#M ANNOTATED LLM RESPONSE
At the time of its release in August 2024, the most famous actor in Alien: Romulus was Cailee Spaeny, who played the film's lead protagonist, Rain Carradine. While the film featured an ensemble cast of young rising stars, Spaeny was the most widely recognized due to a high-profile "breakout year" immediately preceding the film’s launch.
1. Cailee Spaeny (Rain Carradine)
Spaeny entered Alien: Romulus as one of Hollywood's most talked-about young actresses of 2024. Just months before Romulus, she starred in the major A24 blockbuster Civil War (2024) as Jessie, a novice war photographer. Her fame had reached its peak in late 2023 when she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival for her portrayal of the titular character in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla (2023).
Other Notable Films & Roles:
- Civil War (2024): Played a young, ambitious photojournalist traveling through a war-torn America. This film solidified her as a lead capable of carrying high-stakes action-dramas.
- Priscilla (2023): Starred as Priscilla Presley, a role that earned her a Golden Globe nomination and critical acclaim for her ability to age the character from a teenager to an adult.
- Mare of Easttown (2021): On television, she gained significant recognition for playing Erin McMenamin, the teen mother whose murder is the central mystery of the acclaimed HBO miniseries starring Kate Winslet.
- Bad Times at the El Royale (2018): Played Rose Summerspring, the younger sister of Dakota Johnson's character, in this stylized neo-noir thriller.
- Pacific Rim Uprising (2018): Her first major lead role in a blockbuster, playing Amara Namani, a young Jaeger pilot.
2. Isabela Merced (Kay)
While Spaeny was the lead, Isabela Merced was arguably as famous—if not more so—among younger audiences and commercial film fans. Formerly known as Isabela Moner, she had been a recognizable child and teen star for years. At the time of release, she was also in the news for being cast as Dina in the upcoming second season of HBO’s The Last of Us.
Other Notable Films:
- Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019): Starred as the titular Dora the Explorer in this live-action adventure film.
- Transformers: The Last Knight (2017): Played Izabella, a tough street orphan who befriends the Autobots.
- Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018): Played Isabel Reyes, the daughter of a drug kingpin who is kidnapped as part of a CIA operation.
- Instant Family (2018): Starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as their eldest foster daughter, Lizzie.
- Madame Web (2024): Appeared as Anya Corazon earlier in the same year Romulus was released.
Honorable Mention: David Jonsson (Andy)
Though perhaps less "famous" in terms of Hollywood blockbuster history at the time of release, David Jonsson was widely considered the "breakout star" of the film by critics and audiences. Before Romulus, his most notable work was as Gus Sackey in the HBO/BBC series Industry (2020–2022) and as the lead in the acclaimed 2023 British romantic comedy Rye Lane.
Finally, the film featured a digital "performance" and vocal reference from the late Ian Holm (reprising a role similar to his 1979 character Ash, though playing a new android named Rook). While Holm was the most legendary name associated with the film, he had passed away in 2020.
#F CORRECTION FEED (CLICK TO SEARCH)
[1] Cailee Spaeny was the top-billed actor and had significant critical momentum from 'Priscilla' and 'Civil War' in 2024.
[2] Spaeny plays the character Rain Carradine.
[3] 'Civil War' was released in April 2024, prior to 'Alien: Romulus' in August 2024.
[4] Spaeny plays Jessie, an aspiring war photographer, in 'Civil War'.
[5] Spaeny won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the 80th Venice International Film Festival (2023).
[6] Spaeny played Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola's 'Priscilla'.
[7] Spaeny played Erin McMenamin in 'Mare of Easttown'.
[8] Spaeny played Rose Summerspring in 'Bad Times at the El Royale'.
[9] Spaeny played Amara Namani in 'Pacific Rim Uprising'.
[10] Isabela Merced has a larger social media following (~3.6M Instagram followers vs Spaeny's <1M) and a longer history of commercial hits ('Transformers', 'Dora').
[11] Merced was announced as Dina for 'The Last of Us' Season 2 in January 2024.
[12] Merced played Izabella in 'Transformers: The Last Knight'.
[13] Merced played Isabel Reyes in 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado'.
[14] Merced played Lizzie in 'Instant Family'.
[15] Merced played Anya Corazon in 'Madame Web' (released Feb 2024).
[16] David Jonsson played Gus Sackey in 'Industry'.
[17] Jonsson played the character 'Dom' in 'Rye Lane'. The summary omits the character name.
[18] Ian Holm is credited for 'facial and vocal reference'. The character Rook was performed by Daniel Betts and enhanced with animatronics/CGI.
[19] Ian Holm died on June 19, 2020.
At the time of its release in August 2024, the most famous actor in *Alien: Romulus* was **Cailee Spaeny**, who played the film's lead protagonist, Rain Carradine. While the film featured an ensemble cast of young rising stars, Spaeny was the most widely recognized due to a high-profile "breakout year" immediately preceding the film’s launch.
### **1. Cailee Spaeny (Rain Carradine)**
Spaeny entered *Alien: Romulus* as one of Hollywood's most talked-about young actresses of 2024. Just months before *Romulus*, she starred in the major A24 blockbuster ***Civil War*** (2024) as Jessie, a novice war photographer. Her fame had reached its peak in late 2023 when she won the **Volpi Cup for Best Actress** at the Venice International Film Festival for her portrayal of the titular character in Sofia Coppola’s ***Priscilla*** (2023).
**Other Notable Films & Roles:**
* ***Civil War*** **(2024):** Played a young, ambitious photojournalist traveling through a war-torn America. This film solidified her as a lead capable of carrying high-stakes action-dramas.
* ***Priscilla*** **(2023):** Starred as Priscilla Presley, a role that earned her a Golden Globe nomination and critical acclaim for her ability to age the character from a teenager to an adult.
* ***Mare of Easttown*** **(2021):** On television, she gained significant recognition for playing Erin McMenamin, the teen mother whose murder is the central mystery of the acclaimed HBO miniseries starring Kate Winslet.
* ***Bad Times at the El Royale*** **(2018):** Played Rose Summerspring, the younger sister of Dakota Johnson's character, in this stylized neo-noir thriller.
* ***Pacific Rim Uprising*** **(2018):** Her first major lead role in a blockbuster, playing Amara Namani, a young Jaeger pilot.
---
### **2. Isabela Merced (Kay)**
While Spaeny was the lead, **Isabela Merced** was arguably as famous—if not more so—among younger audiences and commercial film fans. Formerly known as Isabela Moner, she had been a recognizable child and teen star for years. At the time of release, she was also in the news for being cast as Dina in the upcoming second season of HBO’s *The Last of Us*.
**Other Notable Films:**
* ***Dora and the Lost City of Gold*** **(2019):** Starred as the titular Dora the Explorer in this live-action adventure film.
* ***Transformers: The Last Knight*** **(2017):** Played Izabella, a tough street orphan who befriends the Autobots.
* ***Sicario: Day of the Soldado*** **(2018):** Played Isabel Reyes, the daughter of a drug kingpin who is kidnapped as part of a CIA operation.
* ***Instant Family*** **(2018):** Starred alongside Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne as their eldest foster daughter, Lizzie.
* ***Madame Web*** **(2024):** Appeared as Anya Corazon earlier in the same year *Romulus* was released.
---
### **Honorable Mention: David Jonsson (Andy)**
Though perhaps less "famous" in terms of Hollywood blockbuster history at the time of release, **David Jonsson** was widely considered the "breakout star" of the film by critics and audiences. Before *Romulus*, his most notable work was as Gus Sackey in the HBO/BBC series ***Industry*** (2020–2022) and as the lead in the acclaimed 2023 British romantic comedy ***Rye Lane***.
Finally, the film featured a digital "performance" and vocal reference from the late **Ian Holm** (reprising a role similar to his 1979 character Ash, though playing a new android named Rook). While Holm was the most legendary name associated with the film, he had passed away in 2020.