Variety’s 10 Brits to Watch for 2025: Mia Tharia, Erin Kellyman, Nabhaan Rizwan Among Honorees

Davies was “quite reluctant” to write for television when the opportunity first arose. “I really love theater with all my heart, and I didn’t really get TV,” says Davies, who had been earning acclaim in London for her plays such as “scum” and “Graceland,” which premiered at the Royal Court in 2023. Davies says her plays explore “the power we wield over each other and how it manifests, particularly in romantic relationships and in friendships. The ways we can hurt each other or help each other.”

Theater offered two distinct advantages to her: The “immediacy” of live performances that differ each night and the fact that “as a playwright you can go on for pages and pages of dialogue. You can’t do that for TV, which was really stressful.”

But Davies’ agent persuaded her to give it a chance. “She gave me a kick to take it seriously.” And now she’s been won over by writing on such series as “Industry” and “The Girlfriend.” “I love it,” she says. “I love how TV is such a collaborative medium, but I’m also realizing it can be an authored medium too.” She is currently developing the thriller “The Assistant” for DNA Films.

Writing for television, she has developed more of an instinct for the mechanics of narrative, learning to embrace plot — “a playwright’s least favorite word” — which is so essential for television. Davies also likes the idea of writing accessible shows in a commercial medium. “TV is what people watch the most, and I want people to find a way in while I Trojan horse in bigger ideas underneath the glossy exterior. ‘Industry’ has loads of sex and drugs and it’s fun, but there’s something steely and incisive that it’s saying about capitalism and our world.”
— Stuart Miller

Reps WME, Independent Talent (U.K.) 

Influences Joanna Hogg, Annie Baker, Sarah Waters

Kellyman says it was intense to step back in time to 1920s Britain for writer/director Will Seefried’s upcoming film “Lilies Not for Me,” about a gay novelist (Fionn O’Shea) whose doctor prescribes a series of teatime “dates” with the psychiatric nurse she plays. “It was so emotional to see what people in our community would have gone through back in those times,” says Kellyman, who identifies as queer. “It came down on me like a ton of bricks.”

It’s a long way from the matter-of-fact acceptance the lesbian relationship between her character Jade and Princess Kit (Ruby Cruz) is greeted with in the 2022-2023 Disney+ fantasy series “Willow,” which still has people approaching her in public to tell her how much it means to them. “The fact that strangers are so open to talking about their personal life is so incredible and heartwarming,” says Kellyman.

A native of Tamworth, Staffordshire, Kellyman first earned global attention as Enfys Nest in 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” She went on to appear in the Marvel series “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (2021) and Steve McQueen’s World War II drama “Blitz.” 

This year will see Kellyman appear in Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later,” the anticipated follow-up to the iconic zombie pic. And she recently completed filming her role as a 19-year-old who befriends a 90-year-old woman (June Squibb) who’s moved to New York City to start a new life in “Eleanor the Great,” the feature directorial debut of actor Scarlett Johansson. “This is the first time where I felt a complete, almost overwhelming sense of trust,” says Kellyman. “If Scarlett was happy with it, I was happy with it, and I could go home and just relax rather than overthink and get myself into a hole where I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I did a terrible job and everything’s going to be terrible.’”
— Todd Longwell

Reps Agency: CAA, Curtis Brown (U.K.); Legal: Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher

InfluencesJulie Walters, Alia Shawkat, the poetry of “Willow” co-star Dempsey Bryk, 2003’s “Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Moonlight,” “This Is England,” “The Florida Project”

London-based Lightfoot-Leon is having a remarkable start to the year, appearing in the critically acclaimed Netflix Western miniseries “American Primeval,” as well as the Paramount+ espionage thriller series “The Agency,” starring Michael Fassbender, where she plays an undercover CIA agent. “There has to be an element of curiosity when it comes to each project, whether it’s the writing or the filmmaking team,” Lightfoot-Leon notes. “I’m attracted to things that make me nervous, and that immediately present a challenge, and which linger in my psyche.”

Her breakout role occurred when she starred in the 2023 British indie “Hoard,” with her performance garnering a Special Jury Mention at the Venice Film Festival and a nomination for Breakthrough Performance at the British Independent Film Awards. Previous credits include the Apple TV+ miniseries “Masters of the Air” and BBC hit “Life After Life.”

Her parents, both of whom are dancers, raised Lightfoot-Leon in the Netherlands, and one of her career dreams is to open up a theater company. “I try not to think too much about the future, but I trained classically in drama school [RADA], and my heart really lies in live performance, and I would love to tour and make something special within that world. I’d also love to do voice-work in a stop-motion animation film.”

Lightfoot-Leon loves to keep moving and would throw herself into the role of an action heroine with ease. “I’m always doing some sort of physical activity, and I love doing yoga and really intense sports and HIIT training.”
— Nick Clement

Reps Curtis Brown (UK); Legal: Goodman Genow Schenkman Smelkinson + Christopher

Influences Her parents, Meryl Streep, Joaquin Phoenix, Jim Carrey

Parish has mastered the art of the well-executed leap of faith. Parish studied ballet as a child and says, “The logic of it made sense to my body.” Still, in his early twenties, Parish was a “nobody from the back line” of England’s Royal Ballet’s corps de ballet when he was invited to become the first British dancer to join the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. The ballet master there, Yuri Fateyev, had briefly taught in London and told Parish, “You aren’t the best dancer around, but you are the hardest working one
I’ve found.”

So Parish made his first leap, despite speaking “zero Russian.”

“When I arrived, the snow was up to my waist and the people were very cold to me too,” he says. But Parish’s hard work made him a star, first as a soloist and then the principal dancer. He was embraced by the country and learned to love its people and its culture.

But when Russia invaded Ukraine, Parish had to start over. In California, he led a performance called “Reunited in Dance” that brought together Russian, Ukrainian and other international dancers. A chance encounter there with a playwright led Parish back to London for another leap — into acting. He danced in “The Gates of Kyiv” but also had a “thick script” to memorize. “I was intimidated,” he says. “I’ve had a 19-year career performing but always using  my body to tell the story, never words.”

Parish loved acting. “It’s still telling a story; it’s still creating an emotion,” Parish says. With the natural shelf life of his ballet career nearing its end, he hungers not just for more stage roles but to try TV and film as well. “I would love to develop as an actor if possible, if someone would take me on.”
— S.M.

Reps N/A

Influences Ralph Fiennes, Pierce Brosnan

“It was either going to be a great film or a shit film. There was no middle ground,” says Peppiatt of his narrative feature debut, “Kneecap.” The lightly fictionalized biopic of the rise of West Belfast-based hip-hop group Kneecap — whose members Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí rap in English and Irish — was shortlisted for an international Oscar and has earned $4.5 million at the box office worldwide. It’s slated for re-release in Ireland on the heels of its six BAFTA nominations.

Peppiatt began his career as a journalist for the London tabloid Daily Star, where he engaged in sometimes stereotypically awful British tabloid stunts. Rejecting that career path, he resigned, earning some notoriety for his scathing and unblanched resignation letter. He turned his tabloid career into fodder for a standup show, which attracted the attention of Hugh Grant and Steve Coogan. They suggested he turn it into a documentary, and “One Rogue Reporter” became Peppiatt’s directorial debut.

Hip-hop, local West Belfast characters, drugs — lots of drugs — and the energy of the music makes a potent mix in “Kneecap.” But it was the music that was the starting point. “When you’ve got that punky and anarchic hip-hop, you’re gonna have something that’s fast cut, that’s gonna have no rules. It’s the spirit of Kneecap, who really don’t obey anyone’s rules.”

Peppiatt is working with a U.S. studio on a satire about 21st century tourism “‘Triangle of Sadness’ with zombies,” he says, and he and his “Kneecap” producer Trevor Birney have optioned a nonfiction bestseller “Bad Bridget,” about the lives of Irish women immigrants in New York City.
— Carole Horst

Reps Agency: WME (U.S.), MMB Creative (U.K.); Management: Anonymous Content

Influences George Saunders, Martin McDonagh, Danny Boyle, Arsene Wenger

Rizwan already had credits on such popular series as “Industry” and “Station Eleven” when he was cast as the lead in writer-director Naqqash Khalid’s debut feature “In Camera.” Rizwan earned raves for his performance as Aden, a struggling actor fed up with nightmare auditions. “I know what this experience feels like from the inside-out, rather than the outside-in. So, it was important for us to represent the world of acting in the way it feels, not necessarily how it is,” notes the actor.

His recent success, including a role on the Netflix series “Kaos,” not only led him to a nomination for the 2025 EE BAFTA Rising Star Award, but also a personal accomplishment that’s deeply meaningful to him: buying his mother a house. Talent runs in the family — he recently starred in the BBC comedy “Juice,” written by and co-starring his brother Mawaan Rizwan.

As for future creative ambitions, he says, “I don’t set any great milestones or goals, because I really don’t see failure or success at this point. Each moment and idea is just the next bead on the string. It’s imperative for me to start from scratch every time.”

He will next be seen in BBC’s “Dope Girls,” a six-part drama that vividly brings the Soho streets of 1918 to life. Rizwan also joined the cast of “Film Club,” a forthcoming BBC romantic comedy-drama, which will also star Aimee Lou Wood and Suranne Jones.

For Rizwan, it’s all about taking chances. Asked what intrigues him when looking for new projects, he responds, “Newness. Being the first to do something in this medium is a bit of a cardinal sin right now. I think that’s a dangerous thing and the big challenge we face going forward.”
— N.C.

Reps Agency: UTA; Management: B-Side Management

Influences His mother, Pharrell Williams, cricket coach Keith Hurst, music teacher Mr. Reason

Sethu’s parents are both doctors, so it made sense that she was headed to university to study veterinary medicine. But her father had also been a singer and her mother a dancer. And right before school, Sethu forged her own path into the arts: acting. She was 18 when she landed a role in a tiny British indie film called “Sket.”

“It was the first time I got to rehearse something and really connect with the character and embed myself within that world and on set,” she recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.’”

Although she did complete a science degree, Sethu then immediately returned to acting, landing regular roles in several TV series, most notably the final season of the action series “Strike Back: Vendetta.” She loved the “long-term” thinking about a character that television allowed. “That shifted how I work.”

She credits dancing in classics as a child with helping her launch her career. “You’re shooting beyond your means because you’re playing a warrior king and a mother and a deer. That gave me an edge, a ballsiness, in acting because nothing feels that scary on a stage or a lot. I just said, ‘I’m going to be a successful actor.’” Her success is now reaching new peaks: a starring role in “Andor” and a main role in the British staple “Dr. Who.”

“Andor” creator Tony Gilroy told her people often get “altitude sickness” in major franchises because they start to feel out of their depth. “But if you break down the story of each character you can push those bigger things away and just be a character having a conversation with another person,” she says. “Or with this alien.”
— S.M.

Reps Agency: Curtis Brown

Influences Her mom, Meryl Streep, the “Jurassic Park” cast: Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill

The BBC comedy “Spent” follows de Swarte as Mia, a model nearing 40 whose love for all things luxurious and lavish has led to her financial ruin. The show is loosely inspired by the former model turned comedian-actor’s own experiences. “What a privilege to be able to push your own harsh realities in the hopes it will one day be someone else’s escapism,” she says.

De Swarte created and wrote all six episodes of the series, which she says taught her several valuable lessons, including to trust her first instinct and “not to let perfection get in the way of completion and to always remember you’re making a comedy.”

Prior to “Spent,” the South Londoner was known for roles in “The Duchess” and “The Baby” and a stint on “I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here.” But because her love has always been comedy, she’s developing another sitcom while prepping material for a new stand-up tour.

What is it about British comedy that she holds dear?  “I think its essence is probably the result of instinctively but begrudgingly being polite to a fault. You stepped on my foot therefore I am sorry! The only way this can be kept up is to seethe with sarcasm.” 
— Jazz Tangcay

Reps Agency: WME; Curtis Brown (U.K.)

Influences RuPaul, Bill Burr, Wanda Sykes, Steve McQueen (“the British one”)

With prominent roles in the  BBC series “Phoenix Rise,” Janicza Bravo’s “The Listeners” and Ariane Labed’s directorial debut “September Says,” Tharia says she’s only scratched the surface of challenges she’d like to tackle as an actor. “I’ve played a lot of quite introspective characters, and I’ve really, really loved [that] because I’ve identified that within myself,” she explains. “Now I’m more excited to play characters that maybe people wouldn’t look at me and be like, ‘That’s something that she seems like she can do.’”

Inspired to perform after seeing “Billy Elliot” on stage, Tharia participated in youth theater before joining a child actors’ agency at 12. She credits her primary school drama teacher and casting director Isabella Odoffin not just for encouraging her at an early age, but championing her for roles like those in “September Says” and Taika Waititi’s upcoming adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Klara and the Sun.”

Though she insists that “every human emotion and every experience, you can find within yourself,” Tharia acknowledges there are still experiences she has yet to master. “There’s a scene in ‘September Says’ where I had to dance, and I have no coordination. It was terrible,” she insists. Even so, it was that painfully foreign moment of performance that galvanized her passion for acting.

 “It worked so well for the scene because that’s sort of the type of character that she was,” she says. “And I was like, ‘OK, this is a bit of a superpower — I can do whatever I want, and people will call it art’.”
— T.G.

Reps Agency: Independent Talent Group; Legal: Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher

Influences Richard Ayoade’s “Submarine,” Paapa Essiedu, Jodie Comer

While Thorn began performing as a child, her first big break came later when she responded to the tripling of university fees by “giving away my philosophy degree on YouTube.”

Her channel, Philosophy Tube, began with straightforward presentations of Thorn talking to the camera about different philosophers. It quickly drew a following (and now has 1.6 million subscribers), and Thorn eventually started adding costumes, makeup, props and music, giving the channel a new look. “I didn’t initially realize the degree to which YouTube and acting could serve each other.”

After leaving drama school, Abigail toured in a production of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing,” as well as taking roles in BBC2’s “Ladhood” and Sky’s “Django.”

In 2022, Thorn wrote herself a leading role in “The Prince,” an award-winning stage play that reimagined characters in Shakespeare’s works trying to break free of their trappings. Since then, she has moved into TV with taken roles in shows like “House of the Dragon” and “Star Wars: The Acolyte,” and written her own short film for Nebula, “Dracula’s Ex-Girlfriend.”

“Acting is so wonderful because it’s just total creativity,” Thorn says. “It’s not just the analytic brain; it’s also the body and the heart and the face and the voice and the spirit. You have to bring everything about yourself to a role.”

While she still loves philosophy and writing, acting, she says, “is my destiny. So being able to leverage Philosophy Tube for this has been fantastic.”
— S.M.

Reps Management: Five Successes Prods.

Influences Sigourney Weaver, Carrie-Anne Moss, Shakespeare