Hollywood 2025 has shining characters with brilliance, charm, and major power over the culture, and the guys who are leading the way are creating the change of a new celebrity. These musicians are going beyond just making the fans happy to changing the industry, the art, and the narrative of the next generation by queering their identities as LGBTQ+ icons, thus demolishing the fences and luring the industry with their exquisite talent. We can come up with the eight most fabulous and gifted people mentally who are throwing a brilliant light in the night sky of Hollywood.
8. Leo Sheng – The Changemaker
Authenticity is what Leo Sheng basically lives and has developed into a career. To a large extent, Leo Sheng is recognized for his work on Adam and The L Word: Generation Q. Throughout his career, Sheng has been a significant supporter of the increase of queer and trans representation in the media. In his spare time, he also does a remarkable and effective advocacy work for social justice, workers’ rights, and the voices of queer youth. Sheng has charm; he is, without a doubt, and as a matter of fact, he is on a mission – all these attributes make him as talented as he is lovely.
7. Tramell Tillman – The Breakout Force
You watched Severance, so you know Tramell Tillman as the unforgettable Milchick, both charming and unsettling. He’s gone on to break into big-budget films with Mission: Impossible, The Final Reckoning, starring Tom Cruise. As a gay Black man breaking ceilings in Hollywood, Tillman brings talent with trailblazing visibility, and his effortless charm makes him irrefutable.
6. Jonathan Groff – The Broadway Powerhouse
Jonathan Groff is a Broadway royalty transplanted into a natural film, television, and voice actor. From Spring Awakening to originating Kristoff in Frozen to unnerving turns in Mindhunter, his versatility speaks volumes. Following his recent Tony Award win for Merrily We Roll Along, Groff continues to pave the way for openly gay actors. Warm, magnetic, and unapologetic in his manner, he’s always guaranteed to please the crowd.
5. Omar Apollo – The Sound of Now
Omar Apollo is now one of the defining voices of music in the 2020s, with hits such as Evergreen and albums that transcend genres. But he’s not resting on his laurels; his film debut in Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, starring alongside Daniel Craig, was a demonstration of his acting abilities. Apollo’s candor, creativity, and fearless queerness make him a cultural force who won’t be contained in one box.
4. Lukas Gage – The Gambler
Lukas Gage has made a career out of saying yes to dangerous roles. He began with a splash on The White Lotus and went on to star in films like Smile 2 and Companion. Never afraid to get raw or gritty, Gage is opening doors for queer performers in Hollywood. His most recent role in Overcompensating cemented his status as one of the most exciting up-and-coming stars in the business.
3. Tonatiuh – The Cultural Star
Nominated for his Aztec heritage, Tonatiuh is lighting up the screen in Hollywood. From his initial breakout in Vida to his latest in the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman with Diego Luna and Jennifer Lopez, he’s offering a solid queer Latine presence on the screen. Full of pride, balancing his heritage on his back with every new project, Tonatiuh is already a familiar face on his way to household name status.
2. Matt Rogers – The Comedy Visionary
Matt Rogers is pop culture’s master thief. Stealing moments on Fire Island, dropping holiday singles, or co-hosting the behemoth Las Culturistas podcast with Bowen Yang, Rogers is as quick on his tongue as he is adaptable. His mixture of humor, musicality, and cultural critique has made him one of the leading voices in queer comedy and a go-to personality on all scales.
1. Jeremy Pope – The Game-Changer
Jeremy Pope is the package deal: actor, singer, and visual artist. Praise has come his way on Broadway and television (Hollywood, One Night in Miami), he’s released an experimental album (Last Name: Pope), and even courted controversy with his photography series, which confronted toxic masculinity head-on.
With his new lineup, The Beauty, ready to make waves, Pope is already cementing himself not just as a star but as a cultural icon. Wittier, more charming, and more unapologetically himself, he’s Hollywood’s future face.
These eight men are not just stars; they’re creating the next chapter of Hollywood. Talented, commanding, and unapologetically authentic, they’re reauthoring the playbook on what it means to be a leading man in 2025.