1. Brie Larson
You've Seen Her In: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) Brie Larson gave what is undeniably the best performance, in any genre and of any gender, of 2013, in the heartbreaking indie Short Term 12. Larson, only 24 years old, has been around for a few years; she's made appearances in 13 Going on 30, Greenberg, 21 Jump Street, and Don Jon, and was a regular on Showtime's "The United States of Tara," but she's frustratingly been denied the success and the accolades that she deserves. Larson carries a weight on her shoulders far past her physical age, and that gravity allows her to inhabit enormously complex and realistic characters to a degree that actresses who have been working since she was born must envy. She can run the gamut, from the preening rock star of Scott Pilgrim to the impatient and wounded supervisor at a foster care facility in Short Term 12. She's a performer of immense talent who hasn't captured the phenomenal success that she's earned.
The Role She Needs: Honestly, just about anything, as long as it has the reach and power necessary. Larson is an actress of diverse talents; she just needs the platform. I had suggested that she play Sue Storm in the youthful reboot of The Fantastic Four, and although that's out with the casting of Kate Mara, the potential for Larson to bring gravity and passion to a high-profile role like that is immense.