10 Actors Who Still Haven't Outdone Their Debut Performances

2. Andrew Garfield - Boy A

The Spider-Man actor has had some great performances and some high profile gigs, but none have matched the raw emotional power of his very first role. Back in 2007, he starred as Jack Burridge in Boy A, the story of a young man introduced to the world after spending a large hunk of his teen years in juvenile detention for the murder of a schoolmate. We are given glimpses of his past throughout the film, although the specific details of the murder are kept purposefully ambiguous. But what becomes immediately clear to us is the innocence and desire to be good that Jack possesses. Garfield plays the role wide-eyed and painfully shy -- it's obvious that he does not believe himself worthy of love or affection. The film forces the audience to struggle with one of life's biggest questions: do people ever really change? And do they deserve a second chance? As it becomes clear to the audience that a clean slate and a quiet life are not in the cards for Jack Burridge, Garfield gives an intimate and vulnerable performance that leaves even the most emotionally hardened viewers shaken up.