10 Actors Who Just Smashed It Out Of NOWHERE

It's always great to see an actor levelling up their game and proving themselves capable of far more than you ever thought possible. 

And while these sorts of performances tend to pick up buzz prior to release - especially in "prestige" projects gunning for awards - sometimes they just happen totally out of nowhere.

And that's certainly true of these unexpected recent career-best performances, which arrived without much in the way of pre-release chatter, only for the actors in question to put on a damn clinic.

Despite all of these actors being talented thesps in their own right, there was little indication upfront that they were going to well and truly outdo themselves here. Still, outdo themselves they well and truly did.

From a talented but underappreciated star who's come surging back with his best work yet to an on-the-rise actor putting another feather in their cap, these actors all got to set, did the work, and then surprised us all with it.

In a world where movies and performances get hyped into oblivion on a near-weekly basis, there's something refreshing about these actors wowing us all by total surprise. You love to see it...

Luke Wilson is a tough-to-dislike actor, though it's also fair to say that his recent filmography has been a rather mixed bag of films that mostly didn't benefit much from his talents.

But earlier this year Wilson found himself perfectly cast in a vehicle that was elevated by his disarming acting chops - Kevin Costner's polarising Western epic Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1.

Wilson doesn't appear in the three-hour behemoth for too long, but makes a serious impression as Matthew Van Weyden, a wagon master in charge of a convoy heading towards the titular frontier town.

In a film packed with vicious, cruel, and conniving characters, Wilson's Van Weyden is a welcome picture of calm and resolve, attempting to cool simmering tensions during the treacherous journey to Horizon, with Wilson's characteristically laid-back acting style making him a snug fit.

It's a blast to see Wilson playing a more serious-minded role than is typical, and one that sees him turn in the most quietly brilliant work of his entire career.

And with Wilson confirmed to return for at least the second and third parts of Costner's Horizon saga, he's still got plenty left to give.