Rising stars are wowing audiences while disrupting the status quo
On September 20, Ramy Youssef was at home, watching a remote, socially distanced Emmy Awards ceremony like the rest of us. The difference? He was nominated for his role in Ramy, the semi-autobiographical Hulu series he created and stars in, and as the winner for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series was announced, a man dressed in a full hazmat suit, carrying a gilded statuette approached his french doors.
Youssef lost to Dan Levy, and the man in the hazmat suit waved before walking away with the trophy. But the 29 year old isn’t empty handed: In January, he won a Golden Globe award for the same role and made headlines with his acceptance speech.
“We made a very specific show about an Arab, Muslim family living in New Jersey, and it means a lot to be recognized at this level,” the first-generation Egyption said, after saying “Allahu akbar. Thank you, God.”
Representation—whether it’s that of the Muslim family in Ramy or the disabled community in an upcoming project—is paramount to his production company Cairo Cowboy.
“The theme that binds these characters isn’t just that they’re marginalized people — it’s that their quest for belonging and connection are universal,” Youssef told Forbes.
And he’s far from the only one on 2021’s 30 Under 30 Hollywood and Entertainment list who is using his creative platform to put forth a bigger message. Young stars have shied away from showing up, collecting checks and going home. Instead they are choosing projects—or making their own—based on the principles that they want to advance.
Take Ziwe Fumudoh, a comedian and writer. In 2017, she posted a trailer for her YouTube show, Baited with Ziwe in which she promised to make her friends and coworkers, mostly fellow comedians and mostly white, feel uncomfortable about race. And she delivered: For the past three years, she's been making videos that are equal parts awkward and laugh-out-loud funny, causing white guests and viewers to squirm—and realize their racist thinking.
During the pandemic and in the aftermath of this summer's renewed conversations about race, Fumudoh took her YouTube show to Instagram live, where it immediately went viral. Her most popular interviews have garnered over 150,000 views. In October, she landed a deal with Showtime to star in and produce her own variety show.
The goal? “To create art that motivates people to get involved in their community and work to change the world,” she says.
I get to make the decisions and decide where my life gets to go.
The class of 2021 features the entertainment industry’s 30 best young actors, writers, producers, directors, agents, executives and entrepreneurs. All list members must be under the age of 30 as of December 31, 2020 and cannot have appeared on a previous 30 Under 30 lists. Some are far younger than the cut off: This year’s list includes 15-year-old Shahadi Wright Joseph, who most recently starred as Young Nala in the live-action The Lion King and will appear in Amazon Studios’ upcoming anthology Them: Covenant.
“There was a time when actors within my age range and demographics were limited to roles that reinforced stereotypes. I’m excited to be a part of a generation of young Black actors that can tell stories that not only showcase the range of our talent, but our experiences as well,” she says.
In order to form our tenth annual who's who of entertainment, we invited four industry experts to serve as judges: Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman Channing Dungey, actress and activist Olivia Munn, as well as writer, and comedian and actress Quinta Brunson, and actor and rapper Lakeith Stanfield, both 30 Under 30 alumni.
For a link to our complete Hollywood and Entertainment list, click here and for full 30 Under 30 coverage, click here.
