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You may not know all of their names, but you will definitely have seen them on your screens. From reality TV to high-concept fantasy, comedy and romance, these are the young Australian actors who have made the big moves on the small screen this year.
Glenn Howerton as Ethan, Milly Alcock as Simone, Meghann Fahy as Devon in Sirens.
Milly Alcock
What you have seen her in: Upright (Binge); House of the Dragon (HBO Max); Sirens (Netflix).
What’s next: Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, released in June.
After going to toe-to-toe with Tim Minchin in the Binge series Upright in 2019, the young Sydney actor broke through internationally in 2022 as Young Rhaenyra Targaryen in HBO’s House of the Dragon. Not content with facing off against Matt Smith in the Game of Thrones spin-off, she next lined up with Julianne Moore and Meghann Fahey in Netflix’s dark comedy Sirens, which became the streamer’s biggest launch after Adolescence. But it was her scene-stealing surprise appearance as the hard-partying Supergirl in July’s Superman, that really had people paying attention. As the 25-year-old told Forbes Australia magazine this month, “I always believe life is right on time,” she said. “Things happen when they’re supposed to, whether you feel ready or not.” LR
Australian actor Shabana Azeez in The Pitt.Credit: Max
Shabana Azeez
What you’ve seen her in: The Pitt (HBO Max); Birdeater (Netflix).
What’s next: Season two of The Pitt (HBO Max); Shaun Tan’s Tales From Outer Suburbia (ABC).
Earlier this year, Adelaide actor Shabana Azeez described landing her role on The Pitt as “the jackpot”. And that was before the show, a bracing true-to-life medical drama following a Pittsburgh emergency room, won best drama at the Emmys. Azeez stars as the nervous and exceptionally young medical student Dr Victoria Javadi, and will be returning in the new season which begins in January.
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The role came after what was only her second audition in the US – a move she made because America felt like “a ticket to career sustainability”. But she’s been appearing on Australian screens for some time. You might recognise her from guest roles in ABC comedies such as Why Are You Like This and Utopia, or Fresh Blood initiatives like Westerners and Urvi Went To An All-Girls School. She’s also frequently appeared in local cinema, including a leading role in 2024’s Birdeater, which won best indie film at this year’s AACTA Awards, and the 2025 short film I’m the Most Racist Person I Know, which was awarded a jury prize at this year’s SXSW in Texas. MW
Harriet Dyer as driving examiner Colette in DMV.
Harriet Dyer
What you’ve seen her in: Colin from Accounts (Binge); The Other Guy (Stan); No Activity (Stan).
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What’s next: Season three of Colin From Accounts (and also keep an eye out for her husband Patrick Brammall in The Devil Wears Prada 2 in May).
Yes, Harriet Dyer has been busy on Australian screens for a few years, but she has now made the jump into US sitcoms. That may not sound like a big deal, but sitcoms are the bread-and-butter of US network TV and to land two – American Auto (Stan) and DMV (Binge) in a few years is proof of Dyer’s widespread comedic appeal. The 37-year-old Queenslander will be back on home soil soon filming season three of Colin From Accounts, the Logie and AACTA-award-winning rom-com that she created, writes and stars in with Brammall. The show has also been a hit in the UK and the US, where Dyer won the Gotham Award in 2024 for outstanding performance in a comedy series, while the series won breakthrough comedy series.
Despite her growing profile, Dyer is more than happy to keep things low-key. “That other [celebrity] stuff, it’s funny,” she told this masthead last year. “It’s important for publicity and press and all that, but I find it very nerve-racking. I’m happier in my trackies at home, so that spotlight element gives me the jitters. But walking down the street, and someone going, ‘Oh, my god, I love your show’, that level of human interaction is much more comfortable.” LR
Cody Fern as Toran Mallow in Foundation.
Cody Fern
What you’ve seen him in: House of Cards (Netflix); The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (Netflix); Foundation (Apple TV).
What’s next: Foundation, season four, which begins filming early next year.
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You may not know his name, but if you are a fan of Ryan Murphy’s horror universe, you have probably spotted 37-year-old Cody Fern. The West Australian actor, who won the Heath Ledger Scholarship in 2017, has starred in several of Murphy’s Horror Story seasons, including 2018’s lurid The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, for which he won a Gold Derby TV Award for movie/limited series supporting actor and was nominated for breakthrough performer of the year.
He took things up a sci-fi notch this year, with a starring role in season three of Apple TV’s Foundation, but the biggest news came at Cannes this year, with the announcement of his directorial debut, Mother Courage, and the casting of Toni Colette, Sarah Paulson and another young Australian star, Toby Wallace. LR
Lucy Freyer as Billie in Adults.Credit: Pari Dukovic/FX
Lucy Freyer
What you’ve seen her in: Adults (Disney+); Paint (rent or buy on Amazon Prime or Apple TV).
What’s next: Adults (Disney+)
After moving to New York to study at famed acting school Julliard, Sydney’s Lucy Freyer graduated into a difficult environment. First COVID. Then industry-wide strikes. But it hasn’t held her back. Her first on-screen role came in 2023, alongside Owen Wilson in Bob Ross-inspired film Paint, and she’s a major part of the 2025 ensemble FX comedy Adults, which has recently secured its second season.
The series, following a group of 20-somethings living in New York (well, sharing a parents’ house in Queens), has shades of previous coming-of-age comedies like Friends and Girls but is written and created by zillennial creatives deliberately reflecting and pitching to a new generation. In a four-star review of the first season, our critic cited the show’s sixth episode, centred on a dinner party hosted by Freyer’s character Billie, as a particular highlight: “It is hilarious, unhinged, and has plenty to say”. MW
Yerin Ha
Yerin Ha on the set of Bridgerton season 4.Credit: Gavin Bond/Netflix
What you’ve seen her in: The Survivors (Netflix), Dune: Prophecy (HBO Max)
What’s next: Bridgerton (Netflix)
In just a few weeks, this Korean-Australian NIDA grad will become one of the most watched people on the planet. Yerin Ha will star as Sophie Baek, the leading lady of Bridgerton’s highly anticipated fourth season – a series that has previously catapulted the careers of actors including Nicola Coughlan, Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey.
At the time she was cast, Ha had just five screen credits to her name (including a bullied schoolgirl in the 2023 Stan* miniseries Bad Behaviour and a mulleted teenage rebel in Halo). But she’s had a huge year since appearing in both local seaside drama The Survivors and more big international sci-fi in Dune: Prophecy. Towards the end of 2024, Ha told this masthead she approaches jobs “with the mindset that every show will be my last”. Odds are, after #Benophie takes hold (a book-originated fandom for Sophie Baek’s relationship with Benedict Bridgerton), she won’t have to worry quite so much in 2026. MW
Josh Heuston and Sarah-Sofie Boussnina in Dune: Prophecy.
Josh Heuston
What you’ve seen him in: Heartbreak High (Netflix); Dune: Prophecy (HBO Max).
What’s next: Off Campus (Amazon Prime Video)
Part of the rebooted Heartbreak High class, Josh Heuston, who played Dusty, has swapped his school bag for the political manoeuvring of HBO Max’s Dune: Prophecy. The series, which is a prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s films Dune and Dune: Part Two, also stars another couple of Australians making their mark: Travis Fimmell and Shalom Brune-Franklin. Heuston, who plays Constantine Corrino, illegitimate son of Emperor Javicco Corrino, is filming season two of the high-fantasy blockbuster now, but before that, you’ll find him in Off Campus. Adapted from Elle Kennedy’s wildly popular “hockey romance” book series (yes, it’s a thing), it’s another classic love triangle, with Heuston playing Justin, the rock star crush of the book’s heroine Hannah. Who could possibly get in the way? Why, the college’s star ice-hockey player, of course. I can hear the sighing already… LR
Robert Irwin with his Dancing With the Stars partner Witney Carson.Credit: Disney/ABC
Robert Irwin
What you’ve seen him in: I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! (Ten); US Dancing with the Stars.
What’s next: New season of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! in January.
OK, we know Robert Irwin isn’t exactly an unknown, and we know he’s not an actor, but the 22-year-old has arguably had the biggest year on TV out of anyone. After hosting his second season co-hosting Ten’s reality show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, he hotfooted his way through 11 episodes of Dancing with the Stars in the US, ripping off his shirt and ramping up his sex appeal, and claiming the Mirrorball Trophy. As culture editor at large Michael Idato wrote after Irwin’s victory, the real prize was “an injection of brand capital that will transform Irwin’s global fame”. Irwin – who has been playfully described as a “walking green flag” – has built his brand on authenticity and family and claims Prince William as one of his chief admirers. What he will do with his reinvigorated international fame is the real question. LR
Dichen Lachman
Dichen Lachman as Ms Casey in Severance.Credit: Apple TV+
What you’ve seen her in: Severance (Apple TV), Jurassic World: Dominion, Dollhouse, Neighbours (Ten).
What’s next: Other Mommy (in cinemas October 8, 2026), Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix), Severance (Apple TV).
Unlike others on this list, Dichen Lachman has had an established career in the US for well over a decade. She pursued international work shortly after finishing up her run as Katya Kinski on Neighbours in the 2000s, and quickly found success in various sci-fi and genre series including Joss Wheedon’s Dollhouse, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Altered Carbon. But her work alongside Adam Scott in Apple TV’s critically acclaimed series Severance propelled her into a new orbit, and the actor’s widely praised performance in this year’s mind-bending second season (seriously, watch episode seven) will certainly lead to more success. Her slate for the next year includes an ongoing part in Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as a major role alongside Jessica Chastain and Mark Duplass in a supernatural horror film, Other Mommy, produced by Australian horror legend James Wan. A third season of Severance is also on its way, but it’s a notoriously slow show to produce and there’s no date yet announced. MW
Jack Patten
Jack Patten stars as the titular Robin Hood in this upcoming series.Credit: Aleksandar Letic/MGM+
What you’ve seen him in: Robin Hood (Stan)
What’s next: War Machine (Netflix)
Growing up in Western Sydney’s Hills District, Jack Patten always dreamed of playing AFL. As a teen he even trained at the Sydney Swans Academy – a pipeline to the professional league – before a knee injury took him out in 2017. Now he’s starring alongside Sean Bean in the latest TV adaptation of Robin Hood. As Patten recently told this masthead, he got into acting by chance, on the suggestion of a friend, and soon landed a spot at NIDA. Since graduating in 2023, he’s been booked consistently and will appear in the upcoming Netflix sci-fi film War Machine alongside Dennis Quaid and Reacher’s Alan Ritchson. MW
Charlie Vickers as Kieran in The Survivors.
Charlie Vickers
What you’ve seen him in: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon Prime Video); The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Amazon Prime Video); The Survivors (Netflix).
What’s next: Season three of The Rings of Power, either 2026 or 2027.
Despite starring as the evil villain Sauron in the most expensive series of all time, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Charlie Vickers has only started to make his mark at home. Over the last couple of years, the 33-year-old Melbourne actor, who lives in London after studying at the prestigious Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, has slowly been building his local resume, with supporting roles in the film Palm Beach and the series The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. This year, however, he was terrific as the lead in the adaptation of Jane Harper’s Tasmanian murder mystery The Survivors. The series debuted at No.4 in Netflix’s global top 10 – giving Vickers’ profile a serious boost beyond Middle Earth. “I watched Neighbours religiously with my mum every night,” he said in June. “Like, 6.30 it was The Simpsons on Channel 10 and then Neighbours. That’s why I want to work more and more in Australia because you just inherently feel the connection to Australian stories, and because there’s so much familiarity in these stories … There was a joy coming up in England, but … I certainly missed how quintessentially Australian a lot of Australian projects are.” LR
Joseph Zada
Joseph Zada, who plays Charlie Roth in the new Australian series Invisible Boys, will star in the Sunrise on the Reaping film.
What you’ve seen him in: We Were Liars (Amazon Prime), Invisible Boys (Stan)
What’s next: The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (in US cinemas November 20, 2026), East of Eden (Netflix)
The much-hyped upcoming Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping has a stacked cast. Glenn Close. Kieran Culkin. Jesse Plemons. Ralph Fiennes. But who has top billing? A 20-year-old Australian named Joseph Zada. This young Sydneysider, son of All Saints star Jeremy Cumpston, will play the teenage version of Haymitch Abernathy, the jaded mentor of Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen, first immortalised on screen by Woody Harrelson. It’s been a rapid ascendance for Zada, who has only been on our screens the past couple of years. His first major role was back in February, in Stan’s Invisible Boys, starring as a gay teen hoping to escape his small coastal town (the character was an avatar for Holden Sheppard, who wrote the bestselling novel on which the series is based). Zada then broke the US with his turn as a charismatic but tortured rich kid in American YA series We Were Liars. And The Hunger Games isn’t the only thing he has on the horizon. Zada is also due to play Cal Trask in Zoe Kazan’s 2026 East of Eden miniseries. The role was famously portrayed by James Dean in Elia Kazan’s 1955 film of the same name, and this adaptation will have Zada starring alongside Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott and Mike Faist. MW
*Stan is owned by Nine, the publisher of this masthead.
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