30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment 2025: Ella Purnell, Alan Walker, Lola Young And The Rising Stars On Screen And On Stage
'As an actor, you have to create your own opportunities. You have to go after your own work, because you never know when the next job is going to come,' says British actress Ella Purnell, the star and executive producer of Sky Atlantic's comedy-drama TV series Sweetpea.'It's addictive—wanting a part, losing the part, wanting another part. Like gambling, almost.'
Purnell, 28, has been in this 'work, work, work' mindset since she was 13 years old, when she scored a role in the 2009 production of Oliver! at London's Theatre Royal. She landed her first film gig that same year, playing young Keira Knightley in the 2010 sci-fi film Never Let Me Go. Purnell has since evolved from child actor to a force in the entertainment industry, acting in Showtime's critically acclaimed TV series Yellowjackets and Amazon Prime's Fallout, which become one of the channel's most successful shows with 65 million viewers in the first two weeks of its release last year.
Ethan Pines for Forbes
Purnell is just one of the 30 actors, musicians, and entrepreneurs who earned a coveted spot on the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment list. They're filling theaters to capacity, performing songs that strike a chord with millions, penning scripts that are bought up by top production houses, and even developing technology that enable creatives to take control of their narrative. They also continue to grow their social media sway—the 2025 Entertainment list has more than 80 million followers collectively,
To find entertainment's best and brightest for the 10th annual Under 30 Europe list, Forbes editors sourced nominations from industry professionals, list alumni, and the public. To be eligible for the 2025 list, all candidates had to be under the age of 30 as of April 8, 2025, and never before named to a 30 Under 30 North America, Asia or Europe list.
After thousands of nominations and months of reporting, a shortlist of candidates was judged by some of the most successful in the industry—these include Grammy-winning musician and Under 30 alum Sam Smith, Emily in Paris star Lucien Laviscount, creator of Derry Girls Lisa McGee, and Christoph Behm, the CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The youngest to make the list this year is Frankie Corio, who, at 14 years old, became the youngest-ever Scottish BAFTA nominee for her role in coming-of-age drama film Aftersun, where she shared the screen with Paul Mescal. Meanwhile Harris Dickinson, 28 gained attention with his role in 2024's erotic thriller film Babydoll, playing a young intern who has a tumultuous relationship with his CEO, portrayed by Nicole Kidman.
Others have found fame in the streaming world. English actress India Amarteifio, 23, plays the lead role in Netflix's Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The series received nearly 2 billion views in a matter of days post-launch. Meanwhile, Italy's Lorenzo Zurzolo, 25, and Bendetta Porcaroli, 26, have earned millions of followers on social media with their roles in Netflix series Baby.
In the music business, the 2025 honorees cumulatively count 115 million monthly listeners on Spotify. They come from around the continent and tap audiences across the globe. Belgium's 26-year-old Dystinct, who sings mostly in Arabic, won two Billboard Arabia Music Awards in 2024 for top male artist and artist of the year. While 28-year-old Norwegian singer Aurora is set to perform to hundreds of thousands at Echo Land Music Park in Shanghai and Movistar Arena in Madrid. TikTok remains the great power tool propelling to stardom artists like Lola Young, 24, whose single 'Messy' went No.1 on Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, and Jordan Adetunji, 26, who transformed a song about fellow artist (and Under 30 alum) Kehlani into a Grammy-nominated smash.
Then there's seasoned musicians like Alan Walker, the Norwegian DJ and record producer, who, at 27, is already an industry vet. He's amassed billions of streams in his decade-long music career, and now he's mixing in entrepreneurship: Walker is actively investing into music rights through his founders' share in a PE fund he owns together with GoldState Music.
On the tech front, entrepreneurs Joshua Brust, 28, and Jeroen Dekker, 29, have built tools for artists to get noticed. They launched YouGrow, a platform that uses social media data to create targeted promotional campaigns that boost streams, visibility, and fan engagement. They paired that with their other product, IndieMassive, a music distribution platform that takes out the middleman and lets artists distribute their own work, on their own terms. The duo, who earned $7.5 million in revenue in 2024, has already worked with top artists like Ed Sheeran and Billie Eilish.
These are just a few of the rising stars on the 2025 Under 30 list who are rewriting the script in the entertainment industry. From breakout roles to chart-topping hits, nothing is dimming their spotlight.
This year's list was edited by Zoya Hasan and Dean Sterling Jones. To view our complete 30 Under 30 Europe Entertainment list, click here, and for full 30 Under 30 Europe coverage, click here.
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