9. Brenton Thwaites
Not many young actors get the opportunity to act alongside Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges in their first starring role, but Hollywood newcomer Brenton Thwaites was awarded just that privilege. The tall 24-year-old Australian may not have been the obvious choice to play Jonah in the film adaptation of Lois Lowry's celebrated novel The Giver -- after all, in the book the character is just turning 12 years old. But just like some other recent YA novel adaptations (Ender's Game comes to mind), the preteen characters have found themselves aged up for practical reasons. Since they went significantly older with Jonah, one can only assume that they were struggling to find a younger actor capable of the emotional depth needed for Jonah, which they found in Thwaites. Starring in such a high profile, long-awaited project is certainly a bit of trial by fire in terms of major acting debuts, but we're confident that he will overcome the pressure and become an in-demand young actor before the year is out. Because did we forget to mention? He's also playing Prince Phillip in Angelina Jolie's highly anticipated Maleficent.