The 10 best film performances by LGBTQ+ actors in 2024

LGBTQ+ excellence on the big screen!

2024 has been an undeniably great year for queer films. This upcoming awards season already has featured several queer actors vying for major acting awards — and some of them have already won, too!

As the year comes to an end, it's a great time to look back at these phenomenal performances by LGBTQ+ actors on the big screen and celebrate a few of them that have stood out as the very best of 2024.

Scroll through to see the 10 best movie performances from queer actors this year.

10. Maisy Stella — 'My Old Ass'

While this charming coming-of-age mushroom trip comedy definitely had its problems when it comes to its depiction of bisexuality, it had no problems when it came to its two stars: Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza, who respectively play 18- and 39-year-old versions of the same character in My Old Ass.

Stella brings queer swagger, heartfelt teen angst, and sardonic wit, matching Plaza's performance at every point.

Read Out's full review of My Old Ass.

9. Jonathan Bailey — 'Wicked'

While Wicked is all about Elphaba and Glinda, Jonathan Bailey made quite the impression on both new and old fans as he danced through the halls of Shiz University as the charming and aloof Fiyero.

Bailey's version of the character isn't just a handsome man. This Fiyero is layered, can be interpreted as more than a little bisexual, and makes us understand why both of the leading women in the Wicked movie fall in love with him… as well as every other character in the story!

Read Out's full review of Wicked.

8. Hunter Schafer — 'Cuckoo'

Hunter Schafer entered the horror genre with a bang in this year's thrilling Cuckoo. In the film, Schafer plays a depressed teenager in a blended family that moves to a strange and unsettling resort in the German Alps.

Up against a wicked Dan Stevens — who plays Herr König, the owner of the resort — Schafer makes for a great final girl.

Read Out's full review of Cuckoo.

7. Julio Torres — 'Problemista'

Julio Torres made his big screen debut by starring in Problemista, a movie that he also wrote and directed. In it, Torres plays a young immigrant who dreams of being a toymaker and takes a job with an impossible-to-deal-with art dealer (Tilda Swinton) in order to get a work visa in the U.S.

Torres brings both comedic and dramatic chops to Problemista, while creating and embodying a character that could only be from his own genius imagination.

Read Out's full review of Problemista.

6. Lily Gladstone — 'Fancy Dance'

In Erica Tremblay's powerful Fancy Dance, Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone plays the aunt to a girl whose mother has recently gone missing.

Jax, Gladstone's character, is a lesbian. The character, who is sometimes a criminal, is also a devoted auntie who helps her niece look for her missing mother and tries to get her to a powwow.

Gladstone is perfect in the role, defying expectations of moviegoers even further.

Read Out's full review of Fancy Dance.

6. Katy O'Brian — 'Love Lies Bleeding'

Katy O'Brian burst onto the movie scene in a huge way (literally) in Love Lies Bleeding as a troubled and quick-tempered bodybuilder who falls in love with a lesbian running a gym in a small town.

The problem? That gym is owned by a local crime boss who happens to be her lover's father. O'Brian gave a physical performance like few women have gotten to do on the big screen, and perfectly captured the rage, passion, and chaos of her character's life.

O'Brian has, so far, earned nominations for the Gotham Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.

Read Out's full review of Love Lies Bleeding.

4. Justice Smith — 'I Saw the TV Glow'

Justice Smith delivered one of the best performances of the year in I Saw the TV Glow, a haunting horror film that exposes the existential terror of being a closeted trans woman. Smith plays Owen, who starts out as a teen but ages through the next four decades of his life in the movie.

Owen and his lone friend, Maddy (a brilliant Brigette Lundy-Paine), become obsessed with a teen supernatural show, The Pink Opaque. As Owen's real life becomes more and more dissatisfying, it also becomes more and more surreal — which culminates in the realization that maybe the show wasn't just a show, after all.

Smith has already been nominated for accolades, including a Gotham Award and an Independent Spirit Award.

Read Out's full review of I Saw the TV Glow.

3. Karla Sofía Gascón — 'Emilia Pérez'

While the movie faced some criticism, there's no denying that Karla Sofía Gascón is nothing short of great as the film's titular crime lord, Emilia Pérez, who transitions in hopes of living the life she's always wanted.

Emilia is a stunningly complex, flawed, and layered character — something trans people rarely get to be in mainstream media — and Gascón uses all her skills to bring this human being to life. It's particularly impressive to know that Gascón learned how to sing for the film, which is a musical, and also plays her character pre-transition under a layer of prosthetics.

Gascón has already made history by being the first out trans actor nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes, and many award pundits believe that an Oscar nomination is to follow.

Read Out's full review of Emilia Pérez.

2. Cynthia Erivo — 'Wicked'

Broadway fans have known for years that Cynthia Erivo is a powerhouse performer, but even those familiar with her work in theater were still surprised at just how much she made the role of Elphaba (originated by Broadway icon Idina Menzel) her own.

Erivo has already earned a Golden Globes nomination for her role as the Wicked version of the famous Wicked Witch of the West, a well-deserved recognition for her complex portrayal of Elphaba as an outcast seeking truth, love, home, and friendship. Award voters also can't ignore her incredible singing in the film, taking legendary Broadway songs and interpreting them in new and exciting ways.

Read Out's full review of Wicked.

1. Colman Domingo — 'Sing Sing'

Colman Domingo is widely acclaimed as one of the best actor of our time, as well as the first Black gay movie star.

So far in his career, Domingo has won an Emmy Award, received two Tony Award nominations, and was a first-time Academy Award nominee at the 2024 Oscars. Following his performance in Sing Sing, Domingo is poised to get his second Oscar nomination.

Based on a true story, Sing Sing featured Domingo as the wrongly incarcerated Divine G, a man who finds purpose and community in the drama program in his prison. Most of the film's cast consisted of formerly incarcerated actors like Clarence Maclin, who is also getting well-deserved nominations this year.

Sing Sing is a triumph of the human spirit buoyed by Domingo's soaring heart. An A24 film that has moved audiences to cry, feel inspired, and even cheer out loud.

Read Out's full review of Sing Sing.