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Yeah, he's Harry Potter and people are certainly not going to Harry Potter films for Daniel Radcliffe, but that doesn't mean this kid can't act. To be honest I wouldn't have added Radcliffe if it hadn't been for the recent reviews of his Broadway debut in "Equus" which is receiving fantastic reviews as the New York Times says "the 19-year-old film star Daniel Radcliffe steps into a mothball-preserved, off-the-rack part and wears it like a tailor's delight — that is, a natural fit that allows room to stretch." At the age of 19 he certainly has time to shed the Potter robes and with serious Broadway attention he is getting the praise he needs to make a leap to the next level. |
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Here's my one real wild card. Kodi Smit-McPhee is set to star as The Boy in this fall's The Road opposite Viggo Mortensen and it is the first bit of serious attention the 12-year-old will receive. He earned favorable reviews for the little seen Romulus My Father with Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern calling him a "remarkable young actor". Young actors that earn early acclaim tend to struggle as time wears on (think Haley Joel Osment receiving an Oscar nomination at 11-years-old), but The Road won't be a surprise performance as much as it is an anticipated one. McPhee has earned enough early chatter that folks are now waiting to see what he has to offer rather than attention being gained due to a blockbuster hit as was the case with Osment and The Sixth Sense. |
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If Kodi Smit-McPhee is my wildcard Lee Pace is my dark horse, but I have seen some great work from this actor recently and if he finds the right role in a major film his star could rise overnight. At the age of 27 Pace is still a relative newcomer to Hollywood with one small role on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in 2002 being his debut followed by the one year run of "Wonderfalls" in 2004. However, his performance in Tarsem Singh's The Fall earlier this year coupled with a good turn in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day I have reason to believe he is an actor to look out for. Right now he stars in the Golden Globe nominated "Pushing Daisies" including a Globe nom for himself and will next be seen opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar in Possession in 2009. |
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If there is one thing going against Michael Cera it is that he seems to play the exact same person in every single movie. He is certainly funny in all of his films, including the upcoming Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but to say he is playing a character that is any different from his role on "Arrested Development", in Juno or even in Superbad is really going to hurt Cera unless he can break the cycle. Actors don't get too much time to be on top and Cera needs a role that will get him out of that timid, yet lovable, every man. Of course, maybe he doesn't want to be a star, as he certainly makes clear in a recent New York Times interview when he said, "I don't really want to be famous, and I'm kind of scared that might be happening." Maybe I shouldn't put all my money on a horse that doesn't even want to win. |
Other actors I considered included Ryan Gosling, Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Hayden Christensen, Jay Baruchel, Ben Barnes, Michael Pitt, Jay Hernandez, Josh Hutcherson, Robert Pattinson, Zac Ephron, Rupert Grint and Kal Penn. They all missed the cut for a variety of reasons too numerous to mention here but I thought I would offer up a few extra names and I am curious if any of you have any more to add. If so, please share in the comments below.