The youngest is 16. The oldest are 40. Two are newly minted Emmy winners. Two had dreams of professional soccer. Two count Tom Cruise as a pivotal co-star. And two changed career tracks in college. But there’s one thing all five have in common: a banner 2025.
The Associated Press has inducted Arden Cho, Owen Cooper, Danny Ramirez, Chase Sui Wonders and Tramell Tillman as its 2025 class of Breakthrough Entertainers. And, in our ninth year of this franchise, we decided to introduce a rapid-fire segment to our interviews. A selection of their answers has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Describe your 2025 in a few words.
ARDEN CHO: 2025 feels like a dream come true. It just feels perfect. It feels comfortable.
OWEN COOPER: “Mind-blowing” is number one. Just … crazy.
DANNY RAMIREZ: Across the board, it’s been creatively, incredibly fruitful.
CHASE SUI WONDERS: It feels really special, it feels really joyful. I feel like I’ve been surrounded by all these amazing people.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: It’s been quite a banner year.
Who have you leaned on the most in the past year?
ARDEN CHO (via email): My friends, my partner, and my faith have carried me. It’s been a whirlwind year, but the people who know me best always keep me centered.
OWEN COOPER: My parents and family; my publicist and my agent; Netflix.
DANNY RAMIREZ (via email): There are several people and groups I lean on, and it’s genuinely hard to pick just one. My day-to-day life, my acting work, the filmmaking side of my career, family, love — each part of me naturally gravitates toward different people depending on what the moment requires. One of the luckiest things in my life has been the kind of people I’ve attracted and been attracted to. I’ve always had individuals around me whose integrity, work ethic, and approach to life I trust. I’m not shy about asking questions or leaning on people when I need clarity or guidance. I’m grateful for every person who’s helped me along the way and hope to do so in return.
CHASE SUI WONDERS: People’s opinions I really trust … whether it be my agent or my sister or one of my best friends. Because as this new sort of step of my career is being ushered in, there are a lot of tantalizing offers. … I always go back to what makes my creative juices start flowing, and I feel like the people that know me best kind of have that idea, too.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: There have been a few people that I’ve had to lean on. Lots of friends. You know, the work can be very isolating.
What’s the best and worst change in your life since becoming famous?
ARDEN CHO: I remember the first time where I was at a Korean sauna, like a spa, Korean spa, where we were like fully naked. I remember I had this like tiny little towel and I ran into these three adorable teenage girls that were like, “Oh my gosh, you’re Arden.” And I was like, “Yes, hi.” And they’re like, “Can we take a photo with you?” I’m like, “I mean, yes, maybe in the public area when we have clothes on.”
OWEN COOPER: Everything that’s happened since the show has been positive in my life.
DANNY RAMIREZ: I’ve found more freedom in feeling confident with the work that I’m going to be doing and then realizing I find happiness in these very simple things that I used to find happiness growing up as well. I think if anything it’s given me more clarity as to what’s important. (The worst change, Ramirez told us, was “time.”)
CHASE SUI WONDERS: Getting to work with people that I’ve looked up to. … The least cool part, I would say, is the moments where you’re not feeling super confident or you’re not feeling super secure in yourself, and yet you feel those eyes on you.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: I’ve never been a person who allows other people’s opinions or eyes to control who I am by nature. So if I want to dance in public, I’ll do it.
Name your career role model.
ARDEN CHO (via email): It’s so hard to choose, my list is endless, but I really admire artists like Reese Witherspoon, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman, and Son Ye-jin, who have built their own paths as actors, producers, and storytellers. They didn’t wait for opportunities — they created them. That’s the kind of career I aspire to: using my voice to champion new stories and new talent.
OWEN COOPER: My number one’s Jake Gyllenhaal, I remember, he was like — I think him, Tom Holland and the cast of “Stranger Things,” they were like the first people I saw when I was watching films, when I like 9 or 10.
DANNY RAMIREZ (via email): It’s impossible for me to reduce it to one career hero. I’m inspired by athletes like Kobe (Bryant) and (Lionel) Messi, by actors like Tom Cruise and Christian Bale, by filmmakers like (Denis) Villeneuve, (Christopher) Nolan, and (Ryan) Coogler. What they share is complete commitment. An almost spiritual devotion to their craft. My own art form grows out of the things I’m eternally curious about so my influences come from everywhere. I borrow, I steal, I absorb. It’s less about idolizing one person and more about learning from a constellation of people who dedicate themselves fully to what they do.
CHASE SUI WONDERS: Creative duos like Gena Rowlands and John Cassavetes and Elaine May and Mike Nichols.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: Jeffrey Wright, Colman Domingo, Hugh Jackman and Donald Glover.
How did your childhood prepare you for your career?
ARDEN CHO: I was a curious kid, and I wanted to do it all, but I was very insecure, very shy. I even had like a, kind of, like a stutter, had a hard time with certain words. I really didn’t notice how bad it stuck with me as an adult, until I would have script supervisors come up and be like, “That’s not how you pronounce that.” … I think it’s just really fun for me because I feel like every year I feel like it’s a new season of learning something new and accomplishing something that I didn’t think I could. You know, 10 years ago, moments like this, I would have such bad anxiety. I would be like having a full on panic attack and during the interview I would be like internally passing out, like soul leaving body, not really sure what conversation was happening. But I think now, for the first time in my life ever, like I feel like I can just have a conversation with you and I’m here and present.
DANNY RAMIREZ (via email): Everything I’m drawn to is a continuation of things I liked as a kid. And my approach to the way I work is something that was instilled early on in my childhood.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: I believe Milchik to be a people pleaser. He is dutiful and in my childhood, I was very much the same way — got to please the parents, got to please the teachers.
We have to ask: How do you feel about artificial intelligence?
ARDEN CHO: I know that a lot of people in our industry are obviously very scared, but I’d like to hope and think that people will always appreciate art and soul and the human touch, at least in stories and music. I really hope we’re not lost and replaced by robots.
OWEN COOPER: I never use AI, to be fair. Only for maths and some sort of homework, but I don’t think AI’s got a lot to do with acting at all. I don’t think there should be AI actors. I think that just ruins everything.
CHASE SUI WONDERS: There is room for AI to be really exciting in terms of medicine, in terms of health care, in terms of politics. I think it’s not exciting when it comes to the creative realm. … I think there will always be a place for seeing your favorite performers and directors make stuff — that’s my optimistic take.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: It is ever-present and people will use it at their disposal. My hope is that we will continue to thirst and desire for humanity. As far as I know, AI cannot replace the human experience, the human soul.
What was your dream job as a kid?
ARDEN CHO: It really depends on what day you would have asked me. I was one of those kids that was like, “I’m going to be a vet, and then I’m going to be a teacher. No, I want to be CIA agent. No, no, I want to be a police officer.” And of course, I always wanted to be an actor or a singer or a dancer. I mean, I kind of wanted to do it all, which is fun because I think as an actor, you do get to kind of do it, right? … And so I would say though, there was always the biggest part of me that wanted to be some kind of supernatural character.
OWEN COOPER: Footballer.
DANNY RAMIREZ: Professional athlete.
CHASE SUI WONDERS: Corporate businesswoman.
TRAMELL TILLMAN: Storm chaser.
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Interviews were conducted separately, in Los Angeles and New York, by Associated Press journalists Liam McEwan, Andrew Dalton, Leslie Ambriz, Gary Gerard Hamilton and Mark Kennedy.
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For more on AP’s 2025 class of Breakthrough Entertainers, visit https://apnews.com/hub/ap-breakthrough-entertainers.
