Marisa Abela Is on the 2026 TIME100 Next - Time Magazine

In film and TV, the word chemistry is thrown around a lot: as in, “Do they have chemistry?” I’ve never really known what it means exactly, but I think we can all instinctively sense if it’s lacking when we watch two actors onscreen.

No one will ever sense its absence when they watch Marisa Abela. Marisa would have chemistry with a plank of wood. To act with her is to step into what feels like an arena teeming with possibility and truth, sparring with someone who brings their all to every single shot. Not only that, but she brings it with a supreme actor’s intelligence for the scene, and a generosity, warmth, and kindness that made acting with her on Industry one of the most enjoyable and exhilarating working experiences of my life.

She is, simply put, the best of the very best, and I envy all the many future (slightly wooden) male actors who are similarly elevated by her presence in a scene.