The future isn't near, it's here.
E! is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month—or Latinx Heritage Month, as it's been referred to in recent years—amplifying voices and highlighting the next generation of talent set to become Hollywood's next big stars. We're talking the Internet's soon-to-be boyfriend and the next Disney princess.
While the industry still has a long way to go when it comes to representation, progress has been made in the last year, including DC introducing three Latinx superheroes—hello, Batgirl and Supergirl!—and Disney casting a Columbian-American newcomer as their live-action Snow White. Plus, Marvel is set to introduce their first Latin-American LGBTQ character and they called The Baby-Sitters Club number to find the actress to play her.
Here are 19 emerging Latinx stars that should be on your radar, including a Cobra Kai standout and the artists you should be checking out on Spotify ASAP.
Prepare to meet the Internet's next boyfriend.
Maridueña already has a loyal following thanks to his current role as Miguel Diaz in the hit Netflix series Cobra Kai as well as his time on NBC's beloved drama Parenthood. But the 20-year-old is set to become one of Hollywood's newest superheroes after being cast as Jaime Reyes in Blue Beetle, which marks Warner Bros. and DC's first Latino-led comic book adaptations.
Alongside Cobra Kai co-star Jacob Bertrand, also recently launched an original podcast series Lone Lobos, a talk show with the two stars discussing pop culture as part of iHeartMedia's My Cultura network, which is dedicated to elevating Latinx voices and creators.
Zegler was just a 17-year-old high school student when she beat out reportedly 30,000 other actresses for the role of Maria in Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story.
In true millennial fashion, the teen saw the casting call for Latinx actors on Twitter, and submitted her audition back in Jan. 2018. She reportedly sent in a video of her singing "Tonight" and "Me Siento Hermosa," the Spanish version of the musical's classic "I Feel Pretty."
"I am so thrilled to be playing the iconic role of Maria alongside this amazing cast," the actress told Deadline at the time. "West Side Story was the first musical I encountered with a Latina lead character."
But West Side Story isn't the 20-year-old's only upcoming remake as Zegler is also set to play Snow White in Disney's live-action remake.
"Rachel's extraordinary vocal abilities are just the beginning of her gifts," director Marc Webb has said. "Her strength, intelligence and optimism will become an integral part of rediscovering the joy in this classic Disney fairytale."
After getting her start on So You Think You Can Dance in 2009, DeBose went on to appear in Broadway productions of Bring It On: The Musical, Hamilton and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. After co-starring in Ryan Murphy's Netflix film The Prom, the 30-year-old is set to take on her biggest challenge yet in December's West Side Story, playing Anita, the role that earned Rita Moreno an Oscar.
Ramirez went from Netflix's On My Block to the MCU when he took on the role of Joaquin Torres in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Given that his character takes over the mantle of Falcon in the comics, it's safe to assume fans will be seeing more of Ramirez in the MCU. But until then, the 28-year-old actor will be flying the friendly skies, next appearing in Top Gun: Maverick alongside Tom Cruise.
The Young and the Restless actress was the first Latina to star as Supergirl thanks to her casting in 2022s The Flash, beating out 400 other women to snag the superhero role.
"This still hasn't fully hit me. I'm starting to cry as I type this because I know it's me in that video.. but I still can't believe it," the 26-year-old captioned an Instagram post in February. "Una latina súper héroe?! En que planeta?! Pues en este planeta!! Que alegría y que orgullo. Mamá, gracias por tu esfuerzo, por criarme solita y con mucho amor. Te adoro con todo lo que tengo. Eres un ejemplo de súper héroe."
While The Baby-Sitters Club fans were sad to learn that Gomez would be leaving the Netflix series, the blow was softened when they learned the reason why: The teenager is becoming a Marvel superhero.
Gomez is set to play America Chavez a.k.a. Miss America—the MCU's first Latin-American LGBTQ character—in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, slated to premiere debut in March 2022.
A new Dawn is here.
Following Xochitl Gomez's exit from the BSC, Sanchez will take over the role of Dawn Schafer when season two premieres on Oct. 11.
Previously, the 15-year-old appeared in an episode of The Queen's Gambit and the Netflix film Finding Ohana. She'll next be seen opposite Jennifer Lopez and Maluma in 2022's Marry Me.
Meet the newest DC Comics superhero.
After becoming one of the breakout stars of In The Heights, Grace won the coveted lead role in HBO Max's Batgirl and will star as crime fighter Barbara Gordon in the long-awaited movie.
Cutting her teeth on TV with roles in telenovelas before starring in Vida, the Mexican actress made the leap to the big screen when she starred in this summer's adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights. Next up for the 31-year-old? Playing a secretive part in the highly-anticipated fifth Scream movie and the titular role of the musical film Carmen.
Spotted on HBO Max's Gossip Girl: Moreno stealing every scene she's in as Luna, one of the coolest, chicest and meanest girls on the Upper East Side.
The 26-year-old trans model-turned-actress' big break came in the Mexican Netflix series Control Z. You know we love her. XOXO.
Paloma Mami (named after Drake's @champagnepapi Instagram handle) was just 18 years old when she became the first Chilean American artist to sign to Sony Music Latin in 2018. She released her first studio album, Sueños de Dalí, this past March, blending R&B, trap, reggaeton, and pop to craft her own unique sound.
It takes a confident 17-year-old to take on the role of a teenage genius who becomes the youngest person to ever earn a job at NASA. And that's exactly who Chávez plays in The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia, the Netflix sitcom co-created by Mario Lopez. (Eva Longoria is a director!)
"I was immediately captivated by the character," the teen told The Wrap. "To have an opportunity to audition to portray a genius Latina was exciting and I related to her in the fact that we both focused on our career early on and as Latinas have over protecting/loving moms."
Speaking of impressive teens, the 14-year-old Romero plays a 12-year-old Cuban-American middle schooler on the Disney+ series Diary of A Future President. That's right, she's playing a young girl who will one day become POTUS, with producer Gina Rodriguez, who plays the older version of the character. The future really is female.
"All these people started telling me, 'This is insane! This is so cool that you're doing this! This needs to be seen. We don't see this enough.' And then I realized, 'Yeah, these people are right!'" Romero told ET Online of the show's representation. "It's such an honor that I am going to be a part of something that's helping represent many people of different backgrounds in media, and that's not happening as much as people want it to happen. It's really cool that I am part of something that advances that and is doing more for [the Latinx community]."
Known for his breakout, titular role in the Hulu series Love, Victor, a spin-off of the 2018 film Love, Simon, Cimino showed off more his talents when he released his debut single "Love Addict, in June.
"I am doing this without the support of a label, and this music is a self-funded passion project of mine," the 21-year-old wrote on Instagram at the time. "I don't have a huge marketing team telling me the best strategies. I don't have a million dollar budget from sponsors or a studio. It was just two friends that wrote something together, because we love this. And I believe in it."
While many may know her as Leonardo DiCaprio's longtime girlfriend, Morrone is set to make waves of her own as the star of Amazon's upcoming miniseries Daisy Jones and the Six, the much-buzzed-about adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestselling novel.
The 24-year-old model previously earned praise for her turn 2019's Mickey and the Bear.
How popular is this 17-year-old Dominican singer online? Her music video for "Mi Regalo Mas Bonito" has over 159 million views on YouTube. A full-blown social media star, La Ross signed with Sony Music México in April and is set to release the video for her latest single, "Tu Foto," on Sept. 23.
The 29-year-old Puerto Rican rapper sky-rocketed to fame in 2019 after his first song "ReBoTa" reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and received over 300 million views on YouTube. After signing a joint record deal with Universal Music Latino and Republic Records, Guaynaa released his first EP, BRB Be Right Back, in March of last year, which featured collabs with Becky G and Nicky Jam.
With two EPs under his belt, the Mexican-American singer-songwriter has quickly become one of the most exciting new voices in the alt-R&B world. His debut album Apolonio, arrived in October 2020, and the 24-year-old is set to go on tour in 2022.
Brillon, 41, is the first Latina comedian to make it to the finals on America's Got Talent, making it to the end of the most recent season. She ultimately placed just out of the top three.
The Puerto Rican comic's one-hour special, Gina Brillon: The Floor is Lava, won a 2021 Gracie Award and she also co-hosts the Mess In Progress: The Homegirls Guide to Self-Help podcast.