A New Class of Bright, Young Things—from Riverdale Heartthrobs to Underground Musicians—Lets Loose in L.A.

Vogue gathered ten of today’s most exciting young stars—from genre-bending underground musicians to the heartthrobs of screens both big and small—to talk shop. How did Joe Keery, Charlie Plummer, Lamar Johnson, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Cami Morrone, Charlotte Lawrence, Charles Melton, Casey Cott, Annie Sama, and Kodie Shane all find the limelight—and who are they behind the scenes? Read on, and prepare to be swept into their stratosphere.

Lamar Johnson

“I started off as a dancer,” Johnson says, describing his thruway to the silver screen. A native of Toronto, Johnson’s first big break came with the Canadian television series The Next Step, about a competitive dance troupe, before he was cast in 2018’s The Hate U Give. But now the 24-year-old’s star is really on the rise, with appearances to come in two of the year’s most eagerly anticipated films: Rashid Johnson’s Native Son (also featuring KiKi Layne and Moonlight’s Ashton Sanders) and Dark Phoenix, from Marvel’s X-Men franchise. “I’m just super happy with all the opportunities that have come my way, and I’m very much looking forward to all the new ones,” Johnson says. Whenever he’s home, though, Johnson tends to reach back to his roots. “I like to throw parties,” he says. “Moving and dancing and creating an environment for people to do that—that’s kind of what I’m about.”

Charlotte Lawrence

Lawrence has an odd habit before taking the stage. “I have to say ‘Love you’ to everybody around me—my drummer, my guitarist—before I go on,” she says. “It’s just like, ‘If I fuck up, I’m sorry—but I love you!” While a predilection for catchy, moody pop songs might put her in mind of a Lorde or Troye Sivan, the 18-year-old singer/songwriter namechecks Justin Vernon of Bon Iver as a major inspiration. “I’ve always wanted to be able to write like he does,” she says. “I think he’s a genius.” She seems to be doing something right: Between touring internationally and finishing up her debut album (as yet, not officially titled), Lawrence has never been so wonderfully busy. “I’m able to work and make money off my passion, which is so rare, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” she says. But she still has her needs. “When I finally get some free time,” she continues, “I go straight home, I get into bed, and Postmates becomes my best friend.”

Cami Morrone

For Camila “Cami” Morrone, performing before a camera is both a thrill and the most natural thing in the world. “I grew up on sets, because both my mom and dad were commercial and TV actors, so I’ve always felt very comfortable in that world,” the 21-year-old actress (and current paramour of one Leonardo DiCaprio) says. Given that her heroes are largely film icons of yore—James Dean, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn—it fits that her process is rather old-fashioned. “My routine while filming a movie is so basic: wake up, work, shower, sleep,” Morrone says. “I try to cut all the things that aren’t absolutely imperative, so I can be 100 percent when I get to set the next day. I just feel and work better that way.” Among her forthcoming projects is the indie drama Mickey and the Bear, filmed on location in rural Montana, which premieres at SXSW this March. “Rehearsals are great because without them, you feel like you’re being thrown into a lion’s den,” Morrone says. “But being on set, shooting your scenes that you’ve been preparing for months—that’s a great feeling.”

Charlie Plummer

Just a few months ago, Plummer was having what could only be called a “quarter-life crisis” in regards to his blossoming career. “I just remember being like ‘What am I doing? Where’s my place?’,” the 19-year-old child-actor-turned-leading-man says. “The ups and downs of being a young creative are very real no matter where you are in terms of success, so I think having the courage to be consistent in what you believe in is super admirable.” Luckily, Plummer is starting to see how wonderful the results can be when you do just that—he’s already built up an eclectic filmography bolstered by his breakout performances in All the Money in the World and Lean On Pete, and his star is only destined to rise with upcoming buzzy roles across film (the thriller Share, recently acquired by HBO) and television (Hulu’s miniseries adaptation of John Green’s novel Looking For Alaska). “I finally feel like I have enough of the tools to be able to really set the tone for myself with the kind of work I wanna do and the kind of process I wanna have,” Plummer says.

Charles Melton

Melton—who plays Reggie on the CW’s ridiculously popular teen soap Riverdale—pretty much had his next project decided for him before he’d even seen a script. When author Nicola Yoon posted a photo of her book, The Sun Is Also A Star, on Instagram and asked who should play Daniel Bae—one-half of the couple at the center of the YA romance—Melton woke up to hordes of fans tagging him in the comments as the perfect choice. “So I called my agents about the project, bought the book, and read it in two days,” Melton, who’s 28, says. “Flash-forward ten months later, and I’m filming it in New York.” The film, which premieres in May, will mark not only Melton’s feature film debut but also his first leading role. Thankfully, he’s taking it all in stride as he preps for the upcoming third entry of the Bad Boys franchise with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. “I still can’t believe it—I loved the first two Bad Boys so much growing up,” he says. “It’s the kind of thing you only dream about.”

Joe Keery

Though the 26-year old star of Stranger Things admires plenty of actors, from Paul Newman to Robert Redford, only one reigns supreme. “Cate Blanchett is somebody who’s transformed herself in so many different ways and worked with so many amazing actors and directors,” Keery gushes. “If I was gonna model my career after somebody’s, it would definitely be hers.” With the third season of Stranger Things out this summer, Keery—who also plays guitar on the side for the psych-rock band Post Animal—is mapping out not only the type of projects he’d like to pursue but the type of people he’d want to collaborate with. What most excites him: The prospect of working with rising filmmakers like Greta Gerwig and Ari Astor. “Before, I was just sort of looking for the next job and living check-to-check,” Keery says. “Now, it's making sure it's something that I believe in.”

Casey Cott

Life changed pretty quickly when Cott joined the cast of the CW’s Riverdale. “I no longer had to call my mom Saturday afternoons asking if she could Venmo me $20 for the wi-fi bill,” the 26-year old actor says. Born in New York City but raised in the suburbs of Ohio, Cott was drawn to performing when, much to his disappointment, his athletic aspirations didn’t quite pan out. “I definitely enjoyed being in front of an audience, making people laugh, and telling stories, so when I realized I could do all three at the same time, that was it,” Cott says. “I just wanted to perform all day, every day.” It’s that enthusiasm that’s earned him legions of fans for his charming portrayal of Kevin, the openly gay friend of Archie and company (as well as the chief voice of reason in the world of Riverdale). “I’m very excited about what’s to come over,” Cott says. “I never wanna lose the joy, passion, or even appreciation for how much fun it is to do what I love.”

Kodie Shane

Most young performers spend their first paycheck on something predictable like rent, groceries, or bills. Kodie Shane, though, had other plans. “I got my first check when I was like 15, and I loved Burberry,” the 20-year old rapper says. “I probably shopped there every day for a month—I had the entire store staff calling me ‘Burberry Baby.’ The drip was real!” Last November, Shane released her debut album, Young HeartThrob, to rave reviews. “I signed with Epic Records when I was 16 and released my debut at 20, so I’ve been going through the process of becoming an adult and an artist simultaneously,” she says. While maintaining her rituals for both pre-show (“I say a prayer—that’s it”) and post-show (“I like to smoke a blunt and take a bubble bath”), Shane is just enjoying the ride as she gears up for the year ahead. “I’m finally collaborating with a lot of great talents and hitting some dope stages at festivals this year,” she says. “I’m looking to dive into the fashion industry, release a lot of new music, maybe hit the big screen—and of course my very first appearance in Vogue is off the charts!”

Annie Sama

“I like the popstar ideology, even though the stuff I do is more underground,” Annie Sama says. Indeed, while her sound inclines toward the electro-pop stylings of Grimes and Mozart’s Sister, Sama bears a deep-set admiration for the divas of our time. “I love Beyoncé,” she says. “She sings, she dances—she’s a multifaceted artist. Rihanna is another one.” Sama endeavors to carve out her own artful niche with layered beats (a “geek” for gear, Sama spent her first major paycheck on a TR-8 rhythm machine) and experimental music videos. Helping to keep her grounded is a mindfulness practice that she’s developed over the years. “When I’m in the studio or when I’m writing, I try to take breaks and mediate,” Sama says. (At the moment, she’s working on her first full-length album, to be released later this year.) “It brings me back down,” she explains, “and it makes me grateful just for being.”

Hero Fiennes Tiffin

It wasn’t obvious to Hero Fiennes Tiffin—nephew of Ralph and Joseph—that he would go into acting. “It wasn’t a sudden, woke-up-one-day-and-fell-in-love-with-it thing,” Tiffin says. In fact, it was more like a long-simmering flirtation. When he accepted parts early on (for instance, in 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as the 11-year-old Tom Riddle), “the incentive was more the day off from school,” he admits. But with more exposure came more compelling opportunities, like playing the younger version of Jack O’Connell’s character in Private Peaceful, a 2012 war drama. It was a watershed moment that Tiffin wasn’t sure would come. “There was something very relatable about [O’Connell] as a person that suddenly made it all seem so much more tangible and accessible,” he says. Now 21 and all-in, Tiffin is finding his stride. “There are a couple of things in the pipeline—none too close to being definite—that I am really passionate about,” he says. (One that is definite is the Anna Todd adaptation After, slated for release later this year.) “I’m enjoying the idea of just getting sucked into it.”

In this story:
Fashion Editor: Jorden Bickham.
Hair: Tamara McNaughton; Makeup: Romy Soleimani; Manicure: Michelle Saunders.
Tailor: Susie’s Custom Design.
Special Thanks to Chateau Marmont.