Asha Banks

Asha Banks? Yeah, she’s that insanely talented British actress and singer tearing up the London scene—not that you haven’t heard her name floating around lately. She landed her first major film role as Princess Pamina in The Magic Flute, which dropped in November 2022. Not just any movie, either—think Mozart’s classic opera, but with a fresh twist and a pretty stacked cast (Iwan Rheon, Jack Wolfe, plus some major opera heavyweights). The production came from Roland Emmerich’s folks, so you know it wasn’t small potatoes. Before her film debut, Asha already had the theatre world buzzing. She played Thea in the Olivier-nominated Spring Awakening at the Almeida Theatre. Oh, and she understudied Wendla—stepping up to the lead multiple times, like it was no big deal. She’s been a regular in the West End since she was eight (yep, eight), debuting in Les Miserables at the Queen’s Theatre. Since then, she’s snagged principal roles in about half a dozen UK and West End shows. She’s not just a West End kid, though. With the Royal Shakespeare Company, she fronted The Boy in the Dress as Lisa James and knocked out the show’s signature ballad for the cast album. Other credits? Violet Beauregarde in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Duffy in Annie, and the Parsons Girl in the wild, award-winning play 1984. Her turn as Pandora in Adrian Mole at the Menier Chocolate Factory had critics raving, calling her a future star and praising her comedic chops and killer vocals. Honestly, if you haven’t seen her yet, you’re kind of missing out.