30 Best Teenage Actresses You Need To Follow in 2023

The new generation of Hollywood is among us. More and more young actresses lead big movie and TV series projects. Their influence on the industry is undeniable, from provoking roles to activism, these younger generations are here to stir the pot. Here are the 30 best teenage actresses you need to keep an eye on in the future.

Jenna Ortega

Jenna Ortega was born on September 27th, 2002. She was a child actress, most famously she appeared as young Jane in the TV series Jane the Virgin. Her breakthrough role was in the Disney Channel show Stuck in the Middle which ran from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, she played Ellie Alves in the Netflix thriller series You. Later, she also starred in the Netflix family movie Yes Day. Her biggest breakthrough role came in 2022 when she played the newest reincarnation of Wednesday Addams in the Netflix horror series Wednesday. For this role, she receives a Golden Globe nomination.

Sadie Sink

Sadie Sink was born on April 16th, 2002, and she began her career at the age of seven in the local production of Annie as Annie. In 2015 she took on the role of young Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience on Broadway. Her start on the small screen was in an episode of The Americans in 2013, and her big screen debut was in the movie Chuck in 2016.

She gained worldwide fame after playing Max Mayfield in the Netflix TV series Stranger Things. She also played the lead role in Taylor Swift’s short film All Too Well. Recently, she starred alongside Brendon Frasier in the Darren movie The Whale which came out in 2022.

Priah Ferguson

Priah Nicole Ferguson was born on October 1st, 2006, and she is best known for playing Erica Sinclair on the smash-hit Netflix TV series Stranger Things. Her debut film was Perfectville in 2015 about an 11-year-old girl that wakes up from a coma in 2050 with no memories of her past. She also made appearances in movies like Atlanta, The Oath, Daddy’s Little Girls, and Crooklyn.

Millie Bobby Brown

Millie Bobby Brown was born on February 19th, 2004, and she is a British actress and producer. The first role that garnered her international fame was the role of Eleven, the main protagonist in the Netflix series Stranger Things. Her amazing performance as the mysterious superpowered girl, Eleven earned Bobby Brown two Primetime Emmy nominations. She also appeared in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and its sequel Godzilla vs. Kong. Her latest project is the Enola Holmes movie that came out in 2020, and the subsequent sequel, in which she plays the titular character and she is a producer. Bobby Brown is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Aubrey Anderson-Emmons

Aubrey Frances Anderson-Emmons was born on June 6th, 2007, and she is best known for her role as Lily Tucker-Pritchett for nine seasons on Modern Family. Her role was very important since she was praised for raising cultural diversity awareness on TV. At age four, she was the youngest person to receive the Screen Actors Guild Award, which she won as part of an ensemble cast. Now, she has a YouTube channel, called FoodMania Review, which has over 40,000 subscribers.

Dafne Keen

Dafne Maria Keen Fernandez was born on January 4th, 2005. Her first role was on the TV series called The Refugees, where she played Ana “Ani” Cruz Oliver. Both of her parents are actors, so it is no surprise she got her acting debut alongside her father, Will Keen. Her breakthrough performance was with Hugh jackman in the critically acclaimed movie, Logan in 2017.

For the role, she received an Empire Award for Best Newcomer and nominations for a Critics’ Choice Award and a Saturn Award. Since 2019, she has been playing Lyra Belacqua, the main protagonist of the HBO series His Dark Materials.

Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Isabel Rodrigo was born on February 20, 2003. She got her debut role in 2015 in the film An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success, where she plays a girl whose life is turned upside down when she has to move to Paris. After that, she gained more recognition for starring in the Disney TV series  Bizaardvark in 2016. In 2019, she got the leading role in the Disney+ hit TV series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

But, things get even better for Olivia when she released her debut single, Drivers License in 2021 which became one of the most successful songs that year. Soon after, she released her debut album, Sour, which was also one of the best albums of that year.

Stormi Reid

Stormi Reid was born on July 1st, 2003, and she had her first small role in the TV movie A Cross to Bear in 2012. But, her acting debut came in 2013, when she made an appearance in the Academy Award Best Picture winner, Twelve Years As Slave. After that in 2016 she starred in the movie Sleight. Her breakthrough role was in 2018 when she played the leading role in the fantasy movie A Wrinkle in Time for which she received nominations for the Teen Choice Award for Choice Fantasy Movie Actress. Currently, she appears in the HBO drama TV series, Euphoria.

Tamara Smart

Tamara Smart was born on June 14th, 2005 in London. She got her start in acting in the TV series The Worst Witch. She also appeared in the 2019 revival of the iconic horror series Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and in 2020 she played Fowl’s best friend in the movie Artemis Fowl. In 2022, she starred in a Netflix horror TV series called Resident Evil loosely based on the video game of the same name.

Shahadi Wright Joseph

Shahadi Wright Joseph was born on April 29th, 2005 in New York. She is an actress, dancer, and singer. She got her start on Broadway, where she played the young Nala in The Lion King musical at the age of nine. Later, she played Madison, an original cast member in the musical adaptation of School of Rock. Her first on-screen appearance was in Hairspray Live! in 2016. She later reprised her role as young Nala in the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King. Her most prominent role was in 2019, where she played the dual role of Zora and Umbrae in the horror movie Us.

Alison Fernandez

Alison Fernandez was born on July 20th, 2005. In 2011, she got her first role as Nick Amaro’s daughter in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. After that in 2014, she had her big screen debut in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. By 2016, she has appeared in three sitcoms, Fresh Off the Boat, Another Period, and Jane the Virgin. In 2017, after she was only a guest star, she became a regular cast member in the TV series Once Upon a Time. That same year, she played Delilah in the hit movie, Logan. Now, she is mostly guest starring in TV series.

Mckenna Grace

Mckenna Grace is an American actress and singer, and she was born on June 25th, 2006. She started her career when she was only six in the Disney XD TV series  Crash & Bernstein and in the soap opera The Young and the Restless. Grace is best known for playing Mary Adler in the movie Gifted, Abigail Stone in the movie Spirit Untamed and Phoebe Spengler in the movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

She played the younger version of Tonya Harding in the hit movie I, Tonya, for this movie she even learned how to ice skate. She also portrayed the young  Sabrina Spellman in the first season of Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Grace is known for playing many young versions of different characters in movies and TV series.

Ariana Greenblatt

Ariana Greenblatt was born on August 27th, 2007, and she is a child actress who got her breakthrough playing Daphne Diaz on the Disney TV series Stuck in the Middle, alongside Jenna Ortega. Before that, she got her TV debut on another Disney TV series called Liv and Maddie, where she has a guest-starring role as Raina. Her first big-screen role was in 2018 in the movie A Bad Moms Christmas starring Mila Kunis and Kristen Bell. Her most famous and recognizable role was in Avengers: Infinity War where she portrayed the young Gamora. Greenblatt will appear in the highly anticipated upcoming movies, Barbie and 65.  

Marsai Martin

Marsai Martin is an American actress born on August 14th, 2004. She is best known as Diane Johnson on the sitcom Black-ish which aired from 2014 to 2022. For this role, she received numerous awards and nominations, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. In 2019, Martin landed her first producing credit for the movie Little, making her the youngest person to ever produce a movie at the age of 13. One of her upcoming projects is a movie called Fantasy Football alongside Kelly Rowland and Omari Hardwick.

Malina Weissman

Malina Weissman was born on March 12th, 2003, and she is an actress and a model. She is best known for playing Violet Baudelaire in the Netflix series A Series of Unfortunate Events alongside Neil Patrick Harris from 2017 to 2019. Her other notable roles include the role of young April O’Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2014 and a young Kara Zor-El in the TV series Supergirl. In her career, she has modeled for major brands like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Levi’s, and Benetton. She has also appeared in many TV commercials for Maybelline, Purell, and My Little Pony.

Bella Ramsey

Bella Ramsey is an English actress and singer, born in September 2003. She is best known for her breakout role in the hit TV series Game of Thrones, she played the fierce Lyanna Mormont. Later, she landed the leading role in the 2017 TV adaptation of The Worst Witch books, for the role she received the Young Performer award at the 2019 British Academy Children’s Awards. In 2018, she voiced the title character in the Netflix animated TV series Hilda. The role of Hilda Ramsey won the 2019 BAFTA award for best Children’s Animation. Her current project is the highly anticipated small-screen adaptation of the video game The Last of Us alongside Pedro Pascal.

Anna Cathcart

Anna Cathcart is a Canadian actress born on June 16th, 2003. Cathcart began her career in commercials such as Crayola and Campbell’s Soup commercials. Her first role was in season two of the Odd Squad TV series as Agent Olympia. Later, she appeared in the Disney Channel Original Movie Spin, animated special Descendants: The Royal Wedding, Descendants 2, and Descendants 3. Her best-known role is in the Netflix trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, where she plays Kitty Covey. Due to the success of her character, she will star in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before spin-off series XO, Kitty.

Bailey Bass

Bailey Bass is an American actress born on June 18th, 2003. She started her career in a My Little Pony commercial when she was 5. She had a few minor roles in movies before she landed a role in the 2022 Avatar: The Way of Water as Tsireya. She is set to appear in all the subsequent Avatar sequels. Bass’s other big role is in the 2022 TV series Interview with the Vampire, where she played one of the main roles.

Quvenzhane Wallis

Quvenzhane Wallis was born on August 28th, 2003. She is an American actress and author. She had an impressive start to her career when she was cast as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild. The movie premiered in 2012, and she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

With this nomination, Wallis became the youngest person to be nominated in this category, and the first person born in the 21st century nominated for an Oscar. In 2014, she played Annie Bennett in the adaptation of Annie, and for this role, she received a Golden Globe nomination. Later, in 2017, she published two books- Shai & Emmie Star in Break an Egg! and A Night Out with Mama.

Peyton Elizabeth Lee

Peyton Elizabeth Lee was born on May 22nd, 2004, and she is an American actress. She started her career with small roles in TV series like Shameless and Scandal. In 2017, she got her most famous role as Andi Mack in the same name Disney TV series. Later, in 2021 she landed another titular role in the reboot of Doogie Howser, M.D., Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.

Sofia Wylie

Sofia Christine Wylie is an American actress, dancer, and singer. She was born on January 7th, 2004. Her first role was on the Disney TV series Andi Mack as Buffy Driscoll. Even before landing this role, Wylie was building a career as a dancer. Her other roles were also in Disney projects like Back of the Net in 2019, and Marvel Rising from 2018 to 2019. Her most prominent role is Gina Porter in the Disney+ mockumentary High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. In 2022 Wylie landed the main role in the Netflix film The School for Good and Evil.

Lulu Wilson

Lulu Wilson is an American actress who was born on October 7th, 2005. Wilson is mostly known for her work in horror movies, and her career at the age of three. She appeared in Ouija: Origin of Evil in 2016, and Annabelle: Creation in 2017. Later, she starred in the TV adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House in 2018. In 2020 she played Gloria Steinem in her teenage years in the movie The Glorias. Wilson was cast in the Marvel movie Doctor Strange, but her scene was cut from the movie.

Siena Agudong

Siena Agudong was born on August 19th, 2004, and she is an American actress of Hawaiian, Filipino, and European descent. She is known for her roles in the TV series Star Falls in 2018, and the Netflix series No Good Nick in 2019. Her more well-known movies are Alex & Me which came out in 2019, and Upside-Down Magic from 2020. Her most recent work involves the Netflix adaptation of Resident Evil which premiered in 2022.

Millie Davis

Millie Davis is a Canadian actress who was born on December 6th, 2006. She began her career when she was only six months old, she appeared in a commercial alongside her father. In the late-2010s, she began booking her first TV roles. She was only seven when she was cast for the first season of Odd Squad, she left the show in season three to star in The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker sitcoms. In 2013, she booked her most famous role as Gemma Hendrix in the TV series Orphan Black. During her career, she received many awards and nominations for her role as Ms. O in Odd Squad.

Trinity Bliss

Trinity Jo-Li Bliss is an American actress, singer, and songwriter, and she was born on May 11th, 2009. She appeared in a few minor TV roles in 2021, and 2022. Her career began when she was cast Tuktirey in James Cameron’s Avatar sequels in 2017. She plays Tuktirey in the 2022 Avatar: The Way of Water, and she is signed on to appear in all subsequent sequels. In 2023 she released her debut album, Confessions of a Preteen.

Chloe Coleman

Chloe Coleman was born on November 23rd, 2008 in Los Angeles. From a very young age, she worked opposite some of the most famous names in Hollywood. Her first role was as a ballerina on Glee in 2009. In 2017, she was cast in the TV series Big Little Lies. Her big break was a movie alongside Dave Bautista called My Spy, where she played the leading role. Due to the success of the first movie, a sequel is in production with both actors set to reprise their roles. Among other movies, the most notable is the 2022 Avatar: The Way of Water where she plays a young Lo’ak.

Millicent Simmonds

Millicent Simmonds is an American actress who is best known for her role in the Quiet Place franchise. She is one of the most prominent deaf actresses working in Hollywood right now. She first appeared in the 2017 movie Wonderstruck. For both her roles in Quiet Place and Wonderstruck Simmonds received several awards for best youth performance. She also had a few minor TV roles in series like Andi Mack and This Close. Her upcoming projects include her portrait of the deafblind historical figure Helen Keller for the film Helen & Teacher, set to start production in 2022.

Emily Carey

Emily Joanna Carey was born on April 30th, 2003. She was a child actor, and she began her career on stage and in the soap opera Casualty. Her first big break was in the 2017 Wonder Woman movie where she played the young version of Diana Prince. In 2018 she played the younger version of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. The role that will solidify Carey as a star is the role of young Alicent Hightower in the hit series House of the Dragon which premiered in 2022.

Yasmin Finney

Yasmin Finney is an English actress and influencer. She was born on August 30th, 2003 in Manchester. She first rose to fame on TikTok, where she talked about her experience as a Black British transgender teen. In 2021 she was cast as Kelsa in the movie Anything’s Possible, and as Elle Argent in the Netflix series Heartstopper. In 2022, it was announced Finney will be joining the cast of Doctor Who in the 60th anniversary special.

Whitney Peak

Whitney Peak is a Ugandan-Canadian actress born on January 28th, 2003. She was first known for starring in Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut film Molly’s Game. Her first prominent role was in the TV series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as Judith Blackwood for ten episodes. Peak’s breakout role was in the 2021 Gossip Girl revival series where she plays the main character Zoya Lott. Her first big movie role is in 2022 in the Disney+ movie Hocus Pocus 2 as Becca.