As the year comes to a close, we present the top 5 fan favorite actresses, according to the number of unique visitors on our website. Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye, Arcane, and Dickinson) is most favorite the star of 2021 and Zendaya (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Dune, and Euphoria) is the breakout star of 2021.
Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld
In 2021, Hailee Steinfeld also voiced Violet “Vi” in Netflix’s animated TV series Arcane (2021–present), based on the League of Legends video game franchise. She also starred as Emily Dickinson in the Apple TV+ comedy-drama series Dickinson (2019–2021). She played Kate Bishop / Hawkeye, appearing in the 2021 Disney+ series Hawkeye, set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In 2022 and 2023, Steinfeld is set to reprise her voice role as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Gwen in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and its sequel. A second season of Arcane was also announced. In April 2022, Steinfeld teased a new song titled “Coast” which will coincide with the promotion of her newest role as a brand ambassador for CORE Hydration.
Zendaya
Zendaya
In 2021, Zendaya starred in Malcolm & Marie, which was filmed during the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The production complied with extensive safety protocols and had a lean crew to minimize health risks. The film co-stars John David Washington, and was directed by Sam Levinson, who also created Euphoria.
Also in 2021 Zendaya voiced the character of Lola Bunny in Space Jam: A New Legacy. Zendaya then played Chani in Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction film Dune, the first part of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name. Zendaya reprised her role as MJ for the third time in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Elizabeth Olsen
Alongside Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen played Maximoff again in the superhero miniseries WandaVision, which premiered on Disney+ in January 2021.Olsen earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for her performance.
Florence Pugh
In 2021, Florence Pugh portrayed Yelena Belova, a spy, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Black Widow. She reprised the role in the Disney+ series Hawkeye later in the year.
Lady Gaga
After an appearance in the television special Friends: The Reunion, in which Gaga sang “Smelly Cat” with Lisa Kudrow, she portrayed Patrizia Reggiani, who was convicted of hiring a hitman to murder her ex-husband and former head of the Gucci fashion house Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver), in Ridley Scott’s biographical crime film titled House of Gucci. The film was released on November 24, 2021, to mixed reviews, though critics praised Gaga’s performance as “note-perfect”. She earned the New York Film Critics Circle Award, and nominations for the BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress. Gaga wrote the song “Hold My Hand” for the 2022 film Top Gun: Maverick, and also composed the score alongside Hans Zimmer and Harold Faltermeyer.
