- Google released its "Year in Search" list, highlighting music, movies, and more that people searched for in 2019.
- Jussie Smollett, Kevin Hart, and Lori Loughlin topped the list of actors.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Google's "Year in Search" list revealed some of the top trending searches in categories like artists, movies, and music.
The top three actors people appeared to be most interested in over the course of 2019 were Jussie Smollett, Kevin Hart, and Lori Loughlin.
To be clear, these aren't the most-searched for actors; Rather, they're the searches that saw a spike in Google traffic over a period of time in 2019.
Insider laid out this year's top 10 trending actors on Google in descending order.
10. Maisie Williams received buzz after her heroic performance in the series finale of HBO's "Game of Thrones."
Actor Maisie Williams astounded audiences with her performance as Arya Stark in HBO's final season of "Game of Thrones," in which she defeats the largest threat to Westeros: the Night King.
Williams began filming the series when she was 11 years old and was widely viewed as the Stark family's tomboy younger sister, who happened to be skilled with a sword. By season eight, the English actress proved that her character had evolved into an independent protector of the realm, and fans were rooting for her along the way.
The 22-year-old actor was nominated for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series at the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards.
9. Halle Bailey, member of R&B duo Chloe x Halle, was cast as Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of "The Little Mermaid."
Halle Bailey, a member of R&B duo Chloe x Halle, will play Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of the 1989 animated film, "The Little Mermaid."
"After an extensive search, it was abundantly clear that Halle possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance — plus a glorious singing voice — all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role," director Rob Marshall said in a statement to Variety.
However, not everyone was thrilled about the casting. The hashtag "#NotMyAriel" trended on Twitter after Disney announced the black actress' casting.
"I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters. What you bring to the table in a character as far as their heart, and their spirit, is what really counts," the actress told Variety at the Power of Young Hollywood gala.
8. Syfy's "Van Helsing" actor Kate Beckinsale posted a bikini photo and responded to the negative comments.
Kate Beckinsale posted an Instagram photo from Nobu Los Cabos, posing in a strappy black bikini and heels in November 2019.
"I feel like you are having a mid life crisis or something," one user commented.
The 46-year-old English actress replied, "Oh! I think that's because you're an annoying a------."
Another user commented on a different bikini photo of Beckinsale, calling her "too old" and saying she was "looking for attention."
The "Underworld" actress commented back, "I don't know you and I don't know who has made you feel that if you get older you have no value, can't be attractive or sexy or have a relationship with your body that isn't only self loathing, but as one female to another, don't let any of that noise bother you."
7. Actor Joaquin Phoenix starred in the 2019 film, "Joker."
The actor played the titular character in the 2019 film "Joker." The controversial movie made history when it became the first R-rated film to surpass $1 billion at the box office.
"You can either say here's somebody who, like everybody, needed to be heard and understood and to have a voice. Or you can say this is somebody that disproportionately needs a large quantity of people to be fixated on him. His satisfaction comes as he stands in amongst the madness," Phoenix told Vanity Fair.
6. Rami Malek played "Queen" singer Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film "Bohemian Rhapsody."
The actor's role as frontman Freddie Mercury received high marks, and he won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award — just to name a few.
Malek spent a year preparing for the role, taking singing and piano lessons.
"It was pure elation and euphoria. And then the reservations kicked in. What I knew I needed was time because you're asking me to embody and encapsulate a human being who is, quite honestly, otherworldly. He is almost superhuman," Malek told Hollywood Reporter.
5. Keanu Reeves will play a tumbleweed in "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run."
The "John Wick" and "The Matrix" actor will play a wise tumbleweed in the 2020 Spongebob film. The actor's fans took to Twitter to express their excitement about the role, and even dubbed 2019 "the year of Keanu Reeves."
Reeves also appeared in "Toy Story 4" and "John Wick 3: Parabellum."
4. "Desperate Housewives" actor Felicity Huffman was arrested for allegedly paying someone to correct her daughter's college admission exam.
Emmy Award-winning actor Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison in October 2019 for allegedly paying an SAT proctor $15,000 to correct her daughter's exam.
Huffman was also required to participate in 250 hours of community service, subjected to one year of surveillance, and fined $30,000.
She had been arrested in March 2019 for her alleged involvement in the scandal and was released on a $250,000 bail.
3. ABC's "Full House" actor Lori Loughlin faces a 40-year sentence after her alleged involvement in the college admissions scandal.
Like Huffman, the "Full House" actress drew attention this year for her alleged involvement in the Varsity Blues scandal.
She may have ended up higher than Huffman on the list, however, because her two daughters were more well-known. Her youngest daughter, Olivia Jade, is a beauty YouTuber who had appeared apathetic toward attending college on resurfaced videos.
2. Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the 2019 Oscars after homophobic tweets resurfaced online.
Hart then made headlines again later in the year after getting into a car accident. He suffered a "major back injury" from the incident.
1. Jussie Smollett's alleged assault investigation drew nationwide attention.
Smollett told police that he was beaten by two men who looped a noose around his neck and threw vile comments at him on January 29. Chicago police later claimed Smollett arranged the attack, and charged the actor with filing a false report.
Prosecutors dropped the case in March and Smollett has maintained his innocence, although he agreed to let the authorities keep his $10,000 bail.
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