Best Breakthrough Performance

Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider)

A new category for us this year, Breakthrough Performance honors those who might have caught our eye for the very first time. This contest was a runaway, but in an odd twist of fate, the winner of this particular prize, Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes, actually lost in the Best Actress category to her runner-up here.

Yes, the precocious 14-year-old star of Whale Rider is our selection as most impressive breakthrough performance. She outpaced second place finisher Scarlett Johansson by an astounding 60 points, even though the Lost in Translation star trumped Castle-Hughes in the best actress category. The reason for this discrepancy is really pretty simple: Johannson isn't exactly new on the scene, as she received a fair amount of critical attention for her performance in Ghost World in 2000 (she also had some notice for The Man Who Wasn't There in 2001). Castle-Hughes, on the other hand, is an ingénue in the truest since of the world. Whale Rider is her debut, and her maturity and talent are measurable. Next up for the youngest actress ever to be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award is a little film called Star Wars: Episode III. She'll be playing the Queen of Naboo.

Nineteen-year-old Scarlett Johansson continues the charge of the youth movement here. Her role as the abandoned Charlotte in Lost in Translation was a driving force in the success of the film. Considering that she celebrated her 18th birthday during the filming of this Sofia Coppola project, her poise and her ability to play a character about four or five years older than her actual age are impressive. Johansson has several upcoming films on her plate: A Love Song for Bobby Long, A Good Woman, the Chris Weitz/Paul Weitz comedy Synergy, and the long-in-pre-production Black Dahlia.

While Charlize Theron is by no means a "new" actress, having appeared in stuff like The Devil's Advocate, The Cider House Rules, and The Italian Job over the past several years, it was her groundbreaking work in the grim film Monster that made our group stand up and take notice. Theron was willing to "get ugly" in order to make her portrayal of the interstate exit serial killer Aileen Wuornos even more realistic; more importantly, she completely wrapped herself up in the character's persona. It was an unsettling performance from an actress who heretofore had been mostly known as a (very) pretty face.

The star of the cultural/athletic celebration Bend It Like Beckham, Parminder K. Nagra wowed our voters with her wide-eyed, unique beauty and creation of an inspirational female empowerment figure. It speaks volumes that Americans -- no particular fans of soccer -- happily went out in support of the film, especially thanks to the positive word-of-mouth with regards to the twin performances of Nagra and supporting co-star Keira Knightley (who is surprisingly absent from this top ten list). Nagra is currently appearing on the NBC drama ER and also has a role in the upcoming Anne Hathaway flick Ella Enchanted.

As a brand new teenager spiraling out of control, Evan Rachel Wood showed that she's a star on the rise. A 16-year-old who got her big break on the TV drama Once and Again, the actress has future roles in films with Kevin Costner, Ed Norton and James Woods.

Another youngster, 12-year-old Sarah Bolger, is both artless and memorable as one of two sisters trying to understand a sometimes bitter, sometimes magical grown-up world. With only one prior acting credit to her name, Bolger brings a vitality to the role that a more experienced performer might not have been able to achieve.

Stealing the show right out from under Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe transfixed our staff with his graceful, dignified work in The Last Samurai. Though the actor is a household name in Japan for his lead role in the television series Dokugan ryu Masamune, he suffered from leukemia and was forced to take a step back from acting for a period of time. His statuesque samurai leader Katsumoto is an exclamation point that announces his presence to a worldwide audience.

All too frequently, people of "small stature" are relegated to comic relief and supporting roles in television and movies. From the Munchkins to the mistakenly maligned bible salesman in Foul Play to Fox's current reality series "The Littlest Groom," honest, serious roles are just hard for folks like Peter Dinklage to come by. That's why it's so gratifying to see him receiving so much attention for his charming performance in The Station Agent. It's a delightful film that relies a great deal on his emotion to carry the show.

Sitting at the number nine spot is Cillian Murphy, whose shifting from unbelieving, uneasy survivor to powerful survivalist helped to drive 28 Days Later to be a strong and lasting entry into the horror genre. Meanwhile, Japanese actress Chiaki Kuriyama's menacing glare and intimations of lunacy made Kill Bill Vol. 1's Go-Go Yubari a memorable character amidst numerous stand-outs to help her finish in tenth. (Kim Hollis/BOP)

Top Ten
Position	Actress	Film	Total Points
1	Keisha Castle-Hughes	Whale Rider	106
2	Scarlett Johansson	Lost in Translation	46
3	Charlize Theron	Monster	42
4	Parminder K. Nagra	Bend It Like Beckham	41
5	Evan Rachel Wood	Thirteen	35
6 (tie)	Sarah Bolger	In America	34
6 (tie)	Ken Watanabe	The Last Samurai	34
8	Peter Dinklage	The Station Agent	31
9	Cillian Murphy	28 Days Later	28
10	Chiaki Kuriyama	Kill Bill Vol. 1	27