With the Awards' Season now in full swing, we here at Collegetimes thought it would be a good idea to look at some of the most interesting/sought after actors in the Hollywood mainstream out there today. They're not necessarily the best of all time but their precisions in script choices and their recent performances have made them both commercially and critically important for agents and producers alike. They dominate the scene today and they will likely continue to do so within the next few years.
Leonardo Di Caprio
Leo could have easily carried on the good-looking, romantic star gig following the success of Romeo + Juliet and Titanic in the 1990s. He decided to move on however and since then has delivered some of the most unexpected and interesting performances of his career. He's done period pieces (Gangs of New York), he's done sci-fi (Inception), he's played one of Tarantino's greatest villains (Django Unchained), he's taken on an array of diverse accents (most notably in Blood Diamond) and he has even pulled off the cheesiest scene of 2013 (when Gatsby raises his glass against a firework-filled sky). He's also just bagged his second Golden Globe for The Wolf of Wall Street.
Having not starred in a bad movie in over a decade now can leave its pressures but given his track record, I think we can easily see Leo moving into his 40s with grace and surprise.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Jonah Hill
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He doesn't have a consistent track record but he continues to elude many of us by switching from Seth Rogen comedy (Superbad, Knocked Up, This Is The End) to drama (Moneyball, The Wolf of Wall Street) to even writing (21 Jump Street) with weight fluctuations that are simply baffling. With upcoming movies in comedy and drama (22 Jump Street and True Story) this year, he will be an interesting actor to watch in progress. Don't watch The Sitter however.
21 Jump Street
Jennifer Lawrence
You simply can't ignore her on such a list. She holds up a franchise (The Hunger Games) and manages to find time to deliver stunning after stunning performance. With an Oscar already to her name, she doesn't even need the nomination this year but she will probably get it before winding up for another X-Men, another Bradley Cooper collaboration and of course, next Winter's smash-hit, Mockingjay.
There may be a day when all this good fortune turns on her but for now, 2014 looks like the third successive year in a string of critical and commercial acclaim for the 23-year old.
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American Hustle
Benedict Cumberbatch
Sherlock's getting all the big roles these days! He played Khan in the latest Star Trek outing, he played a somewhat decent slave-owner in 12 Years A Slave and he even roared tremendously as Smaug in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. This year, he will take on a WW2 piece in The Imitation Game, alongside Keira Knightley before returning to Middle-Earth and he will deliver on both! He's the can-do British actor of today, to sum it up.
Star Trek Into Darkness
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Tom Hardy
He's been relatively quiet this past year, save a more independent forray into Locke. He has built up an interesting profile in the last few years however; from playing notorious criminal Charles Bronson to taking on MMA in Warrior to establishing the infectiously immitable voice of Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. Like Christian Bale, he knows how to physically transform himself for a role and like well Christian Bale, I guess, he also knows how to move between the commercially viable and the less successful but often indelible indie-roles. This year he will keep that up with three films; Animal Rescue, Child 44 and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Warrior
Amy Adams
Basically, she attracts nominations for awards like a magnet. Not much needs to be said about her perfomances in American Hustle, The Fighter, The Master, Enchanted and Doubt, but know too that she likes to mix it up a bit. She recently portrayed Lois Lane in the Superman re-make Man of Steel and she's even done a Will Ferrell comedy- remember Talladega Nights? Even if it all goes belly-up, she still has Batman vs. Superman in 2015, so you will see her somewhere in the not-so-distant future.
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American Hustle
Michael Fassbender
A part from the lead, Fassbender pulls off perhaps the most memorable performance in 12 Years A Slave. His mannerisms are so fierce and believable that one would actually believe he took on slaves for his preparation for the role. We can only hope not but whatever the means, the ends are justified. Just watch Shame, Prometheus and A Dangerous Method and see if you disagree. He didn't nab the Best Supporting Actor award at the Golden Globes but I would argue he's still tough competition for the Oscars and even if that doesn't work out, he has a bright future ahead. Later this year, for example, he will reprise his role as Magneto in X-Men: Days of Future Past- a title I have not quite come to grips with yet.
12 Years A Slave
And More...
This list can't go on forever, so I will mention a few last names in case anyone feels this list is indignified. Christian Bale is always doing something interesting, along the lines of morphing his body. Meryl Streep is of course, unstoppable as always. Sandra Bullock has been drawing an interesting line between drama and comedy as of late, which usually leads somewhere. Big things are also expected of Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, now that the era of Breaking Bad has passed but we will have to wait and see. Chris Hemsworth could go a different way, now that he's shown a different side in Rush but let's not get ahead of ourselves! And... naturally, though he hasn't been particularly famous up until now- Chiwetel Ejiofor- star of 12 Years A Slave!
What Do You Reckon?
These are obvious choices, in many respects, since it is Awards' Season. Have we left any out? What actors/actresses do you think are worth watching out for in Hollywood (or Bollywood, if you want to truly be different)?
