Up-and-coming faces in film

Lesley-Anne Brandt in Spartacus: Sand and Blood

1. Eddie Redmayne
Though he’s been around a while, quietly beavering away at the likes of British TV’s The Pillars of the Earth and Tess of the d’Urbervilles, it was Redmayne’s breakthrough performance in the Oscar winner, My Week With Marilyn, that put him on Hollywood’s radar.

And if he’s not on yours yet, he will be after he explodes on to our screens next week in the celluloid version of Les Misérables, as lovesick revolutionary Marius.

His singing voice is as spectacular as his looks are singular. In a celebrity world where beauty is homogenised, he is a breath of fresh air. I hope Redmayne – educated at Eton and Cambridge – manages to keep his interesting looks and ginger locks in Hollywood.

2. Lesley-Anne Brandt
This South African-born actor immigrated to New Zealand with her family in 1999. Her first foray on to the screen was in New Zealand adverts.

She then scored a role in a couple of TV shows there before making herself known as Naevia in TV’s Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Her breakthrough, though, was in the American Syfy Channel’s highest-rated TV movie of the year, Zombie Apocalypse – though it scores low among critics.

This year, look out for the woman who calls herself of “Cape-coloured descent” in Drift opposite Avatar hottie Sam Worthington and then in Duke, a Westernesque flick with Carmine Giovinazzo of CSI: NY fame. She’ll be hoping one of these puts her into Hollywood’s A-league.

3. Liam Hemsworth
Sure, his brother has been elevated to Asgardian God thanks to his role as Thor, but don’t underestimate Chris’ little brother, who will be
the new Robert Pattinson this year.

While the Twilight films have finally been staked, it’s time for The Hunger Games’ sequel to, like it’s title, catch fire.

This baby Hemsworth has a whole lot of screen time lined up this year, including Empire State with former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paranoia, opposite greats Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford.

Once he has navigated the fans after Catching Fire’s release, he will be tackling the role of Ali Baba in a new version of The Arabian Nights
that also stars Anthony Hopkins.