Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Ariana Grande & More Star in the Best Performances Issue 2025
In 2024, movies were singing. And dancing. There was an exuberance in creating work that was vivid and often highly theatrical. In shades of pink and green, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo revived the classic musicals of the Golden Age of Hollywood with Wicked. Emilia Pérez, which was part telenovela, part transformation story, used its musical moments and the remarkable troika of Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, and Selena Gomez to depict complicated emotions and shocking plot developments. Saoirse Ronan sang a rallying anthem on the radio during World War II in Blitz, and Nicholas Galitzine played a boy band heartthrob in The Idea of You.
There were also biographical studies of singers as varied as the opera diva Maria Callas, played by Angelina Jolie, and the reggae superstar Bob Marley, personified by Kingsley Ben-Adir. Some films stuck to dance: In a breakthrough role, Mikey Madison dominated Anora as a stripper who becomes entangled with the Russian mafia; Harris Dickinson seduced Nicole Kidman with beguiling moves in Babygirl; and Pamela Anderson was heartbreaking as she glided across a Vegas stage in The Last Showgirl. Maisy Stella channeled her best Bieber in My Old Ass, and Demi Moore aerobicized in The Substance. Music provided the dramatic backdrop for The Piano Lesson, starring Danielle Deadwyler as the anchor of a family at war over their most treasured heirloom—a piano. In Sing Sing, Colman Domingo was brilliant as an incarcerated man who finds creative freedom in the prison’s theater program.
This year, we are celebrating 34 actors who were thrilling, mesmerizing, and, ultimately, unforgettable. It’s the kind of moment that makes us want to break into song.
Selena Gomez | Emilia Pérez
Gomez wears a Prada coat, leggings, and belt; Araks bralette; Boucheron necklace.
Read the full interview here.
Ariana Grande | Wicked
Grande wears a Dior dress; Swarovski earrings and bracelets; Calzedonia tights; Christian Louboutin shoes.
Read the full interview here.
Angelina Jolie | Maria
Jolie wears a Balenciaga Couture hat.
Read the full interview here.
Cynthia Erivo | Wicked
Erivo wears a Louis Vuitton sweater, ruffled collar, and necklaces; her own earrings and nose ring.
Read the full interview here.
Colman Domingo | Sing Sing
Domingo wears a Burberry tuxedo suit and shirt; Cartier cuff links; stylist’s own bowtie, handkerchief, and cummerbund.
Read the full interview here.
Demi Moore | The Substance
Moore wears an Hermès top and briefs; Bulgari High Jewelry necklace and ring; Christian Louboutin shoes.
Read the full interview here.
Paul Mescal | Gladiator II
Mescal wears a Gucci jacket, shirt, tie, and pants; Cartier ring.
Read the full interview here.
Mia Goth | MaXXXine
Goth wears a Loewe top; Chopard Haute Joaillerie Collection necklace and ring; stylist’s own briefs.
Read the full interview here.
Daniel Craig | Queer
Craig wears a Prada shirt and pants; David Yurman rings; Omega watch; his own necklace and wedding band.
Read the full interview here.
Nicole Kidman | Babygirl
Kidman wears a Balenciaga sweater and pantaboots; Cartier necklace.
Read the full interview here.
Zoe Saldaña | Emilia Pérez
Saldaña wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello bodysuit, skirt, bracelets, tights, and shoes; Tiffany & Co. necklace; her own wedding band.
Read the full interview here.
Zendaya | Challengers and Dune: Part Two
Zendaya wears a Chloé swimsuit; Levi’s jeans; Bulgari ring. Styled by Law Roach.
Read the full interview here.
Adrien Brody | The Brutalist
Brody wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello jacket, shirt, pants, and tie.
Read the full interview here.
Tilda Swinton | The Room Next Door
Swinton wears a Chanel dress; Chanel High Jewelry necklaces, bracelet, and rings; Wolford tights; Giuseppe Zanotti shoes.
Read the full interview here.
Saoirse Ronan | The Outrun and Blitz
Ronan wears a Louis Vuitton dress and skirt; her own rings.
Read the full interview here.
Kingsley Ben-Adir | One Love
Ben-Adir wears a Gucci jacket and pants.
Read the full interview here.
Mikey Madison | Anora
Madison wears a McQueen vest and pants.
Read the full interview here.
Fernanda Torres | I’m Still Here
Torres wears a Marni dress and shoes; Erin Fader Jewelry earrings; Patricia von Musulin bracelets; Graff ring.
Read the full interview here.
Harris Dickinson | Babygirl
Dickinson wears a Prada T-shirt and pants; David Yurman pinky ring; his own ring and bracelet.
Read the full interview here.
Danielle Deadwyler | The Piano Lesson
Deadwyler wears a Dolce & Gabbana coat, bra, and briefs; Cartier necklace; Wolford tights; Christian Louboutin shoes; stylist’s own gloves.
Read the full interview here.
Karla Sofía Gascón | Emilia Pérez
Gascón wears a Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello jacket and cuffs.
Read the full interview here.
Natasha Lyonne | His Three Daughters
Lyonne wears a Valentino dress and scarf; Valentino Garavani earrings and gloves.
Read the full interview here.
Drew Starkey | Queer
Starkey wears a Loewe shirt and belted jeans.
Read the full interview here.
Josh O’Connor | Challengers and La Chimera
O’Connor wears a vintage T-shirt from Raggedy Threads, Brooklyn; Adidas pants.
Read the full interview here.
Pamela Anderson | The Last Showgirl
Anderson wears a Dolce & Gabbana trenchcoat; Graff ring; Wolford tights; Stella McCartney shoes.
Read the full interview here.
Ryan Destiny | The Fire Inside
Destiny wears a Celine by Hedi Slimane jacket.
Read the full interview here.
Nicholas Hoult | The Order, Nosferatu, and Juror #2
Hoult wears a Louis Vuitton Men’s shirt and pants; stylist’s own boots.
Read the full interview here.
Adria Arjona | Hit Man
Arjona wears a Chanel bra top and skirt.
Read the full interview here.
Andrew Garfield | We Live in Time
Garfield wears a Celine Homme by Hedi Slimane robe.
Read the full interview here.
Nicholas Galitzine | The Idea of You
Galitzine wears a Calvin Klein tank top; Levi’s jeans; Ray-Ban sunglasses; Nike sneakers.
Read the full interview here.
Lily Collias | Good One
Collias wears a Celine by Hedi Slimane vest, shirt, and skirt; Jennifer Fisher earrings.
Read the full interview here.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus | Tuesday
Louis-Dreyfus wears a Michael Kors Collection dress; Chopard Haute Joaillerie Collection necklace; Calzedonia tights; Christian Louboutin shoes.
Read the full interview here.
Maisy Stella | My Old Ass
Stella wears a Dior jacket, vest, shirt, and pants.
Read the full interview here.
Willa Fitzgerald | Strange Darling
Fitzgerald wears a Miu Miu jacket, shirts, skirt, and leg warmers.
Read the full interview here.
