| 100% | STUNTMAN | 8 | Daredevil who might take the place of an actor in a dangerous scene |
| 40% | TOFU | 4 | It often takes the place of meat in a vegetarian dish |
| 37% | CUER | 4 | One who might work in the wings of a theater |
| 37% | SAMWORTHINGTON | 14 | "Avatar: The Way of Water" actor who plays a Union Army first lieutenant in "Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1" (2 wds.) |
| 36% | MARK | 4 | ___ Strong, actor who sang a section of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" in "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" |
| 36% | HITSFOR | 7 | Takes the place of, in batting |
| 36% | DEBUT | 5 | First appearance, as of an actor in a movie |
| 36% | RELIEVE | 7 | Take the place of, as a starting pitcher |
| 35% | ONEAL | 5 | Actor Ryan ___ who got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021 |
| 34% | DICAPRIO | 8 | Surname of an actor in Titanic and The Revenant |
| 34% | JOSEPHCOTTEN | 12 | Actor who played a reporter and friend of the title character in 17-Across: 2 wds. |
| 34% | RICHARDHARRIS | 13 | Actor in the Best Picture winner "Unforgiven" who was nominated for an Album of the Year Grammy in 1968: 2 wds. |
| 34% | CHEMISTRY | 9 | Study of matter, might take place in a lab |
| 34% | EZRAMILLER | 10 | "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" actor, who plays The Flash in 31-Across: 2 wds. |
| 34% | JOHN | 4 | ___ Benitez aka "Jellybean," DJ who was a part of the disco scene in the 1970s |
| 34% | OMARIHARDWICK | 13 | "Army of the Dead" actor who plays an FBI agent in "The Mother": 2 wds. |
| 34% | STEPHEN | 7 | ___ Amell, actor who plays Green Arrow in "Arrow" which is a part of the Arrowverse |
| 34% | MALEK | 5 | Rami ___, actor who plays Safin, an adversary of 8a in the movie "No Time to Die" |
| 34% | BRAD | 4 | With 34-Across, "Moneyball" actor who plays a rescuer of the novelist in "The Lost City" |
| 34% | BENEDICTWONG | 12 | "Doctor Strange" actor who plays a master of the mystic arts in 24-Across (2 wds.) |
| 33% | OMEGAMALE | 9 | Guy who’s the opposite of an alpha, in a pseudoscientific theory of social hierarchy |
| 33% | TOFU | 4 | Bean curd, that often takes the place of meat in vegetarian dishes |
| 33% | TOMMYLEEJONES | 13 | Actor who played Samuel Gerard, the man who leads a team of U.S. Marshals in 18a: 3 wds. |
| 33% | ANTHONYHOPKINS | 14 | "The Silence of the Lambs" actor who played a butler in "The Remains of the Day": 2 wds. |
| 33% | NUNS | 4 | Sisters who may take a vow of poverty |
| 33% | GIGWORKER | 9 | Person who takes temporary jobs in the service sector (and a new Merriam-Webster entry of 2021) |
| 33% | JACKBLACK | 9 | "School of Rock" actor who voices a wisecracking robot in the 2024 film "Borderlands" (2 wds.) |
| 33% | BATSFOR | 7 | Takes the plate in place of |
| 33% | JEREMYSTRONG | 12 | "Succession" actor who won the 2024 Best Leading Actor in a Play Tony for "An Enemy of the People": 2 wds. |
| 33% | EDDIEREDMAYNE | 13 | "The Theory of Everything" actor who was nominated for a 2024 Tony for playing the Emcee in "Cabaret": 2 wds. |