A Salute to Rising Stars

It’s that time again to salute those actresses who are on the move, actresses who deserve a little extra attention for their latest work, those actresses who are rising stars. Landing that crucial role in a TV movie or guest appearance in a successful show or film makes all the difference for aspiring actors.

Let’s take a look at the next group of actresses who viewers should keep their eyes on:

Inga Schlingmann

Inga was born and raised in New York to German and Taiwanese immigrants, eventually graduating from New York University. She was crowned Miss Manhattan while studying at NYU and she has some medical and financial background.

She made her acting debut, playing a nurse, in a 2011 episode of the CBS reboot series Hawaii Five-0 and followed that up with roles in short films like The Fishing Club, Take Two and Tyrannosaurus Death and then later appeared in an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Her first film role was in a 2018 movie called Life Coach, and a few years later she landed the series regular role of Susan in the two-seasons long CBS dramedy So Help Me Todd, starring alongside Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin, that was sadly, and rather unceremoniously, cancelled earlier this year.

Starting in January, however, she will play Dr. Sasha Lubbock, starring alongside Morris Chestnut in the brand new CBS drama Watson, which focuses on Dr. John Watson (Chestnut), who – a year after the death of his friend and partner Sherlock Holmes – resumes his medical career at a clinic dedicated to the treatment of rare diseases.

Watson will debut on CBS on Sunday, January 26 at 9 PM.

According to an online search, she has been married since 2017 and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Inga can be followed on Instagram here.

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Zoe Cipres

Zoe is a twentysomething actress, who was raised in Hawaii. She always wanted to work in the industry, aspiring towards that since her childhood. While still a teenager she traveled to Japan for modeling work and later attended William Esper Studio in New York City where she studied acting. William Esper Studio is a premier acting school that prioritizes an emotional and instinctual connection to the role; some of that studio’s notable alumni include Jeff Goldblum, Patricia Heaton, and Kathy Bates.

She got her start in a short film called Star Wars: An Idiot’s Array in 2017, and then followed that up with a role in the 2018 movie, directed by and starring James Franco, The Pretenders that included among its cast Jack Kilmer (son of Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley), Juno Temple, Brian Cox and Dennis Quaid.

In 2019, she appeared in an episode of the comedy grown-ish and then in 2022 she appeared in the horror flick Maneater. That same year she appeared as Bonnie in the CW reboot series Roswell, New Mexico.

She then landed the series regular role in the new FOX drama Rescue: Hi-Surf, playing newly appointed lifeguard Hina. Being the last person to get cast in the new series, Zoe underwent only four days of training before filming began, unlike the two weeks of training experienced by most of her co-stars, but because she’s from Hawaii, she understood the ocean, sharing “I knew what I was getting into and I knew that it would be hard. I know how the ocean can be, so that was definitely helpful.”

She will next star opposite Game of Thrones alum Lena Headey in the short film Long Pork, which takes a stark look at the current pro-life legislation permateing our country. Headey will play a chef at a fancy steakhouse in a state that has adopted pro-life legislation and who has lost a child because of it. This sets Headey’s character on a path of retribution against the judge who denied her daughter’s request for an abortion. It is unclear what role Zoe will play in the short film at this time.

Rescue: Hi-Surf will return with new episodes from its debut season on FOX on Monday, January 20 at 9 PM.

Zoe can be followed on Instagram here.