10 Amazing 2014 Performances That Changed Your Mind About Actors You Hate

2014 was a great year for film. When you look back on it with hindsight, you realise that it was one of the best years for new releases in recent history. We were consistently treated to films of a high standard and there were one or two pleasant surprises along the way. When discussing the year in film, attention quickly turns from the films themselves to the performers in those films and, with the Oscars right around the corner, everyone begins to speculate about whose names will be drawn from the envelop on the big night. 2014 was chock-full of great performances but, curiously, many of those were by actors whom audiences and critics haven't exactly been hot on in recent years. In fact, some of the year's best performances came from actors who are loathed by large sections of the audience. Judging by the recent 'McConaissance' phenomenon, we are clearly willing to embrace actors who were once ridiculed. Matthew McConaughey spent an age appearing in run-of-the-mill rom-coms before taking on more edgy roles and winning an Oscar. He hasn't looked back since and it would be interesting to see whether some of the actors on this list could enjoy something akin to critical love-in that the Interstellar star has experienced in the last few years. You may have hated these actors before but, after their performances last year, they're bound to have changed your opinion about them.