Variety and Gold House’s Inaugural 8 APIs Up Next in Entertainment List for 2024

Actor

In Showtime’s “Yellowjackets,” Kessell stars as the version of teen plane crash survivor Lottie Matthews — who happens to be a cult leader.

This trait was a draw for Kessell, who considers herself a character actor. “I love an accent. I love physicality. I love a costume — hair, makeup. Things that take me places.”

As an actor of Māori heritage, Kessell speaks to the importance of representation: “Growing up in New Zealand, you don’t often see Māori or Pacific Islanders portrayed in a loving light.

We’re either the addicts or the poor single mums or the broken families … I was determined to shake that tree.”

Kessell is excited to be a founder of the Actors Koha, a nonprofit empowering young Māori and Pacific Islanders to pursue acting: “If I can use the recognition, my tenacity, my hard work in this industry, to show the younger generation, saying, ‘There is more. You can dream big. You can afford to have your dreams.’

Next up, she stars in AppleTV+’s “The Last Frontier.”

Influences: Rachel House, Cliff Curtis, Taika Waititi