Naomi Scott Is a Star. Why Is Hollywood Still Squandering Her?

Naomi Scott keeps delivering, and somehow Hollywood still can’t quite decide what box to put her in. She sang the roof off in Aladdin, held her own in Power Rangers, and yet the big, recurring franchise offers never really materialized. Here’s how we got here, what got fumbled, and why she still feels like a star waiting for the machine to catch up.

The breakout that should have changed everything

Scott had been working steadily since 2008, but 2019’s live-action Aladdin was the true moment. Her Princess Jasmine wasn’t just a nostalgic rehash; the new song 'Speechless' became her calling card and showed off those vocals and a sharper, modern version of the character. Before the movie hit, some folks questioned her casting because she’s British-Indian and the story draws from Middle Eastern folklore. Once the film landed, most of that noise got drowned out by the performance.

The numbers back it up: critics were mixed (57% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences were into it (94% audience score), IMDb users sat at 6.9/10, and the thing made over $1 billion on a reported $183 million budget. Her chemistry with Mena Massoud worked. By any normal logic, that’s a launchpad. Instead, the follow-up phase went sideways.

Momentum killers: the post-Aladdin stretch

Right after Aladdin, Scott co-led the 2019 Charlie’s Angels reboot as Elena Houghlin alongside Kristen Stewart and Ella Balinska. It did not land. Reviews were mixed (52% critics, 78% audience on Rotten Tomatoes), IMDb was at 5/10, and the global box office stalled around $73.2 million on a $48 million budget. That’s the kind of result that makes studios skittish, fair or not, and it probably cooled off other big-budget offers.

It didn’t help that Power Rangers (2017), where she played Pink Ranger Kimberly Hart, found a cult audience but didn’t become an ongoing live-action franchise. Add in the Angels reboot faceplant — timing, marketing, and general genre fatigue didn’t do it any favors — and the momentum that Aladdin should have supercharged got jammed.

Yes, she’s a multi-hyphenate (and still underrated)

Scott’s not just an actor who can carry a tune; she’s a legit singer-songwriter. She broke through on the musical Disney Channel movie Lemonade Mouth (2011) and its soundtrack, and has stayed active musically ever since. She’s British with Indian Gujarati roots — her mom, Usha, was born in Uganda and moved to the UK young; her dad, Christopher, is British — and she was scouted early by Kelle Bryan from the group Eternal, which led to writing and recording sessions with UK hitmakers Xenomania.

She’s released the EPs Invisible Division (2014), Promises (2016), and Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP (2024). As a lead artist, her singles include Say Nothing, Motions, Lover’s Lies, Vows, Irrelevant, So Low, Undercover, You Say, Desert Moon, Blood on White Satin, Grieved You, Rhythm, Cut Me Loose, Cherry, and Sweet Nausea. As a featured artist, she’s on Breakthrough (with the Lemonade Mouth cast) and Fall From Here. Other tracks that charted or drew certifications: She’s So Gone (RIAA: Platinum), A Whole New World (with Mena Massoud), and Speechless (BPI: Gold; RIAA: Platinum; KMCA: Platinum). She’s 32 now and sounds more confident than ever.

She’s talked about being overlooked

Shortly after Aladdin, Scott told Teen Vogue that even out in public with her husband, pro soccer player Jordan Spence, she sometimes felt invisible. Her own deadpan version of it says a lot:

'People are like, "Who’s that?" and I’m like, "Well, just look through me." Just little short, stumpy me, like — [waves frantically] "Heeey!"'

After the 2019 run, she also made a deliberate choice to step back for a bit, refocusing on music and co-founding a production company, New Name Entertainment, to develop new stories and voices. That short-term invisibility on the studio side was partly by design.

The return: horror star turn and some hardware

In 2024, she resurfaced on screens as Naomi Calloway in Long Distance and then as pop star Skye Riley in Smile 2. The latter was a hit and put her back in the awards chatter: she won the Astra Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller and scored Best Actress nominations at the Critics’ Choice Super Awards and the Saturn Awards. Not bad for a so-called comeback year.

Quick timeline and highlights

• Early roles: Lemonade Mouth (2011); shorts Our Lady of Lourdes (2013) and Hello, Again (2014); The Martian (2015); The 33 (2015); Fun Mom Dinner (2017)
• Franchise swing: Power Rangers (2017) as Kimberly Hart (Pink Ranger); earned a cult following but no long-term live-action continuation
• Breakout: Aladdin (2019) as Jasmine; 'Speechless' standout; RT 57% critics/94% audience, IMDb 6.9; $1B+ worldwide on ~$183M budget
• Stumble: Charlie’s Angels (2019) co-lead; RT 52% critics/78% audience, IMDb 5.0; ~$73.2M worldwide on ~$48M budget
• Pause and pivot: brief post-2019 hiatus to focus on music and launch New Name Entertainment
• Comeback: Long Distance (2024); Smile 2 (2024) as Skye Riley; Astra Award win, Critics’ Choice Super and Saturn Best Actress nominations
• Awards snapshot: Teen Choice Award win (Choice Fantasy Movie Actress, Aladdin, 2019); Teen Choice nomination (Choice Sci-Fi Movie Actress, Power Rangers, 2017); Saturn nomination (Best Supporting Actress, Aladdin, 2019); Shorty nomination (Best Actor, 2020)

What’s next

Scott’s got Wizards! in the can — it’s in post-production with no release date yet, and her role hasn’t been officially revealed. On the music side, she’s back in a big way: alt-pop singles like 'Rhythm' and 'Cut Me Loose,' live sets including Lollapalooza and shows in London, and a completed debut album.

Fans are also busy fantasy-casting her into various Marvel parts online. Honestly, a smartly placed superhero role might be the cleanest way to reset how the industry views her — a big, ongoing playground that finally uses the full singing-acting-leading package she’s already proved she has.