10 Young Actors With The Potential To Be All-Time Greats

1. Michael Fassbender

Quickly gaining ground on Daniel Day Lewis for my unofficial Best Actor in the World title, Michael Fassbender brings an unmatched screen presence to every role he takes. Somehow, Fassbender went about ten years without anyone realizing how good he was, making appearances in productions such as Band of Brothers but it wasn't until 2007 that people began to take notice after he had a memorable supporting role in 300. His real breakout came a year later in Steve McQueen's Hunger where he brilliantly portrayed Irish political prisoner Bobby Sands. In 2008, he turned in a memorable performance in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds as well as the art-house drama Fish Tank. His mainstream breakthrough came in 2011 when he portrayed Magneto in X-Men: First Class. That same year he also appeared in David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, and in Shame, Steve McQueen's brilliant sophomore effort. Robbed of an Oscar nomination for Shame, and he really he probably should have won, Fassbender continued to turn in great performances including last years Prometheus. Fassbender's upcoming slate is absolutely loaded with promising roles. He will play a demented slave owner in 12 Years a Slave, the main character in Ridley Scott's The Counselor, will reprise his role of Magneto in next years Days of Future Past, and will hopefully survive Terrence Malick's editing room for his as of yet untitled film. He is also a popular favorite to play Batman in the Man of Steel sequel, although he has not expressed any interest and will likely not have time, and has committed to produce and star in an adaption of Assassin's Creed Fassbender is the acting equivalent of an athlete who isn't the best at any one aspect of the sport but is in the top two or three at every conceivable skill. His natural ability rivals Phoenix, his dedication can be compared to Christian Bale, he is as charismatic as anyone, he works with the best directors, and he can play any conceivable role. He's a lock to eventually win an Oscar and he has already starred in multiple blockbusters that have raised in profile with casual moviegoers. In short, Michael Fassbender is already one of the top two or three best working actors and considering the amount of incredible roles he has had in the last few years and the number still to come, Fassbender is the safest bet to be a future legend of screen acting.