I can not for the life of me understand why I didn’t make this easy on myself and narrow this down to like 10-15 actresses. But there are so many that we’re swooning over this year and had I more time I probably could have made this a series.
We know that actors are doing a job and the fame, fan fare, and attention that comes with it – well that’s a side effect. But it doesn’t mean that we’re immune from following their every move. A lot of these women inspire us for more than their acting, but their hearts, attitudes, and fierceness play a part.
Let’s break down who we’re swooning over.
Emily Bett Rickards
We can’t say enough great things about Emily Bett. Why? Sure, we love her on Arrow and she brings Felicity to life in a way that makes our jaws drop, our hearts beat fast, and us wondering how we got so lucky to have her on our television screens. Not only is she a great actress, the woman inspires us on the daily. She has fierce, loyal friendships that inspire us to want to be better friends. She lives her best life and is always thinking about what is next. She seems to not take anything for granted and celebrates her friends and is humble about herself. We’re swooning over her and thankful for the inspiration that she offers us on the daily.
Reese Witherspoon
Fierce, fabulous and a boss babe – Reese Witherspoon is goals. The actress has made a name for herself beyond acting over her career, but it is prevalent even more this year with her Hello Sunshine brand. Her book club has over 800K followers on Instagram with a devoted following for her choice of books. Not to mention her own 15 million followers on her Instagram. She’s optioned several books for development, but also released her own book Whiskey In a Teacup. The actress went on a sold out book tour and interviewed Michelle Obama on her book tour. She entertained us with her Crate and Barrel commercials. She conquered fashion with her Draper James line and expanded that into plus size clothing with Eloquii. She’s had an amazing year and we’re in awe. Her work ethic makes us want to work harder. We love it.
Abigail Spencer, Claudia Doumit, Sakina Jeffrey
No shocker to anyone that reads us that we love Timeless. We’re still focused on that finale and how it broke our hearts but gave us hope. One of the reasons that we loved Timeless so much is it’s cast. When Timeless was cancelled, our hearts were broken and we may have broken out in tears. But what we have appreciated throughout the entire thing is that the cast has loved the fandom as much as the fandom has loved them. They have seen everything that the fandom has done and they’ve been appreciative and supportive. These women are supportive, loving, and there for all of us. We may not know them personally, but they feel like friends. It’s insane that a TV show affects us like this, but we’re here for it.
Tessa Thompson
If we’re talking about someone who deserves to be on every best of 2018 list, it’s Tessa Thompson. The actress is versatile, flawless, and just all around relatable. She blew us away in her roles – from Annihilation to Westworld to Creed II – we knew that the actress could carry off anything. We were pissed when she wasn’t in this years Avengers and are hoping someone corrects that error in the next installment. The actress is relatable on social media and isn’t afraid to speak out about politics. Can we also talk about her musical prowess and the music that she recorded for Creed II? She’s always willing to push boundaries and we applaud her for that. Tessa Thompson is goals and we appreciate the hell out of her.
Kiernan Shipka
If there was one thing that we weren’t sure of was the reboot of Sabrina, but we were proven wrong quickly with the performance of Kiernan Shipka. The actress is everything that we never knew we needed. She’s definitely not the little girl from Mad Men anymore and we’re good with that. Her performance of Sabrina is dark and yet inviting. She’s definitely grown as an actress and has helped to launch a new fandom to a whole new generation.
Regina King
For years, we’ve known who Regina King is. From her roles in Friday to Legally Blonde, from 24 to The Big Bang Theory, the actress has always drawn us in with her versatility and her impeccable comedic timing. However this year, her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk was jaw dropping. The actress continues to push boundaries and learn with every role. In an interview with AOL the actress stated,”I feel like I’m growing as an actor as these roles are coming. They’re coming at the time that I’m prepared for them; the universe has prepared me for them, so I’m just riding it. I’m listening to the universe, and I’m riding love all the way.” We love her positive attitude and how humble she is. Because this actress is amazing and deserves all the accolades.
Italia Ricci
Now, we’ve loved Italia for years and admit that we will follow her anywhere. The actress is one of the most relatable people out there – making us feel like we’re taking a peek into our friends lives. Her love for Pizza is something we can relate to and yet her going to the gym – well, she’s motivated us to go a few times. The actress is one of the reasons that we have stuck with Designated Survivor, because Emilie is strong and yet vulnerable. She makes us strive to be better people. We’re inspired by the fact that she never has forgotten the fans that have been there with her all along and still communicates with fans online. Not to mention her support of cancer charities – something that is very personal to us. We will follow Italia everywhere.
Lana Condor
If you haven’t watched To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, you need to be doing that versus reading anything online. Sure there is Noah Centineo, but Lana Condor has stolen our hearts. The actress gave a performance that we could all fall for and relate to. She didn’t run from the fandom, she embraced the people who fell hard for her performance. The actress is frank about who she is – an adoptee, a foodie, a journal collector. The actress is also due to star in Deadly Class on Syfy. We’ve been lucky enough to see the first episode and we can tell you that she’s not a one hit wonder. She’s here to stay and we’ll be following her career.
Amandla Stenberg
If there is one movie that you should have seen this year it should have been The Hate U Give. It was one of the most important books we’ve ever read and definitely one of the most important movies that we’ve ever seen. Amandla Stenberg gave a performance that blew us away – but when doesn’t she? Her acting is versatile and pushes the limits. She is outspoken and cares enough to make a difference. She is well versed and articulate. The girl blows us away with her knowledge. We’re blessed that Amandla Stenberg is a role model out there for people everywhere.
Allison Miller
We’re addicted to A Million Little Things and appreciate the realism of the show. One character that we are captivated by is Maggie – who has cancer and up until this latest episode has not wanted to get treatment. However, friends have changed her mind and she’s now undergoing chemotherapy. Our love for Maggies storyline is because of Allison Miller, who plays Maggie. Maggie is strong, vulnerable, weak, caring, independent, and inspiring – and that is all because of Allison Miller. We adore her and we’re swooning hard.
Nina Dobrev
The thing is that we admit we haven’t seen the things that Nina has done this year, BUT it doesn’t matter. Because she’s one of those actresses that you don’t forget about. You watch everything that she does, you are glued to her social media and her positive outlook. She takes life by the balls and doesn’t let go. She’s pretty kick ass. We can’t wait to see her next year in FAM.
Sophia Bush
From One Tree Hill to Chicago PD, we’ve watched Sophia and loved every second of her performances. What inspires us is that the actress stands up for what she believes in and for the good of the people. She doesn’t settle for anything but happiness and following her heart. She will always be working on making the world a better place. So yes, we love her acting, but it’s her activism that we love and swoon over even more.
Kaylee Bryant
Now totally admit that we’d never heard the name Kaylee Bryant before Legacies and are apologetic for that. Why? Because Kaylee is a gem. She plays one of the Saltzman twins on the show – always overshadowed by her sister, but needing to come into her own. Kaylee is one of those actresses that you watch and smile. She’s part of the reason that we love Legacies and are thankful for her casting.
Jenny Boyd
Lizzie Saltzman is one of the characters that we dislike the most on Legacies, but that is not such a bad thing. That means that the actress playing her is doing an amazing job. So yes, Jenny Boyd, you’re on the list of actresses we are swooning over, because you have made us love to hate Lizzie. You’re doing an amazing job and we’re not looking away from Legacies. We can’t wait to see the evolution of your character
Rachel Brosnahan
When we met Rachel a few years back on the set of Beautiful Creatures, we were impressed by her presence. She didn’t seem to realize how magnetic that she was, but we did. The actress has continued to captivate us with her role in Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and we can’t look away. She’s up for her second Golden Globe for the role and to be honest, we hope that she wins. The actress doesn’t seem to take fame too seriously, but lets her love of the craft keep her going. We personally hope it keeps her going forever.
Zendaya
No more just a Disney darling, Zendaya has kept us captivated with her choice of versatile roles, her music, her fashion choices. But the thing that we love the most about Zendaya is that she keeps it real. She encourages and uplifts and reminds her fans that it is okay to be themselves. She is all about family – which hey, inspires us. The actress continues to inspire all on the daily – including us. Her career is just beginning and we are fans for life.
Josephine Langford
We’re tired of people calling her Katherine Langfords little sister, because Josephine is her own person. And we’re calling it now – she’s gonna be bigger than Katherine. The actress landed the lead role in the film adaptation of After this year and has captivated a fandom. She has caught our hearts because we’re huge fans of the book. We can’t wait to see what unfolds for Josephine, because we know that the world is about to see how special she is.
Inanna Sarkis
We should have heard of her prior – we failed on that one – but Inanna has captivated us also this year. She scored the role of Molly in After and that made us do some research into who she is. The woman makes some amazing videos, keeps us captivated through her social media, and we know that her role in After is going to propel her even more. We’re swooning over her creativity and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
Margot Robbie and Saorise Ronan
We love Margot and Saorise, always have. Always will. We’re swooning over the two because this year they blew us away in their roles in Mary Queen of Scots. The movie is phenomenal and the two of them will blow you away. If you haven’t seen the movie go out and see it – because you’ll understand why we have a hard time putting this one into words. These two are just to die for amazing.
Jennifer Lopez
We’ve always been fans of JLo’s acting (sorry – the music not so much – sorry) and this year she reminded us why we love her. The actress and her role in Second Act reminded us why we love her movies. She gives us roles that give us hope, that make us laugh, and remind us why we will always love rom-coms. When we’re not swooning over her acting, we’re captivated by her fashion. She makes no apologies and lives her best life. We’re about it.
Emily Blunt
Just a spoon full of sugar… ?
Yes, Emily has captured our attention even more than usual because of Mary Poppins, but hey – at least we are honest about it. The actress was always goals in the couples arena – John Krasinski after all. The actress has made us believe in fairy tales again and in a time where there doesn’t seem like much of that is left, we are living for it. We’re swooning over her because she taught us to remember what it was like to be a kid again.
Constance Wu
Crazy Rich Asians was undoubtedly one of the best films of the year. Sure, it gave us Henry Goulding but it also made us stop and realize that we’ve been overlooking the genius that is Constance Wu. After seeing her in Crazy Rich Asians, we sat down and binged Fresh Off The Boat. Constance has amazing comedic timing, as well as her dramatic performances. She can make you laugh and she can make you cry. We’re swooning over her because she’s fabulous, flawless, and fearless.
Caitriona Balfe and Sophie Skelton
We can’t get enough of Outlander. Sometimes it makes us angry, sometimes it makes us smile, but it always makes us believe in the strength of women. These two actresses convey strength, vulnerability and fearlessness. We’re swooning over them not only for their acting ability only, but because they know the power and influence they have with the fandom that can’t get enough. We’re swooning over the two of them for their performances in Outlander and reminding us that we are strong and bad ass.
Kirsten Bell
We always need someone to make us laugh and to remind us of the good old days. Kirsten Bell does both. We love her in The Good Place – it makes us laugh every week. We’ve resorted from using the word “fuck” a lot and actively replace it for “fork.” She’s bringing Veronica Mars back on Hulu. She and her husband, Dax Shepard entertain us in their commercials. But it’s not only her acting that makes us love her, we’re swooning over her for her outspokeness and her want to make a change in the world. You know when you go to Starbucks and you pick up one of those “This Bar Save Lives” bars? Well that is her. We’re swooning over her for feeding our hearts and our stomachs.
Jeanine Mason
Roswell isn’t even out yet, but we can guarantee you that we’re going to love it. We’re preparing ourselves for it by acquainting ourselves with the cast and in that process we’ve seen a lot of Jeanine Mason’s work. We’re swooning over her because she’s going to be in Roswell, but also because she’s a great actress. Is it January 15th yet?
Greta Oniegou, Samantha Logan, Bre-Z
We love All American. Even me – who hates sports. The story lines are real and relatable. In a show about football the women are the ones shining just as – if not brighter. The women of All American are strong, fierce, ruthless when need be, and don’t back down. We’re swooning over them because they remind us that there is more to life than just football. We’re swooning over them because they take over every scene they are in.
Awkwafina
If anyone in Crazy Rich Asians stole the show in every scene they were in, it would be Awkwafina. The woman is goals. She’s so funny and really doesn’t give a fuck what the world has to say about her. We only hope that we can exhibit that kind of confidence one day. We’re swooning over her because she’s taken the world by storm and reminded us all that we should have been paying attention. The world is made of many talented people and she is one of them.
Danielle Rose Russell
We are loving Legacies and we’re loving Danielle. Why? Because she’s a force. The actress stunned us in The Originals – forcing the feels out of us. Now we get to follow Hope in Legacies and we see why the network put faith in her and gave her a spin-off. We’re swooning over her because she reminds us – follow your dreams, conquer the world, and there is nothing that can hold you back.
Candice Patton
Candice doesn’t always get a fair shake and we’re not okay with that. She’s a driving force behind The Flash, and she is one reason that we can’t stop tuning in. The actress has to overcome a lot of online hate that isn’t warranted. She’s not afraid to speak up, speak out, and not back down from her beliefs. We’re swooning over her because she reminds us – you don’t have to take peoples shit and that you should believe in yourself. We’re thankful for you Candice.
