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.

Known for his powerfully visceral performances in the iconic series Skins and films from Unbroken to Starred Up and Money Monster, the English actor is quickly establishing himself as one of the most compelling talents of his generation by working hard to inhabit every character, including the wrongfully executed Todd Willingham in the new Trial by Fire.

From Cassie Ainsworth on Skins and Gilly on Game of Thrones to her latest turn as Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten in Charlie Says, the English actor makes a habit of digging deep into roles that fascinate and scare her.

After a star-making turn in the gripping thriller Beast, the Irish actor continues to let every role affect her, from a firefighter’s wife in the powerful new HBO miniseries Chernobyl to an aspiring country singer in Wild Rose.