1. Anyone who knows me well knows I am slightly (haha) obsessed with Ryan Gosling. There is a reason. He is the best actor in the business. Period. He has a natural talent for capturing the screen; perhaps equally important is his smart sense in the business. He first became noticed with the romance “The Notebook”, but to avoid being typecast as a romance star he went on to star in several critically acclaimed indie films. This year marks the turning of Gosling from a good indie actor, to the biggest star in Hollywood. His films “Crazy, Stupid, Love”, “Drive”, and “The Ides of March” were both huge successes. Get used to seeing Gosling. He is the best and everyone in Hollywood knows it.
2. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has always sort of been around. With “(500) Days of Summer”, however, he showed his potential. When director Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight”) cast Levitt in his mind-bending “Inception”, Gordon-Levitt’s career was set. Nolan, known to repeatedly cast actors, has recruited Gordon-Levitt for the biggest event of 2012: “The Dark Knight Rises”. This combined with his very emotional film about cancer, “50/50”, has established Gordon-Levitt as one of the best young actors in the business.
3. Bradley Cooper broke through with “The Hangover”. He proved that he could hold his own in a group of comical misfits. What really sealed the deal on his career, though, was “Limitless”. Cooper made a definite connection with the audience in the sci-fi action film. Cooper proved he did not need a distracting supporting cast to shine. Cooper is a star on the rise, and will soon be one of the biggest names in acting.
4. Tom Hardy stole the screen as Eames repeatedly on Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi masterpiece, “Inception”. Hardy’s role in the British film, “Bronson”, was nothing short of spectacular and he has now made the transition to American film with “Warrior”. Hardy’s chiseled look and potential for emotional appeal make him a force to be reckoned with. Expect this career to explode soon.
5. Christoph Waltz is 55 and so is defying the odds by becoming one of Hollywood’s brightest rising stars. His performance as a Nazi in “Inglourious Basterds” was absolutely chilling. He continued his career as equally unique villains in “The Green Hornet” and “Water for Elephants”. Do not write him off as only a villain, however, as he is starring in Roman Polanski’s dark comedy “Carnage” coming out in December. Waltz is the best actor of his age and his career is only beginning.
This article nearly was “7 Brightest Rising Stars” instead of “5”. Two actors missed the cut by a fraction.
Jeremy Renner, who was nominated for Oscars in 2010 and 2011 for his stunning roles in “The Hurt Locker” and “The Town”, has all of the makings of a good actor, on the surface. He has the looks, the way of capturing the screen, the potential for a wide variety of roles. However, he lacks one thing. Jeremy Renner does not have smart sense in choosing roles, or at least does not anymore. Through “The Town”, Renner chose several roles which furthered his career. Now he is signed up for a slew of roles which will more than likely break him. “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”, “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters”, “The Avengers”, “The Bourne Legacy”. As for the first two: yuck. “The Avengers” and “The Bourne Legacy” have potential as fan-pleasing blockbusters, but are the sort of movies which will trap Renner in a spiral of increasingly terrible action movies peppered with the occasional romantic comedy.
Cillian Murphyis a fantastic actor, no question about it. However, he sort of looks like a ghost, which can be a problem when millions of people are paying to watch you. Cillian Murphy will not be leaving the screen anytime soon thanks to his talent—and I personally am a big fan—but unfortunately he will probably have to stick to supporting roles and intellectual movies. Blame the genes.