The Top 12 Breakthrough Actors Of 2014

Jaeden Lieberher (St. Vincent)

Bill Murray is one of the coolest and most iconoclastic celebrities of his generation, with his wry behavior and bizarre sightings a constant source of joy and disbelief for fans. It does much to shelter audiences from the fact that much of Murray’s recent work has been spotty, but this year he gave his best and fullest performance in a very long time in the decent St. Vincent. However, it wasn’t the funnyman who anchored the film. Instead, it was an 11-year-old from Philadelphia named Jaeden Lieberher.

Lieberher plays Oliver, a short and skinny grade schooler going through ordinary problems, like bullies and feelings of isolation due to his parents’ divorce. His titular neighbor, played by Murray, comes in to take care of the boy and help him with his problems. Those two-person scenes between the comic genius and the rookie actor save what may have been too conventional in other hands. Lieberher’s bemused deadpan complements Murray’s sad sack protagonist. The youngster offers a keen intelligence and kindness that too few pre-teen actors possess on the screen, and his nervous energy did much to delight audiences – along with his main co-star.

It is the youngster’s responsibility to deliver a big, all-encompassing speech at the end of St. Vincent. With a child too precocious and hyperactive, the scene may not have worked, but Lieberher’s gentleness and inquisitive sense of humor turns this finale into a genuinely heartfelt one. It is little surprise that the young thespian will appear in new films from Jeff Nichols and Cameron Crowe in the coming years. Once you can share the screen with Bill Murray and not feel small, the opportunities should be limitless.