10 Actors Who Had Tremendous Breakthroughs In 2015

1) Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies, The Gunman, Wolf Hall

It almost seems odd to suggest Mark Rylance is any kind of ‘breakthrough’ actor. At 55, he’s been a theater giant for years, and has been making occasional appearances in movies since the 80s (albeit in supporting roles and bit-parts in indies). Regardless, 2015 was most likely the year this guy, so admired by the likes of Al Pacino and Sean Penn, actually appeared on your radar.

It feels like Rylance has come out of nowhere to deliver one of the best-reviewed performances of the year, in Bridge of Spies, but he has in fact been honing his skill on the stage over decades.

Spies, in which Rylance is the warm moral core, and TV’s Wolf Hall, in which he’s quietly calculating, are the highlight’s of the actor’s year, but even in the schlocky The Gunman, Rylance’s ability to burn up the screen is intact.

Next up is Spielberg’s The BFG and Chris Nolan’s Dunkirk movie; after years shying away from mainstream cinema, Rylance is here to stay.