Eleven Became a Sci-Fi Icon: 20 Best Netflix Series Performances of All Time, Ranked

Breakout roles and royal lives

Millie Bobby Brown made Eleven a central force in Stranger Things from its first season. The character begins isolated and unable to speak, leaving Brown with little dialogue to build a connection with viewers.

Claire Foy helped establish The Crown’s approach to its changing cast as Queen Elizabeth II. She presented the monarch’s public authority while also drawing attention to the person beneath the royal image.

Characters shaped by conflict

In Black Mirror, Cristin Milioti plays Nanette Cole, a programmer trapped in a digital fantasy controlled by her boss, Robert Daly. Nanette eventually turns against him and frees herself, a shift that gives the story an empowering arc.

Victoria Pedretti plays the adult Nell in The Haunting of Hill House, after Violet McGraw portrays her as a child. Nell’s longing for family harmony and the revelation that her future self haunts her make Pedretti’s role especially unsettling.

In Beef, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun play people consumed by a petty feud, and both received Emmys for their performances. Wong’s Amy has a more nuanced misery than Yeun’s Danny, whose anger is directed at a system he feels has failed him.

Reimagining familiar figures

Andrew Scott gives Ripley a different interpretation from Matt Damon’s earlier screen portrayal in The Talented Mr. Ripley. The series’ extra time allows Scott to explore the character’s psyche, while its monochromatic cinematography creates a moody visual style.

Omar Sy’s performance in Lupin works on two levels: Assane Diop adopts the persona of fictional thief Arsène Lupin, while Sy also reveals the man beneath the mask. The character’s model is Maurice Leblanc’s creation, while the article also compares him to Michel from Breathless.

Midnight Mass begins with a mysterious priest arriving in a remote town. Hamish Linklater’s performance is described as subtly frightening, though the available account does not complete its assessment of the role.