BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
(FOUR) LIZZY CAPLAN
She hasn’t been in a million projects or anything, but what I have seen her in has been good stuff. She has had a great run on TV with a small role on Freaks and Geeks for a few episodes, she appeared on Undeclared, Smallville, Tru Calling, American Dad, The Class, True Blood, and the massively underappreciated Party Down. On the movie front she’s had her share of appearances too. She was in Mean Girls, Cloverfield, and the massively underappreciated Hot Tub Time Machine. She’s likeable, she’s attractive, and she seems grounded and down to earth. There is always going to be a demand for talented, likeable, attractive, and down to earth actresses. She has some stuff coming out soon, but it’s only a matter of time.
(THREE) MICHAEL PITT
Michael Pitt is a weird guy. That is if he’s anything like the roles he has taken over the years. The first role I saw him in was the very inspiring Hedwig and The Angry Inch. It was a really unique movie and it’s not for everyone. Still, it was a huge risk and chance that he took. It’s as far from a “safe role” as possible. He didn’t really let up. He doesn’t do “safe roles”. He would prove so with The Dreamers, Last Days, Delirious, Funny Games, and the highly acclaimed TV series Boardwalk Empire. He continues to get attention and cool roles. I have a feeling the bigger Boardwalk Empire gets the bigger his status will be.
(TWO) JENA MALONE
Jena Malone is so underrated it’s ridiculous. She’s only 26 and has done some great work so far. Bastard Out of Carolina was her first movie in 1996. I remember making fun of her for over acting. Even as a kid it was funny. I didn’t know anything about anything, but I could tell it was a little overly dramatic. This lead to a few TV movies and “Lifetime movie” type of roles. Then from there it’s been a HUGE difference. She rocks. First notice was Donny Darko and then Saved! And then her roles in The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Go-Getter, Into The Wild, The Messenger, and the recent Sucker Punch were all awesome too. I don’t get why she’s not starring in a series or getting cast in higher caliber roles. She has made a name for herself on the independent scene, but she has a universal appeal that I can’t see being contained too much longer.
(ONE) BEN FOSTER
A year or two Ben Foster would have been joined on this list by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ryan Gosling, but I think both of them have officially hit the mainstream radar. People know them and seek them. If you ask me, Ben Foster is better at what he does than they are. I’m a big fan to say the least. He’s been consistently awesome for awhile now. He was a kid actor, a teenager actor, and eventually an adult actor. Each part of the process had some cool stuff. My favorite work of his was his stint on Six Feet Under, X-Men 3, Alpha Dog, 3:10 too Yuma, 30 Days of Night, Birds in America, and The Messenger. He’s just got a presence to him that demands your attention. And dammit, I still think he’d have been the best choice when they brought Freddy Krueger back. Just based on his stuff in 30 Days of Night alone. I’m pretty sure he’s on the verge of really breaking out. I mean, if there is any justice in the world.
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