The talent highlighted in Variety’s Young Hollywood Impact Report come from the worlds of film, television, music and digital and all made a splash in the last year. All interviews were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
The buzzy Showtime hit “Yellowjackets” offers some of the juiciest roles for young actors around, and Nélisse and Thatcher were standouts in Season 2, handling complex characters and explosive storylines. Nélisse, 23, loves the fact that the Emmy-nominated drama explores womanhood in ways “that we don’t tend to see that much on TV,” noting that it shows “sides that aren’t so pretty, that aren’t perfect — that women can get mad and can be jealous and do terrible things.” Thatcher, 22, applauds recent projects that “explore the nuances of a woman’s experience and point of view,” but maintains that more gains are needed for women in Hollywood. “What concerns me more is the lack of representation behind the camera,” she says. “I think the number was like 14% of movies distributed in 2022 were directed by women. 14%! That number makes me question how far we’ve really come as an industry.” Both actors would like to write and direct. “I’ve written a few scripts now, and once I have a little break, I can’t wait to dig into them and get them on their feet,” says Thatcher. Nélisse, who also wants to create her own projects, is pursuing rights to a book to produce a screen adaptation.
