Jack, Finn, Gugu, and More are All Starred Up
Sunday, January 11, 2015 at 4:16PM 
Year in Review: The Breakthroughs & Debuts
Though pop culture could probably stand a little less emphasis on the NEW in that endless meat grinder of fame, it happens for a reason: new stars are intoxicatingly shiny things, fresh of face, full of spirit, vivid with hunger for work, and free of the emotional baggage that comes with our longterm pop culture love affairs. They can even surprise you onscreen since they haven't used up all their tricks and haven't been over-worked just yet.
It's impossible to predict anyone's showbiz future -- it's a tough and very weird industry full of lucky and unlucky breaks -- and some new stars each year become quickly forgotten flings. The luckier ones inspire love affairs with the public of varying degrees of passion and the very luckiest of them all settle down with the public for good, till death do us part.
We're still in the dating phase with these actors. So let's have a Beauty Break after the jump. How many of these actors and actresses are you eager to keep seeing?
BREAKTHROUGHS
Some of these performers aren't completely "new" -- some already made a name on TV or in foreign film -- but they had big years overall (I required them to be in a key movie to qualify). Their careers aren't likely to be the same from here.
Gugu photographed by Jan Welters
GUGU MBATHA RAW
The British beauty been popping up on the small screen for awhile but this year featured her twin big-screen leading lady coming out party with the surprise minor hit Belle and later the mainstream romance Beyond the Lights. Up next: sci-fi antics in Jupiter Ascending and a role in Courtney Hunt's Frozen River follow up too which is called The Whole Truth. We're hoping someone approaches her for a musical since she revealed on the awards path that she's traditionally trained for those, too.
FINN WITTROCK
This 30 year old former soap star who you might have known prior to 2014 for Masters of Sex, broke out big this year with his extremely memorable "Dandy Mott" role on American Horror Story: Freakshow and The Normal Heart. On the big screen SPOILER ALERT he met a watery grave twice over in two $100 million grossers Unbroken and Noah.
SHEILA VAND & ARASH MARANDI
This hypnotically unpredictable romantic pair looked double-gorgeous in black and white in the very first Iranian Vampire movie that we know of: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Vand recently had a memorable role in Argo but this movie was something else. She's got a couple more indies coming up. No word yet on future roles for Marandi.
JACK O'CONNELL
This 24 yeard-old half Irish star has been around the periphery of movies and TV since he was a teenager and did the now mandatory time on the UK's Skins series. Before his big leading man breakout in Starred Up, '71, and Unbroken. Next up: the period drama Tulip Fever and Jodie Foster's next project Money Monster starring George & Julia. Given these past couple of months.
JENNY SLATE
This comedienne has done a number of memorable guest spots as we discussed in our recent interview but this past year was the one, since she headlined Obvious Child and the movie stuck in people's hearts and funny bones. Up next: Presumably another season of the sitcom Married. As for movies, we shall see.
JILLIAN BELL
Like Slate another comic who already has a fanbase but its growing rapidly. This former SNL writer was the absolute best thing about 22 Jump Street, is already a favorite of P.T. Anderson (The Master and Inherent Vice) and is being talked about for the female Ghostbusters.
MICHIEL HUISMAN
I realize this 33 year old Dutch sex symbol is not new but this is just my way of reminding you that I saw him first -- we did a post on him way back in 2006 and even put him in the TFE banner once because of Black Books (2006)-- so you should always pay attention when we highlight unknown actors. We have good taste. Now he's suddenly on every TV show, in that Chanel commercial, and beds Reese Witherspoon in Wild.
ANSEL ELGORT
Though I personally found his nascent leading man charm offensive in The Fault in Our Stars a little much maybe he'll be great once he relaxes into his charisma? He was also seen in Divergent and Men Women & Children this past year. Up next: he's nominated the Critics Choice Movie Awards under "Best Young Performer" and obviously more Divergents are coming. It can't be helped.
ERICH BERGEN
He didn't make a big splash on the big screen really, since the film version of Jersey Boys didn't exactly get audiences dancing in the aisles but he did make the most successful transition (by far) from this stage to film cast as the songwriter Bob Gaudio. He's also a regular on the new series Madame Secretary. No movies lined up but someone call him for a musical okay?
KI HONG LEE
He was supposedly in a movie called Yellow Face but if that never played theatrically than Maze Runner was his debut and he was prominently featured by the lead's side throughout. Up next: more Maze running. He's also in The Stanford Prison Experiment starring Billy Crudup which debuts at this year's Sundance Film Festival. It's based on the true story of a social psychology experiment with prisoners and guards that was also dramatized in that German film Das Experiment (2001).
LUKE PASQUALINO
This 25 year old sex symbol will be familiar to people who watch Skins (where all British stars appear to be born now) or The Borgias and he currently stars as D'Artagnan in the new series The Musketeers. He also hit the big screen this year in a memorably physical role as "Grey" in Snowpiercer. Up next: More musketeering and he's also going to play one of two leads in the new gay indie Retake
BEN SCHNETZER & GEORGE MACKAY
Ben, who turns 25 next month, led Pride's exuberant ensemble as Mark, the baby-faced tireless activist who formed the LGSM. George played the only fictional character, a college student still living with his parents who is our entry point into Pride's narrative as he joins the parade and, eager for excitement and community secretly joins in their political cause. Ben will appear as "Khadgar" in the videogame adaptation of Warcraft (due in 2016) and George will next co-star in a period drama called The Outcast from Iain Softley (of The Wings of the Dove fame) and Captain Fantastic with Viggo Mortensen which we previously mentioned here.
image via LadyGunn
TESSA THOMSON
This beauty has been around for almost ten years so her face is undoubtedly familiar but 2014 was very good to her. In addition to being part of the great ensemble in Selma, she won lots of raves for her role in Dear White People. Two indies coming up as well as a part in the next Rocky film which will be called Creed (2016).
ACTUAL FILM DEBUTS
CARRIE COON
Her amazing year on The Leftovers and Gone Girl was discussed in full during our interview right here.
Miyavi photographed by Robbie Fimmano for "Interview"
TAKAMAS "MIYAVI" ISHIHARA
The Japanese popstar got a lot of press for his role in Unbroken. He also speaks English well (which he apparently learned quite recently) -- I talked to him very briefly at an Unbroken party -- so perhaps he'll pursue this acting thing. What'cha think?
JESSICA GUNNING
She's been a regular on British television but a totally new face to US moviegoers and boy is she good in Pride as a smart miner's wife who doesn't quite yet realize how far she can go in life. No future movies lined up but we hope they come.
TONY REVOLORI
Technically it seems he made a movie under another name but let's count this as his debut. And keeping pace with Ralph Fiennes? Well done. A whole slew of films on the way so stay tuned.
That's an overview of some brand-new or considerable-fame-boosted players from 2014. Would love to hear your opinion on all.
Reader Comments (11)
Very astute line-up. I am intrigued you didn't include Ellar Coltrane
Wait...was Tessa Thomson "Jackie" on Veronica Mars? I hated her on that! She was meh in Selma. Loved Jessica Gunning in Pride.
While a much "smaller" breakout performance than most of the names on this list, I was very impressed with how Macon Blair carried Blue Ruin. I honestly think he has the potential to launch from that performance to a prolific career as a dependable "everyman" character actor.
Revolori's not been given eough kudos for his role in TGBH.
Obviously O'Connel, Coon, and especially, Gugu had massive ascensions this year and deserve to be at the tippy top of this list.
I'd also add two FYCs to this list:
Dan Stevens, who showed he could carry a film and had a butt-load of charisma and dark comedy chops not previously seen in The Guest.
Sarah Snook who has awesome screen presence in Predestination and outshined a very good Ethan Hawke in a tricky role. Sci-fi films continue to gift us all with key and complicated roles for actresses. Snook ran with it.
I also second the Macon Blair suggestion. Not necessarily a star making performance (such is Hollywood) but he was damn good and came out of absolutely nowhere.
I now want a steamy romance starring Jack O'Connell and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. I think they would make an electric pairing!
So glad you mentioned Jessica Gunning! I so loved her performance in Pride-unquestionably one of my favorites of the year. A true gem. I will definitely be keeping my eye on her.
As much as I've loved so many of members of Pride's cast for years, I thought Jessica Gunning walked away with the film. Loved her. I dearly hope she gets a lot more film work. And Grand Budapest Hotel wouldn't have worked nearly as well without Revolori, and Pasqualino was a highlight in one of my favorite films of the year, so I'm really happy to see you recognize them as well.
Oh boy, how did I miss this post? Just saw Starred Up over the weekend and now I'm totally on the Jack O'Connell bandwagon. How come this film did not get more attention? Prison dramas are always fascinating, but this also had the father/son relationship at its core. And O'Connell and Ben Mendelsohn gave stellar performances-some of the best acting I've seen all year. Wow.
I agree with Mark and ScottC--Revolori was fantastic.
I started stalking Erich Bergen on social media after seeing him in "Anything Goes" here in LA. He definitely has talent.