Soulful chanteuse and former Eurythmics, Annie Lennox, once declared, I need a man! We here at BNH completely understand the sentiment, and just in case the desire is still there, we highly suggest that Ms. Lennox check out these 10 smart, sophisticated, and overwhelmingly talented guys whom we’ve managed to round up on our year end list of the best breakthroughs of the year…
1. Michael B. Jordan – Fruitvale Station – Portraying a real life person onscreen is never an easy task for an actor. Especially when said young man’s existence, though tragically brief, has come to symbolize a deeply broken system, not to mention a country that has never fully healed from the evils of its horrific racial past. Thus, the fact that Michael B. Jordan’s performance as slain Oakland youth, Oscar Grant, not only captures the tumult and frustration of a generation of marginalized African American males, but also still somehow manages to capture every complicated nuance of his vibrant humanity, is without a doubt, one of the most miraculous achievements of the year.
2. Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips – When Somali-born, Minnesota-transplant, Barkhad Abdi first heard that director, Paul Greengrass, was looking to cast the band of ragtag Somali pirates who hijack a ship helmed by Tom Hank’s Captain Phillips, he knew that he and his buddies would be perfect for the parts. He had no idea though, that his searing, three-dimensional portrait of their desperately conflicted leader would practically steal the movie from his decidedly A-list (and never better) costar, and perhaps garner the newcomer a much deserved Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
3. Oscar Isaac – Inside Llewyn Davis – Juilliard-trained, actor/musician Oscar Isaac has been burrowing deep inside his small but memorable roles in films like 2007’s The Life Before her Eyes and 2011’s Drive for years now. But it’s his performance as ornery troubadour Llewyn Davis in the Coen Bros. universally praised yarn – set in the pre-Dylan Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960’s – that now has everyone talking. A perfect showcase for his breathtaking talent, leading man charisma, and honey-dipped vocals, it now appears that Isaac’s days as a character actor may have come to an end – of course only if he wants them to.
4. Miles Teller – The Spectacular Now – Costar, Shailene Woodley might have received more advance buzz for her delightful performance as sweetly enigmatic, Aimee, in James Ponsoldt’s refreshingly un-tropish examination of the transformative power of young love. But it’s Teller, playing big man on campus, Sutter Keely, who’s truly a revelation. That’s because the 26-year old former Rabbit Hole star excels not only at conveying his onscreen alter ego’s hilariously cocky swagger, but also at reminding us that this youthful posturing belies a deeply profound and incredibly universal loneliness.
5. Gattlin Griffith – Labor Day – 2013 may have been ruled by caped crusaders and butt-kicking teenage girls, but it was the sensitive adolescent – meandering towards self-discovery amidst a sea of questionably motivated adults – who truly found his niche onscreen this year. From Nat Faxon’s and Jim Rash’s The Way Way Back to James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now and Jeff Nichol’s Mud, audiences witnessed this mercurial time in a boy’s life handled with a delicate grace and startling, often comic honesty; one capable of bringing anyone who’s been fortunate enough to come out the other end right back to those frenetic days. And nowhere was this better on display than in Jason Reitman’s dreamy ode to love, loss, and peach pie – Labor Day – where the precocious talents of the young Gattlin are no doubt, front and center.
6. John Gallagher Jr. – Short Term 12 – Surrounded by a cast of scene-stealers with some heavy-duty backstories, the baby-faced Newsroom star is hardly given an easy task in this powerful indie. Asked to authentically embody the nice guy – the sweetheart who’s happy to wait for his girl… to stand by her through thick and thin without malice or guile or expectation – Gallagher Jr. invests Mason with so much optimism, loyalty, and light – not to mention some much needed levity – that even though he might not be James Dean, one can’t help but fall head over heals for instantly endearing mensch. And how about that opening monologue???
7. Keith Stanfield – Short Term 12 –If you hadn’t noticed yet, this powerful little film comes equipped with some undeniably riveting performances. Perhaps that’s why it continues to pulverize the hearts and minds of audiences and critics alike, making stars of its deserving cast and generating real Oscar buzz. It’s a true testament to the power of honest filmmaking, as well as to the raw talent and piercing charisma of its greenest players… Case in point, newcomer, Stanfield, whose performance as the soulful if defensive Marcus exemplifies everything that makes this passion project so remarkable.
8. Dane Dehaan – Kill Your Darlings – Though technically their status as lords of the counter culture ended over 50 years ago – with the advent of the harder rocking, freer-living flower children – it seems as if The Beatniks will always hold a special place in the hearts and minds of all of those who think refuse to think inside the box. As with any movement however, the truth of what happened to its illustrious founders is even more captivating… Playing Lucien Carr, the talented, unabashedly complex dynamo whose dramatic life was often stranger than fiction, the young actor from Allentown, PA smokes, drinks, and misbehaves with such panache that he quickly steals the hearts, not just of an obsessed David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), and a conflicted Allen Ginsburg, (Daniel Radcliff) but of a rapt audience as well.
9. Stark Sands – Inside Llewyn Davis – It’s been said that there is no such thing as small parts, only small actors. Apparently Mr. Sands has adopted this as a personal credo, because in just a few scenes, he turns the Gomer Pyleesq private turned weekend folk singer, Troy Nelson, into such a frustratingly adorable slap of homespun charm that he easily steals every scene he’s in. More importantly however, he also provides the melancholic film with something that it sorely lacks… a sense of enthusiasm devoid of irony and cynicism. And naturally, the Tony Nominee can sing his butt off.
10. David Oyelowo – Lee Daniels’ The Butler – So Daniels’ sprawling, overstuffed biopic didn’t make nearly as big of a smash critically as it did commercially when it arrived in theaters this past summer. That doesn’t change the fact that Forest Whitaker’s exquisite performance as tenured White House Butler, Cecil Gaines, hits every emotional high note, elevating the film beyond mere pomp and circumstance. Nor does it diminish the stunning accomplishment of stage veteran, Oyelowo, who imbues Luis, the oldest Gaines son, with such uncompromising grit and eventual grace that the Brit with Nigerian roots could make anything seem unquestionably authentic.