50 Most Exciting Actors Of 2014

Chris Pratt

The Exciting Actor: He's been making us chuckle for years on Parks & Recreation , and now Mr Pratt's having a pop at the big screen.

If you hadn't heard of him before, he'll be everywhere by the end of 2014.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: He's got a small (but hilarious) role in Her , he's voiced a character in The LEGO Movie and he's in line for Jurassic World , but it's Guardians Of The Galaxy that shoves him front and centre. We can't wait.

Cate Blanchett

The Exciting Actor: Generally regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, this Aussie native continues to wow in whatever she does - whether that's Malick drama Knight Of Cups or voicing a character in How To Train Your Dragon 2.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: There's been awards buzz a-plenty for Blue Jasmine, which made many of our end-of-year lists and features a stunning performance from Blanchett that could land her a second Oscar.

Tilda Swinton

The Exciting Actor: One of our favourite (and finest) actresses, despite the fact that Swinton claims that she doesn't really care for acting and could give it up any time she wanted…

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: Only Lovers Left Alive pairs her with none other than Tom Hiddleston for one of the coolest vampire flicks ever, and she's a part of the mega-ensemble that is The Grand Budapest Hotel - for which she's given a crazy makeover.

Tom Hiddleston

The Exciting Actor: Everybody's favourite big screen bad boy, Hiddleston's made a name for himself playing Loki in the Marvel movies, but he's got his fingers in all sorts of juicy-looking movie pies this year, too.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: Only Lovers Left Alive has him pairing up with Tilda Swinton for one of the best vampire flicks we've seen in ages, while Hiddleston's feeling all fuzzy with his Muppets Most Wanted cameo…

Chiwetel Ejiofor

The Exciting Actor: Brit actor whose career so far has included roles in American Gangster, Children Of Men and, er, 2012 , and whose starring role in 12 Years A Slave looks set to push his profile even higher still.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: He's been nominated for five Golden Globes and a BAFTA, but 2014 could be the year that Ejifor finally gets a nod from the Oscars.

Emma Stone

The Exciting Actor: Though she's only just turned 25, Stone's quickly scrambled to the top of the A-list pile thanks to her ability to deliver a killer punch-line - and she's not too shabby when it comes to tear-jerking, either.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: Stone's back playing Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , but will she live to tell the tale?

Then there's an untitled film with director Cameron Crowe, and Woody Allen's latest period drama Magic In The Moonlight.

Michael B. Jordan

The Exciting Actor: He shares his name with a basketball great, and Jordan looks set to slam dunk 2014 - though he's only got one confirmed film out, it's comedy That Awkward Moment , which looks to play around with rom-com clichés to giggle-worthy effect.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: Hard-hitting drama Fruitvale Station is also yet to land in the UK, but fingers crossed it arrives this year.

Plus Jordan's rumoured for the role of Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four reboot and he's set to star as Apollo Creed's boxing son in Rocky spin-off Creed . This guy's name is going to be everywhere in 2014…

Juno Temple

The Exciting Actor: Winner of the EE Rising Star award in 2013, Temple's juggled blockbusters ( The Dark Knight Rises ) with credibility-boosting turns in the likes of Killer Joe and Magic Mike.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: Temple's love of all things slightly left of the centre continues with a role in Daniel Radcliffe horror Horns , plus she's playing a fairy in Maleficent , Sally in Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and Fanny in Far From The Madding Crowd.

Busy doesn't quite cover it.

Christian Bale

The Exciting Actor: No longer the Bat, but still the kind of actor who can green-light a project simply by sniffing its script, Bale's not going anywhere except up in 2014.

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: American Hustle sees Bale undergoing yet another shocking movie transformation (beer gut, comb-over) and proving he can do funny with the best of 'em.

Plus there's hard-hitting drama Out Of The Furnace , two Malick flicks (one untitled, the other Knight Of Cups ) and Ridley Scott's biblical epic Exodus .

Angelina Jolie

The Exciting Actor: She's taken something of an acting hiatus since 2011 (when she voiced Tigress again in Kung Fu Panda 2 ), and though Jolie's shown more of an interest in directing recently, the role of Maleficent was clearly just too tempting to pass up...

Why 2014 Could Be Their Year: The trailer for Maleficent sent the internet into meltdown, with Jolie looking on top form as the terrifying evil witch.

It's Jolie's only acting credit in 2014, which is probably a good thing: how do you top Maleficent?