The English actor soldiers through a bleak future in the new HBO series Years and Years, illuminating the refugee crisis as the moral center of a Manchester family buffeted by a distressing world that is just like our own—only more so.

From post-World War I Peaky Blinders to contemporary-era Bodyguard and now as the lover of history’s “first modern lesbian” on Gentleman Jack, the English actor has a habit of taking risks and finding strength in the lives of the women she portrays.

As the quieter foil to Zendaya’s Rue on the striking new HBO teen drama Euphoria, the born-and-bred Angeleno continues to step out on her own as she pursues projects that increase representation and new voices onscreen.

With roles in Gregg Araki’s new series Now Apocalypse and this week’s Shaft reboot along with a forthcoming book of poetry and directorial début, the former Nickelodeon star continues to celebrate the freedom to explore and experiment creatively.

The Yale School of Drama graduate dissects gentrification and toxic masculinity in the Sundance hit The Last Black Man in San Francisco and looks ahead to a busy schedule full of projects with JJ Abrams, Jordan Peele, Spike Lee, and Aaron Sorkin.

After shooting to fame out of obscurity by taking over the role of antagonistic jock Reggie on the teen hit Riverdale, the Korean-American actor makes history as an Asian leading man in the socially aware romance The Sun Is Also a Star.

After making his name in musicals, the openly gay actor has earned his third Tony nomination in five years for his first Broadway play in Burn This, playing a gay character for the first time in a historic season for queer representation in theater.

As the war profiteer extraordinaire Milo Minderbinder in Hulu’s new adaptation of Catch-22, the theater veteran finds his largest audience yet exploring the perils of American capitalism run rampant.

After a childhood spent focusing on sports and a surprise pivot to acting, the Londoner finds himself starring in increasingly complex projects, from Netflix’s new supernatural thriller Chambers to the Sundance hit Share, about a teenage girl dealing with the aftermath of a sexual assault.