Contrary to popular belief, there’s rarely such a thing as an overnight success in Hollywood—at least in the eyes of the performer themselves. Usually that big break happens after a slow-motion rise to the top: month after month of grueling auditions, endless hours toiling to perfect their craft, weeks of creating a character on the soundstage and possibly even years of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them performances.
But in the public’s eyes, all it takes it that one big moment that suddenly announces them as a Breakout Star. Hollywood.com takes a look at 2006’s smashing success stories, overnight or otherwise.
Breakout Star of the Year
Our pick for 2006’s Breakout Star of the Year is actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, who single-handedly stole the big screen musical Dreamgirls away from such established A-list stars as Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy with her combination of energy, sensitivity and soulful singing. A one-time reject from the American Idol winners’ circle, Hudson‘s seemingly overnight success was as much a result of her passion and perseverance as it was her powerhouse performance.
Hudson‘s already secured a Golden Globe nomination—is she prepared for the possibility of an Oscar nod? “I don’t know—I guess at this point I have no choice but to be ready,” she laughed. In the meantime she’s already looking forward to a high-flying future as a double threat. “I definitely want to continue acting, but I think I want to balance both movies and music,” she said. “I would like to separate the two of them: do singing in the music industry, and acting in the movie industry.” If both careers maintain the promise she demonstrated in Dreamgirls, as far as stardom’s concerned we are telling you she’s not going.
Film’s Freshest Faces
Hudson was just one of a select group of performers filmgoers couldn’t stop talking about in 2006, even though they wouldn’t have recognized them just one year earlier.
Previously an unknown with only a handful of parts to his credit, Brandon Routh sped faster than a speeding bullet into the pop culture consciousness when he was cast as the Man of Steel in Superman Returns. Conversely, audiences had gotten a fair sampling of Daniel Craig’s skills in films like Layer Cake and Munich, but he rocketed to the top of Hollywood’s “get” list after a blistering turn as a rookie James Bond who could still be shaken and stirred in Casino Royale, as well as a darkly charismatic performance as a multifaceted murder who intrigues and menaces Truman Capote in Infamous.
Two of Craig‘s co-stars also made their marks while making out with him: Casino Royale’s Eva Green proved a thinking man’s Bond Girl as 007’s sultry but sophisticated sparring partner, while Infamous‘ Toby Jones almost made audiences forget that other Capote performance of the previous year with a turn both wry and tragic, and he shored it up with a supporting outing in The Painted Veil as a laconic Brit living outside the lines in 1920s China.
As the conflicted Native American soldier who can’t accept praise for heroism he doesn’t believe he’s exhibited, Adam Beach provided the heartbreaking emotional centerpiece for director Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers. The Devil Wears Prada’s Emily Blunt was profoundly more capable than her character, the tart-tongued, overwhelmed assistant to a demanding fashion editor, managing to steal scenes from the great Meryl Streep herself.
Even though he was immobilized by wreckage in most of World Trade Center, Michael Pena provided the film’s most engaging performance. Simultaneously knowing and naïve, The Departed‘s Vera Farmiga was well worthy of the romantic attentions of both Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio. With virtually no film resume, Venus‘ Jodie Whittaker emerged fully formed to hold her own opposite acting icon Peter O’Toole.
After conquering Broadway with Wicked and TV with The West Wing, pint-sized, huge-voiced Kristin Chenoweth hit a high note in film with scene-swiping supporting roles in RV, The Pink Panther, Running with Scissors and Deck the Halls and a Maxim cover shoot that showed off her impressive, um, pipes.
Hard Candy, the harrowing story of a teen girl who turns the tables on her would be sexual predator, was hard to watch, but the uncompromising performances from stars Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson made it impossible to turn away; both actors bolstered their breakouts with strong stints in other films, Page in X-Men: The Last Stand, Wilson in Little Children. And Babel made it abundantly clear that audiences would be seeing more of a pair of new faces with international flavor, Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, whose performances lost nothing in translation.
One-time model Channing Tatum steamed up the screen in a pair of performances divergent roles—a teen delinquent turned dancer in the pop romance Step Up and a serious stint in the coming-of-age drama A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints—becoming one of the most Googled—and ogled—newbies of the year.
A new class of young actresses talented beyond their years proved that not every juicy role under age 12 has to be played by Dakota Fanning, including Little Miss Sunshine‘s Abigail Breslin, Akeelah and the Bee‘s Keke Palmer and Pan’s Labyrinth‘s Ivana Baquero. Jaden Smith’s star-making turn in The Pursuit of Happyness proved that the talented little apple didn’t fall far from Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s tree. And Will Ferrell’s Talladega Nights on-screen offspring Walker (Houston Tumlin) and Texas Ranger (Grayson Russell) came at audiences like a spider monkey!
Big On the Small Screen
Television provided its own series of tipping points for a torrent of new talents as well. Among the America Ferrera won over most of her namesake with her beautiful turn as Ugly Betty’s endearingly goofy swan-in-the-making. And whether she was speaking in her own voice or as Holly Hunter, Juliette Lewis and more, Sarah Paulson stole the spotlight from an ensemble overflowing with established stars in Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip.
Heroes helped several careers take flight, but soaring highest above the ensemble were Masi Oka, who as Hiro giddily lived up to his name, and the indestructible Hayden Panettiere, the show’s only superhero with her own costume—even if it is a cheerleader’s uniform. Big Love’s Ginnifer Goodwin also earned enormous affection as Margene, the third-ranking wife on the totem pole in the polygamous Henrickson clan.
Other breakouts were aided when the new stars entered the orbits of established dramas. Grey’s Anatomy gave viewers a philandering plastic surgeon in the form of McSteamy Eric Dane; tough-talking Callie Torres, a seductively plus-sized physician with a soft spot for sensitive interns played by Sara Ramirez; and the patient no one wanted to lose in hopelessly romantic, hopelessly doomed Denny, aka Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
And if someone absolutely, positively had to be Lost on a remote island with Ben, the intensely creepy Other played to the menacing hilt by so-creepy-he’s-cool Michael Emerson, at least they could hope for the company of the Scot-brogued, newly precognitive Desmond, thanks to Henry Ian Cusick’s half-tortured, half-charming charisma.
On the comedy side, The Office hired a few new full-timers, most notably Rashida Jones—who as the comely Karen competes with Pam for the title of sexiest employee in office attire—and Charles Esten—who as Josh has, with the help of several Nog-a-sakis, effectively inserted his head even further up his boss Michael’s backside than his nemesis Dwight. And Two and a Half Men wisely upped the femme factor, adding curvaceous, kooky Kandi as a regular after April Bowlby’s performance as the ditzy dish scored a perfect ten.
Other newbie talents made their showbiz bones simply by playing themselves—or at least a TV-friendly version of themselves. With the debut of her own syndicated cooking show, celebrity chef Rachael Ray turned up the heat, playing herself with a dash of sass and a pinch of spunk, while American Idol fans are STILL squabbling over whether they’d rather go on Soul Patrol with winner Taylor Hicks or come down with McPheever for runner-up Katherine McPhee.
