Let’s get real—Black Hollywood has never lacked heavyweight talent, but this new wave of actors is doing something different. They’re not just acting—they’re reaching out to us through the screen and taking us by the soul.
Whether they’re bringing tears to our eyes, giving us the shudders, or making us clap in our nightgowns, these new stars are turning moments into milestones. Here are seven of the most iconic scenes that prove the future of entertainment is here already.
6. Myles Frost is Michael Jackson in MJ: The Musical
If you got to see Myles Frost play MJ on Broadway, you were lucky. His rendition of the opening track, Beat It, was not a homage but an experience of the King of Pop reincarnated. Frost’s energy, voice, and movement were so sharp, it gave the audience goosebumps.
No wonder he was the youngest ever to receive a Tony for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. If you’ve been boasting about having “basically seen MJ live,” yeah, sure. Fair enough.
5. How Lyric Ross Brought Quiet Power to This Is Us
Some performances are loud and flamboyant. Lyric Ross’s performance as Deja is the opposite, and that is what makes it so devastating. After being discovered sleeping in a car with her mother, Deja has a soft talk with Randall that lands like a sledgehammer. She talks quietly, in hushed tones, about being exhausted—not just physically, but emotionally. Ross acts the scene with a serenity that belies a profound pain, revealing wisdom many years beyond the character’s years. It’s the sort of performance you carry with you a long time after the credits have rolled.
4. Kelvin Harrison Jr. Shatters in Waves
Kelvin Harrison Jr. doesn’t perform in Waves—he detonates. During the film’s climactic confrontation scene, Harrison guides audiences on a maelstrom of rage, terror, and full-blown emotional collapse. The tension builds, the audio drops, and for several suffocating seconds, there is nothing but silence—and a black screen.
When the moment shatters, it’s overbearing. Harrison shows yet again that he’s a chameleon: whether he’s a student, an activist, or a heartbreak in human form, he nails it every single time.
3. Storm Reid Speaks Volumes Without a Word in Euphoria
Yes, Zendaya’s Rue gets top billing through Euphoria’s most incendiary meltdowns—but let’s talk about Storm Reid. As Rue’s little sister, Gia, she doesn’t need a monologue to dish up a gut-churning performance. In one memorable moment, she sits frozen in place, tears quietly falling, eyes fixed on Rue. No words. Just raw emotion. Reid says more in silence than most actors say with a whole script—and it’s devastating.
2. Asante Blackk’s Ominous Scene in When They See Us
Seeing Asante Blackk act like Kevin Richardson suffering in pain as he’s coerced into confessing in When They See Us is terrible, but that’s why it’s so unforgettable. You sense the stuttering confusion, the fear, the desperation behind every head shake and stutter. His puffed-out bruises, his twisted posture, his broken voice—it all runs up and hits you like a punch to the chest. The camera does not blink, nor does Blackk. It’s a performance that shatters you, leaves you heartbroken, and appalls at the injustice.
1. Hailey Kilgore’s Chilling Ascension: Raising Kanan
Jukebox’s transformation from sweet little thing to cold-blooded killer could have been a stretch, but not when it’s in Hailey Kilgore. After Juke’s first kill, Kilgore lets the shock sink in before remaking her face into a frigid one. Each installment strips away another veneer of niceness, revealing a cold-blooded survivor. Kilgore doesn’t just play a character—she builds a legacy. By the time that she’s entirely gone, you find yourself trusting every step of the fall. She’s no longer just Jukebox—she’s a force to be reckoned with.
These are not only fantastic performances—they’re milestone moments from actors remaking what it means to be an actor. Black Hollywood’s next wave isn’t seeking permission or playing according to the old rules. They’re taking a stand on “the screen” with talent, authenticity, and something very much in short supply: unmistakable presence. The future is not arriving—it’s arrived, and these seven scenes are evidence.