It's always a joy to honor the rising talent from the past year, as it's a pleasure to find those people who have been long-suffering hidden gems as well as up-and-coming neophytes in the industry. The first person on our list falls in the former category, as Terrence Howard has previously appeared in films such as Mr. Holland's Opus, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, but he didn't really strike a chord with moviegoers until 2005. He received votes for his performances in both Crash and Hustle & Flow, but it was his portrayal of pimp/hip hop hopeful DJay in Hustle & Flow that garnered the bulk of our attention. He is a revelation in the film, and is surely an onscreen presence to be reckoned with in the future. The ease with which he slides into his hip hop persona is remarkable, and his characterization of a man living on the fringes of Memphis society rings true.

Amy Adams is a relative newcomer, with a variety of small roles on television and in lesser known films up to this point. She is simply amazing in the indie film Junebug, where she plays Ashley, a young, pregnant girl living in the home of her husband's parents. A vivacious, idealistic young woman, she is delighted when a sister-in-law whom she has never met arrives to stay with the family, regaling her with stories about her pregnancy, inviting her to a baby shower, and offering to paint her toenails. Never mind the fact that her husband (Ben McKenzie) is a sullen, angry young man who seems unmoved by the fact that he's soon to be a father. Ashley doesn't let anything deplete her high spirits. The film is well worth watching simply for Adams' performance alone, but it is also a singular illustration of family and friends in a small Southern town.

Lots of people knew who Steve Carell was prior to 2005. After all, he was a featured player on The Daily Show and also was hilarious as the mindless Brick Tamland in 2004's Anchorman. 2005 was the year where he truly arrived, though. In addition to starring in the U.S. adaptation of The Office, he also became everyone's newest favorite comedian by virtue of his sweet, funny role as Andy in The 40 Year-Old Virgin. He was completely believable in the role, not because there's really anything wrong with him, but more because he played the character as a man who had previously been so preoccupied with his own nerdly pursuits that the notion of dating never really crossed his mind. If you've avoided renting the film because of the raunch factor, it's really a lot more charming than you could ever imagine. And the chest waxing scene, where Carell improvised his lines throughout, is simply not to be missed.

Michelle Williams is a straightforward young woman. While her cohorts have gone off and made headlines for all the wrong reasons, Williams has honed her craft. She turned heads as the new girl in town on Dawson's Creek, but the Granny's Bad Girl act feels like forever ago. Brokeback Mountain dispels any myths about her being considered for sexy teen parts any more. Michelle Williams has now proven herself to be the equal of any rising talent in Hollywood. Her role as a betrayed wife and mother coming to terms with her former husband's sexuality is the emotional anchor of the most critically acclaimed film of 2005. In the process, Williams has established herself one of the best 20-something indie actors in the profession today. The days of flirting with Dawson and Pacey are long gone. Michelle Williams is a woman now, and a professionally acclaimed one at that.

Remember back to when you were 15-years-old. Think about those dreams you had to become a movie star. Now consider how hard it would have been to go out on your own at such a young age. Q'Orianaka Kilcher did just this, but first she added a degree of difficulty. In The New World, Kilcher took on the role of a historical icon in Pocahontas. In the process, she agreed to portray the love interest to one of Hollywood's most notorious womanizers in Colin Farrell, a man almost twice her age. In agreeing to star in The New World, Kilcher placed her fledgling career in the hands of Terrence Malick, a director who has had film classes about his works for five years longer than she has been alive.

Imagine the insecurities the pubescent girl must have had to overcome in acting out passionate love scenes with Farrell while accepting direction from Malick. Knowing all of this, you have a full appreciation for what I am about to say. Critics universally agree that Q'Orianka Kilcher is easily the best part of The New World. Her performance is the very definition of breakthrough. She stands beside screen icons and blows them away.

While you may not recognize Joseph Gordon-Levitt's name, the chances are good that you know the face. He played Tommy Solomon on the long-running comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun and also had a supporting role in 10 Things I Hate About You, but in recent years, he has turned specifically to indie films, including movies such as Manic and the upcoming Brick. He was also the star of last year's Mysterious Skin, where he plays a beautiful teenaged hustler on a dangerous path. He's an actor on the rise and a young man who is beginning to carve out a solid niche for himself in unique, ambitious movies.

Early last year, Naomi Watts dumped Heath Ledger for being too immature and unstable. Soon afterward, Ledger made the bold decision to see if she was right about him. He challenged himself as an actor by taking a role in Ang Lee's project, Brokeback Mountain. Lee had been through a traumatic experience as well. His cinematic adaptation of The Hulk was a failure, so he sought out the perfect partner for his next project. In Ledger, he saw a developing talent in need of some grooming. Lee offered him the choice of roles in the project, but was surprised when Ledger took the less meaty one. Ledger kept surprising his director throughout the shoot and in the process proved to himself that he can fulfill the promise first displayed in 10 Things I Hate About You. In the character of the slow-witted but well-intended Ennis Del Mar, Ledger demonstrated he could find the soul of a character and rend it naked for the world to see. In the process, he re-established his career, won the heart of a much more attractive actress off-screen and came away with a slew of awards and a new baby in the offing. He also bags a seventh place finish in Breakthrough Performance at The Calvins. The moral of the story? It pays to take risks. Also, being dumped can prove to be the best thing that happens to you.

For a period of almost four months in the spring and summer of 2005, box office receipts declined every weekend from the year before. Analysts were matter-of-fact about the crisis facing the industry, and predicted more of the same for the rest of the summer. Then, something happened to change all of that. Fantastic Four exploded into theaters with a $56 million opening, leaving experts to scratch their heads as to why. Eventually, we figured it out. The answer is Chris Evans. The impossibly charismatic 24-year-old saved what had been rumored to be a disastrous project. While others in the cast were focused upon proving what serious actors they could be (ha!), Evans went an entirely different way with it. He relished the opportunity to live out every boy's fantasy. He got to be a Human Torch! How cool is that? Is there any easier way to pick up women than with the power of flight? Hell no. Need a burrito microwaved? He's your man. In an era where comic book heroes must be tortured in order to achieve a sense of mystery, Evans played his character as blissfully transparent. The end result was an embarrassing amount of money for an otherwise dreary movie. Oh, and he also gets an eighth place nod in our Breakthrough Performance category.

While Philip Seymour-Hoffman is the centerpiece of Capote, it is a film that could never have worked were he not surrounded by some keen talent. Clifton Collins Jr.'s performance as the tortured and dark murderer Perry Smith is a punctuating portion of the movie. Rounding out the top ten is the lovely and quirky Isla Smith, whose role as "crazy sister" Gloria in Wedding Crashers kept people talking for months after the film's release. She was an ideal counterpart for Vince Vaughn and an uproarious comedienne.

Performers who were just outside the top ten were the aforementioned Terrence Howard for Crash, real-life character Mark Zupan (Murderball) and Yuya Yagira (Nobody Knows). (Kim Hollis/BOP)

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