One of the most consistent and versatile actresses around, Scarlett Johansson had another excellent year with three strong performances in three very different movies. Armed with a thick Jersey accent, Johansson provides an excellent foil to Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Don Jon, the latter's directorial debut. An unconventional romantic comedy by any means, the actress is excellent as the seemingly romance movie-obsessed love interest that changes the title character's outlook on relationships. In a completely different role, Johansson once again delivers a compelling performance in Jonathon Glazer's Under the Skin, this time playing an alien that preys on unwitting male victims in the festival hit that has seen mixed reviews, yet unreserved praise for the lead actress. Best of all in 2013 was a role in which she didn't even appear onscreen, voicing the operating system that becomes the object of Joaquin Phoenix's affections in Spike Jonze's Her. Despite merely being a voice role, Johansson has been lavished with praise for her performance nonetheless. Equally comfortable in both independent movies and blockbuster fare, in 2014 Johansson will reprise her role as Black Widow in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as well as appearing in Jon Favreau comedy Chef and Luc Besson B-movie Lucy. Runner-Up: Melissa Leo Cast in no less than five movies released in 2013, Melissa Leo gave solid support in two blockbusters (as the beleaguered Secretary of Defense in Olympus Has Fallen and unsettling supervisor Sally in Oblivion), did the best she could with the material as the title character's mother in Charlie Countryman, and gave an understated yet memorable performance in a movie full of them with her role in Prisoners. She was even part of the sprawling ensemble for Lee Daniels' The Butler, but failed to make the final cut.
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