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:

Lily Brooks O’Briant

This 16-year-old actress/singer was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She started performing at the tender age of 4 in local theatre and at 8 years old she appeared in the film Shark Lake with Dolph Lundgren. It was during that time that she landed the role of Matilda in the US National Tour of the Broadway show Matilda the Musical.

When that National Tour ended, she appeared in some short films and appeared in a number of productions for the next couple of years. Her first major TV role came in 2019 in the Amazon series The Tick, and in that same year she became part of the lead cast in the short-lived comedy series The Big Show Show. During the pandemic, she recorded remotely for the award-winning musical The Perfect Fit, appearing alongside Laura Benanti (among others).

Her current role is playing Ella McCaffrey in the new Apple TV+ series Life By Ella, that focuses on the title character who returns to middle school after battling cancer and her new-found determination to live a more fearless life. Life By Ella debuted on September 2 of this year. Lily also released her first single entitled Slow on Apple Music and Spotify.

Lily currently lives in Los Angeles.

Lily can be followed on Instagram @lilybrooksobriant and learn more about her at LinkTree here.

Check out Apple TV+ to see Life By Ella.

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Milly Alcock

Amelia May Alcock, otherwise known as Milly Alcock, is a 22-year-old Sydney, Australia native, who was introduced to acting through a school production of Red Rocking Hood. She made her TV debut as a teenager in the Australian romantic comedy Wonderland in 2014. Over the next couple years, she not only appeared in various TV commercials but also starred on the Disney Channel shows B.F. Chefs and Hanging With.

In 2017, she landed her first big role in the web mini-series High Life and appeared in the Australian drama Janet King. She then starred in the Showcase drama Fighting Season and the final season of the acclaimed series A Place to Call Home.

She attended the Newtown High School of Performing Arts but dropped out when she was cast in the TV series Upright. It was because of her performance in this series that she won the 2018 Rising Star Award from the Casting Guild of Australia.

Her current role is playing the teenaged Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon that debuted on HBO on August 21 of this year.

Milly currently lives in London, England.

She can be followed on Instagram @milly_alcock.

The next new episode of House of the Dragon will air on HBO on September 25; and the show is also streaming on HBO Max.