Juno
Cast your mind back to the beginning of the year and FemaleFirst gave you a little heads up as to which stars to keep a close eye on throughout 2008 so it’s time to look back and see if the ones to watch made it.
The big breakthrough star of 2007 was teenage actress Ellen Page for her turn as pregnant schoolgirl Juno MacGuff in the critically acclaimed coming of age drama.
And the hype around this young star didn’t seem exaggerated when she went on to secure Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globes, Baftas and at the biggie, yes the Oscars.
However since Juno it all seems to have gone quiet for Page with only one other release of this year in the form of Smart People, which pretty much disappeared from the box office not long after it had arrived.
Despite this things look rosy for the actress with Whip It! Due for release in the new year as well as a new production of Jane Eyre.
Saoirse Ronan also proved to be a breakthrough star of last year with her performance as Briony Tallis in the big screen adaptation of Ian McEwan’s popular novel Atonement. She was the only member of the cast to earn an acting Oscar nomination, picking up a Best Supporting Actress nod.
Since then the fourteen year old has had mixed fortune at the box office with releases I Could Never be Your Woman and Death Defying Acts.
But the October release of City of Ember, an adaptation of the Jeanne Duprau was one of the most disappointing movies at the box office. Ronan took on the role as Lina Mayfleet who fights to stops the lights of the City of Ember from going out.
The film received mixed reviews and only went on to gross just over $12.5 million at the global box office, a long way short of it’s $38 million budget. But things looks bright for the new year as she stars in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lovely Bones in which she plays Susie Salmon who watches over her family from heaven after she is murdered.
Although he was ear-marked as a talent to watch Emile Hirsch has had mixed fortunes this year. After his excellent turn in Sean Penn’s Into The Wild which, much to everyone’s surprised, failed to be nominated in any of the big Oscar categories he moved into the big budget blockbuster.
Based on the Japanese movie of the same name the Wachowski Brothers’ Speed Racer was set to be one of the biggest movies of the summer, but that didn’t quite go to plan. Savaged by the critics the film was one of the big underperformers at the summer box office struggling to get anywhere near it’s $120 million budget.
But his fortunes have turned around in the latter part of the year as he was part of the ensemble cast of Milk. The political movie follows the rise of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, and Hirsch takes on the role of American activist Cleve Jones.
No matter what Zac Efron seems to do of late it works out for him, and 2008 is no different. Highlighted as a major talent to watch after a great turn in last year’s Hairspray Efron was back at the top of the box office this autumn with High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
The film, which was the first theatrical release for the franchise, followed the Wildcats in their senior year and the possibility of being separated as they move onto college.
The film smashed it’s budget of just $13.3 million so far grossing over $234 million at the global box office.
And 2009 looks set to be another successful year for the twenty one year old actor as 17 Again and Me and Orson Welles are set for release and he will film the remake of popular musical Footloose.
While Efron’s career has soared that of his Hairspray co-star Nikki Blonsky seems to have stalled after breaking through in 2007 in the role of Tracy Turnblad.
Although she has been working on an album the actress had only two releases this year; Queen Sized, a TV movie and Harold, which only received a limited release. She is currently filming Waiting for Forever.
Despite finding success in Heroes the ones to watch Milo Ventimiglia and Zachary Quinto have both had a reasonably quiet 2008. Away from the third series of Heroes Milo’ movie Pathology was met by mixed reviews however it did better at the US box office than overseas.
But 2009 sees Milo return to the big screen with movies Game, alongside Gerard Butler, as Rick Rape and Armoured with Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne.
As for Zachary Qunito while he may have had a quiet year away from Heroes he has been filming one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2009, Star Trek in which he play Spock. The film takes the story right back to the beginning of the Enterprise as they embark on the first mission.
As for 2009 some of the names to look out for include Robert Pattinson, Viola Davis, Kat Dennings and Nonso Alonzie.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw