of the must-call list for projects such as Project Power and as Jay-Z’s mother, Gloria Carter, in the music video for “Smile.” Dominique Fishback’s chameleon-like skill of absorbing herself into a role has been her M.O. since we saw her in The Hate U Give. It was even more emboldened when she transformed into Darlene, a savvy sex worker in HBO’s The Deuce.
Next up, the in-demand actor plays Deborah Johnson, an activist and love of Black Panther deputy chairman Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah.
6. Damson Idris
Damson Idris | Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Let the record show that Damson Idris has been a star since Farming. No shots to the return of Snowfall, but after last season’s cliffhanger, be prepared for everyone to swear they were a fan of the South East London boy whose done well on-screen. His ambitions to
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