Six rising actresses to watch

You will see her soon in: Resident Evil, Blue Crush

Why she’s hot: In Girlfight, Michelle Rodriguez played a high school senior who discovers she can be someone through the fury of her fists. But it was her role as Letty in 2001’s surprise hit The Fast and the Furious that made her stock rise.

This year, you can catch Rodriguez in the action thriller Resident Evil, based on the popular video game, and Blue Crush, a movie set in Hawaii about a group of girls working at an upscale spa who live to surf.

Film after film, Rodriguez manages to break down barriers and stereotypes of women’s place in film. Not since Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2: Judgment Day have we seen such a tough screen heroine. If Rodriguez plays her cards right, she could carve a nice niche for herself as Hollywood’s leading female action hero.

You will see her soon in: Rules of Attraction, Sin Easter

Why she’s hot: Shannyn Sossamon was spotted by a casting agent while helping a friend DJ Gwyneth Paltrow’s birthday party in 1999. Two years later Sossamon made her feature debut in the modernized period piece A Knight’s Tale, playing a medieval princess.

Careful to avoid the media saturation trap that has ruined the careers of many young stars, the Hawaiian beauty discreetly worked her way into the comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights with fellow Hollywood hotshot Josh Hartnett, where she sexually peaked using a flower. Yes, a flower.

This year, she co-stars with another cutie, James Van Der Beek, in the 1980s-set adaptation Rules of Attraction and later in the supernatural thriller Sin Easter alongside former Knight’s co-star Heath Ledger. There must be something about Sossamon that lands her roles with the hottest young Hollywood stars.

You will see her soon in: Drumline, Snipes

Why she’s hot: Zoe Saldana played the deceitful best friend of the popular girl in the above-average teen romantic comedy Get Over It and landed the part of Britney Spears‘ best friend in the routine coming-of-age feature Crossroads.

With two popular teen films to her credit, we can’t wait to see Saldana, a trained dancer, in edgier roles. Look for her in the hip-hop action drama Snipes starring rapper Nelly and in Drumline, which centers on the life of a street drummer from Harlem.

Saldana‘s relatively new but diversified career makes this multitalented performer an adaptable up and comer.

You will see her soon in: Abandon, Welcome to Collinwood

Why she’s hot: Gabrielle Union made her feature acting debut with a small but pivotal role in 1999’s teen comedy She’s All That, serving as the friend and conscience for hunk Freddie Prinze Jr.‘s sensitive but deceitful hero. Following that Union carved a niche for herself in Hollywood’s teen movie scene.

But Union showed her more adult side on NBC’s Friends last year. The actress made history when her featured guest role as the love interest of both Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Ross (David Schwimmer) marked the first time a black actor was featured on the New York City-set sitcom in its seven-season run.

Union‘s upcoming flicks Welcome to Collinwood and the college-set thriller Abandon will keep her on the scene for a while to come. Adored by critics and moviegoers alike, Union is poised to be a breakout star. Her down-to-earth attitude toward show business however indicates that her happiness doesn’t rely on her fame.

You will see her soon in: Big Trouble, Abandon

Why she’s hot: In 1999, Zooey Deschanel was featured in her first film Mumford, a comedy about a man posing as a psychologist in a small town.

The following year she starred in the ensemble cast of the long-awaited Cameron Crowe film Almost Famous, a semi-autobiographical look at a teenage rock journalist who goes on tour with an up and coming band. Sporting miniskirts with teased hair, Deschanel lit up the screen and proved an asset to the film.

The actress further broke out in 2000, with featured roles in the mental institution-set drama Manic and the romantic comedy Beauty Loop. Deschanel stars with a couple other rising young actresses (Union and Katie Holmes) in the comedic crime caper Big Trouble.

You will see her soon in: Minority Report

Why she’s hot: Samantha Morton, a self-described “urban survivor” from working-class Nottingham, England gave an astounding performance playing a young girl impregnated by a cult leader on a 1994 episode of the British crime drama Cracker.

While her television work proved she had a strong presence, her big screen roles, including This is the Sea and Under the Skin were even more impressive. But it was her turn as the mute laundress and the great love of an egocentric jazz guitarist in Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown that earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and the respect of moviegoers everywhere.

You could say art imitated life when a pregnant Morton was cast as an expectant Sara Coleridge in Julien Temple’s Pandemonium. Pregnant or not, she’s a hottie in our books!