12 Hot Actors and Actresses to Watch in 2010

These 12 hot actors and actresses to watch in 2010 are poised to have massive years. Maybe they’re finally getting a chance to headline Hollywood films, or maybe they’re just appearing in a number of movies throughout the year. Either way, the stock of the following twelve performers should continue to rise during 2010. This list includes fresh faces and several familiar ones, so dive right in and pick a few favorites to follow throughout the year.

• Bradley Cooper (appearing in Case 39, The A Team, Valentine’s Day) – Cooper became a star after appearing in The Hangover, one of the surprise hits of 2009. He’ll be following up with three films in 2010, most notably the big-budget remake of 1980’s television classic, The A Team. He’ll be playing Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck in that one, a role originated by actor Dirk Benedict. Cooper will also appear alongside Renee Zellweger in the horror film Case 39, and he’ll be part of a massive all-star ensemble cast for the romantic comedy Valentine’s Day. Of all the performers on this list of the 12 hot actors and actresses to watch in 2010, Bradley Cooper has the most room to rise.
• Emily Blunt (appearing in The Young Victoria, Wild Target, The Wolfman, Gulliver’s Travels) – The lovely British actress has gained attention for appearing in films ranging from hilarious (The Devil Wears Prada) to the downright quirky (The Great Buck Howard and Sunshine Cleaning). She stretches her acting range even more in 2010, with her performance in The Young Victoria currently drawing critical raves (and a possible Oscar nod). She’ll also be appearing as the endangered love interest in The Wolfman, a princess of Lilliputia in Gulliver’s Travels, and the victim-turned-girlfriend of an uptight assassin (played by the wonderful Bill Nighy) in Wild Target.
• Mark Strong (appearing in Kick-Ass, Robin Hood, The Way Back, The Eagle of the Ninth, The Guard) – I’m admittedly a big fan of Mark Strong, as the British actor is able to deliver scene-stealing performances in any film with the sense to cast him. Just give him a wig and let him work his magic. His turn as the villainous Lord Blackwood in the latest Sherlock Homes film is still in theaters, but he’s just getting warmed up for 2010. He’ll appear as a drug lord in Kick-Ass and a murderous henchman in Robin Hood. Other roles include the POW drama The Way Back, the historical adventure The Eagle of the Ninth, and an Irish comedy/thriller that teams up Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Watch out, Gary Oldman: movie execs now have another option when they need a go-to British actor.
• Paul Bettany (appearing in Legion, Iron Man 2, Priest) – After playing a crazed albino killer (The Da Vinci Code) and heroic doctor (Master and Commander), someone decided that English actor Paul Bettany would make a fine action movie hero. That’s why you’ll see him this year wielding twin M-16s as a badass angel in Legion. In August, he’ll flex his action muscles again in Priest, a film about a warrior priest on the trail of vampires. He’ll also supply the voice of the robotic Jarvis in the upcoming Iron Man 2 movie. All this, and he gets to go home to wife Jennifer Connelly. What a bastard.
• Kristen Stewart (appearing in The Runaways, Welcome to the Rileys, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, K-11) – Stewart came to the attention of audiences as the brooding Bella Swan, the female protagonist of The Twilight Saga. While another Twilight film is on tap for 2010, Stewart will also play rocker Joan Jett in The Runaways, a prostitute and stripper who becomes involved with a grieving father in Welcome to the Rileys, and a male transsexual inmate with autism in K-11. I’d love to see what kind of research she did for those last two films.
• Danny Huston (appearing in The Warrior’s Way, Edge of Darkness, Clash of the Titans, Robin Hood, You Don’t Know Jack, The Conspirator) – The son of famed director John Huston has a big year ahead of him. He’ll play a sleazy businessman in Edge of Darkness, Mel Gibson’s return to acting. His biggest moments in 2010, however,  will come with Robin Hood and Clash of the Titans. In the latter, he’ll play Poseidon, while Robin Hood will see him down a crown and armor to depict the heroic King Richard the Lionheart. He’ll also be starring as a prosecuting attorney in The Conspirator, a film about the first woman to be hanged by the U.S. government.
• Logan Lerman (appearing in Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief) – After appearing in 3:10 to Yuma and Gamer, 18-year-old Logan Lerman gets a shot at headlining a franchise. He’ll star in Percy Jackson & the Olympians, a fantasy film adapted from the books by Rick Riordan. Assuming it’s a success, he’ll follow it up by appearing in the four scheduled sequels. From there, the sky’s the limit.
• Liam Neeson (appearing in Clash of the Titans, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The A Team) – Neeson will once again provide the voice of the heroic lion Aslan in the latest Narnia film, but he’s got two other high profile movies awaiting release in 2010. First up is Clash of the Titans, where Neeson will get to bellow such lines as “Release the Kraken,” as Zeus, the head of the Greek gods. His other major role will be that of Hannibal Smith, the cigar-chomping leader of The A-Team. Considering how much success he enjoyed with last year’s Taken, it looks like Neeson is definitely one of the 12 hot actors and actresses to watch in 2010.
• Kristen Wiig (appearing in All Good Things, Despicable Me, Date Night, How to Train Your Dragon, MacGruber, Paul) – The funny lady from Saturday Night Live will bring her comedic skills to the big screen in 2010, lending her voice to the animated films Despicable Me and How to Train Your Dragon. She’ll also co-star in the movie version of SNL’s MacGruber, a spoof of the old Richard Dean Anderson television series MacGyver, and she’ll team up with former SNL star Tina Fey in Date Night. But it’s not all comedy, as Wiig will see how more dramatic roles fit by appearing in All Good Things, an intense mystery about a man (Ryan Gosling) who may have murdered his wife. A number of SNL stars have went on to enjoy successful film careers, and Wiig could very well be the next one.
• Nicolas Cage (appearing in Kick-Ass, Season of the Witch, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) – It looks to be a big year for Nicolas Cage. That’s good, because he’s been in all kinds of trouble with the IRS. In order to recoup some of the money his ex-business manager lost him, Cage will play a cop-turned-vigilante in Kick-Ass, a knight transporting an accused witch in Season of the Witch, and a sorcerer who recruits a teen student in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
• Mickey Rourke (appearing in 13, Iron Man 2, The Expendables, Passion Play) – Grizzled as hell, Rourke will star as the villainous Backlash in Iron Man 2, and a man forced to participate in a Russian Roulette tournament in 13. He’ll then co-star with the likes of Stallone, Lundgren, Li and Statham in the mercenary action film The Expendables. His most bizarre role, however, comes in Passion Play, about a trumpet player who saves a winged woman (Megan Fox) from a gangster.
• Chloe Moretz (appearing in Kick-Ass, Let Me In, Diary of a Wimpy Kid) – Chloe is a cute little girl of 12, but she’ll be making audiences forget all about that in 2010. That’s because two of her roles this year are anything but cute. In Kick-Ass, she plays a tween girl obsessively trained to kill criminals by her ex-cop father. And, boy, does the training seem to take. She also plays the lead in Let Me In, the American remake of the popular Swedish film, Let the Right One In. In this horror film, she’ll star as Abby, a girl who befriends a bullied young boy named Owen. But it turns out that Abby is actually a vampire, and this leads to a rather unnatural relationship between the boy and the not-quite-girl. With Dakota Fanning creeping up on 16, expect Chloe Moretz to take on many of the roles formerly awarded to the star of Man on Fire and War of the Worlds.

If you want to buy any of the movies listed above (such as Taken or The Hangover), be sure to click on our link to Amazon. They’ve got amazing prices for movie lovers, and our site will even receive a small commission for sending you there. In the meantime, you can also enjoy the following articles:

• 10 Good Valentine’s Day Movies

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