A Look Back at 2009 (Part 5)

Every year there are new faces introduced to the general viewing audience via television series and/or movies at the box office. This year is no different with very unique and diverse actors and actresses coming to the forefront to capture the attention of audiences all over the country (and in some instances the world).

Here, in no particular order, are the stand outs for 2009:

1. Molly Quinn – Starring as Alexis Castle, the straight arrow daughter of mystery novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion), Molly really made an impression on the viewers of this irreverent cop drama with her wit and charm. For a relative newcomer to the industry, she has a lot of talent and has made Alexis an endearing character that the viewers can truly enjoy seeing every week. Her voice was also featured in the Jim Carrey animated movie A Christmas Carol.

2. Sam Worthington – This Australian actor took charge in the summer movie Terminator: Salvation. He pretty much stole the show from steel-voiced Christian Bale, who had the starring role as legendary leader John Connor. Sam can now be seen in the James Cameron movie Avatar, which opened on December 18 and he will take theatres by storm next March when he appears in the much-anticipated remake of The Clash of the Titans.

3. Gabourney Sidibe – This New York born newcomer took the indie world by storm in her moving and heartbreaking performance in one of the most talked about movies of the year: Precious. Starring alongside comedienne Mo’Nique (in a complete role-reversal), singer Mariah Carey and actresses Paula Patton and Sherri Shepherd, Gabby – as she is better known – became one of the most recognizable new faces of the year. She will next be seen in the movie Yelling to the Sky, which is slated for theatres sometime next year.

4. Brooke Elliott – Starring in the new Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva, Brooke, a rising star in the world of theatre with several Broadway shows under her belt, made a ridiculous TV show concept – a vapid aspiring model is killed in a car crash but brought back to life as an intelligent, overweight lawyer, hoping to find the meaning of inner beauty – sparkle and shine, making the series one of the most talked about new shows of the summer. She made her character Jane (sans Deb) fallible, relatable and wonderfully effervescent. The series will return for its second season next summer.

5. Isabelle Fuhrman – Starring in the horror flick Orphan, the then 10-year old Isabelle was a relative newcomer to the acting world. Her riveting and disturbing performance as Esther, an orphaned Russian girl adopted by a couple with many problems of their own, sent shockwaves through viewers at the Cineplex. Shifting gears for her next project, the now 12-year-old will be one of the featured voices in the animated movie Around the World in 50 Years 3D, which includes the likes of Tim Curry, Jenny McCarthy, Melanie Griffith, Anthony Anderson, Ed Begley, Jr., Stacy Keach and Kathy Griffin.

6. Sharlto Copley – Starring in one of the most riveting yet disgusting movies of the year – District 9 – Sharlto took the world by storm with his moving portrayal of a South African government agent who is affected by biotechnology from the bug-like inhabitants forced to live in slum-like conditions in his country for the past 28 years. His regrettable transformation into one of the “prawn” – as they are called by those on this imagined Earth – was shocking and disturbing yet Sharlto – in his role as Wikus (pronounced Vikus) van der Merwe – was compelling to watch. His next role will be that of iconic Captain “Howling Man” Murdock in the remake of the classic 1980’s TV series The A-Team.

7. Jeremy Renner – Despite having roles in movies such as S.W.A.T., North Country, 28 Weeks Later and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Jeremy received the most attention this year for his performance in the Oscar-contender movie The Hurt Locker. Playing Staff Sgt. William James, the leader of a highly trained bomb disposal team amidst the violent conflict in Iraq, Jeremy made an impression on all those who saw the movie. Unfortunately, that didn’t draw viewers to his short-lived ABC series The Unusuals, which co-starred Amber Tamblyn, Harold Perrineau and Adam Goldberg. Next up for Jeremy is the film The Town, starring Blake Lively, Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm and Chris Cooper.

8. The Cast of Glee – This unique, diverting and out-of this-world musicomedy debuted on FOX earlier this year and has since taken the world by storm with its irreverent look at high school glee clubs; and, in the process, has made stars of its relatively unknown cast. The main members of the Glee Club include (in alphabetical order – to keep it fair): Dianna Agron (Quinn), Chris Colfer (Kurt), Kevin McHale (Artie), Lea Michele (Rachel), Cory Monteith (Finn), Amber Riley (Mercedes), Mark Salling (Puck) and Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina). The “adult” members of the cast, who can also share in the limelight, include: Jessalyn Gilsig (Terri), Jane Lynch (Sue), Jayma Mays (Emma) and Matthew Morrison (Will). The road to sectionals recently came to an end, but the series will return with 9 new episodes starting on April 13.

9. Sofia Vassilieva – While she’s not a newcomer by any means, after starring in Medium since 2005, Sofia made a name for herself in the role of Kate Fitzgerald in the tear-jerker movie My Sister’s Keeper, alongside Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin and Jason Patric. Playing a teenaged leukemia-survivor allowed this talented young actress to show her depth and to actually shave off her golden locks for the role. Sofia has also been given the chance to show her range in her roles as Ariel DuBois on the TV series Medium, especially with its recent move to CBS from NBC.

10. Quinton Aaron – The giant-sized new actor who nearly steals the movie, The Blind Side, from lead Sandra Bullock, has certainly made an impression on mover goers – much the same way his real-life counterpart Michael Oher made on the football world. Quinton stands at a towering 6’ 10” tall and had roles in the movie Be Kind Rewind and some uncredited appearances in Law & Order; but that has changed after the success of this movie.  He will next be seen in the comedy short called Cred.

11. The Cast of Being Human – This BBC series only had 6 episodes in its first season (if you don’t count the original pilot that featured a couple different actors in two of the lead roles), became a bit of a sensation over the summer when it aired here in the States, making Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow and Aiden Turner three actors on the rise. The series takes a look into the lives of three twenty-somethings and their secret double-lives – as a werewolf (Tovey), a vampire (Turner) and a ghost (Crichlow). They struggle to live normal lives, despite their strange and dark secrets. The second season is expected to air in the UK sometime next year and will follow with an airing on BBC America here in the States. Plans are also underway for the Syfy to reimagine the series for an American audience with a 13-episode run.

12. Isabel Lucas – This Australian actress, who made a name for herself in the Aussie series Home and Away, made quite an impression on American audiences in the summer blockbuster Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. She recently appeared in the vampire-centric movie Daybreakers alongside Willem Dafoe, Ethan Hawke and Sam Neill. Additionally, she will be seen in the 10-part HBO mini-series The Pacific that is set to air next year and she will appear in next fall’s remake of the 80’s classic movie Red Dawn, which also stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Hemsworth, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, Michael Beach, Josh Peck and Brett Cullen.

13. Lindsey Shaw – She may have gotten her start in the Nickelodeon series Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide before moving on to the short-lived CW series Aliens in America, but Lindsey got a lot of attention this summer, starring in the lead role of Kat Stratford in the ABC Family Channel half-hour comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, based on the 1999 box office movie of the same name. She will soon be seen in the movies Devolved and Nic and Tristan Go Mega Dega.

14. Genelle Williams – Despite being an employed actor for the past 6 years, including roles in the made-for-TV movies Eloise at the Plaza, The Note and Taking a Chance on Love and the theatrical release Orphan, Genelle made quite a splash in the Syfy summer series Warehouse 13, playing Leena, the owner of the bed and breakfast where lead characters Myka (Joanne Kelly) and Pete (Eddie McClinktock) stay while working for the warehouse. When the series returns next summer for its second season, viewers will hopefully find out more about the nefarious reasons behind Leena’s turn to the evil side when it was revealed in the season finale that she was partnering with the demented James MacPherson (Roger Rees).

15. Carey Mulligan – Last year at this time I included Carey in my Faces to Watch for 2009, and I am very pleased to have been correct in the belief that she would get the attention of the world. Her role in the smash independent movie An Education (with Peter Sarsgaard) catapulted her to the top of the award lists and made her a critical darling. She is even being touted as an Oscar contender for her work in this bittersweet 1960’s coming of age tale. For those with a good eye, Carey also appeared in this year’s movies Brothers (with Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman) and Public Enemies (with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale). She also made an impression on genre viewers as Sally Sparrow in the “Blink” episode of Doctor Who and appeared in the two period piece movies Northanger Abbey and Pride & Prejudice (with Kiera Knightley). Her next big project is the sequel to the hit Oliver Stone movie Wall Street – Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps (with Shia LeBeouf, Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas).

16. Chris Pine – Also included in my list from last year of Faces to Watch for 2009 was actor Chris Pine, who was to take over the helm of one of the most legendary science fiction characters of all time: James T. Kirk in the reimagined tale of the seminal classic series Star Trek. It was quite a feat to undertake, but Chris pulled off the role with (seemingly effortless) ease; and the movie became a summer blockbuster. For those curious minds, Chris appeared in the movies The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (alongside Anne Hathaway) and Just My Luck (with Lindsey Lohan). He will appear in the planned Star Trek sequel as well as the “in-development” Jack Ryan project (taking over for Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck in the title role).

17. Saorise Ronan – In the harrowing role of Susie Salmon from the movie The Lovely Bones based on the acclaimed novel by Alice Sebold, Saorise captured audiences’ hearts with her touching and riveting performance in an otherwise difficult movie to watch. She was previously seen in the movies City of Embers (with Bill Murray) and Atonement (with Kiera Knightley and James McAvoy). She will next be seen in the theatrical release The Way Back, a fact-based World War II piece directed by the legendary Peter Weir.