The Top 12 Breakthrough Actors Of 2014

Jack O’Connell (Starred Up, Unbroken)

So, here’s a disclaimer: I have not seen the gritty prison drama Starred Up or Angelina Jolie’s upcoming true story drama Unbroken. However, I did see ’71, the exciting historical thriller that will open in North America on Feb. 27, at the Toronto film festival. The chiseled English actor gave a superb performance in Yann Demarge’s film, and considering the critical praise that greeted his other roles this year, it is not surprising that he is being heralded as one of the next big stars.

For his role in Unbroken, where the actor plays physically adept WWII fighter pilot and Olympian Louis Zamperini, preparing for the very physical part came naturally (since O’Connell played football in his youth). However, he also needed the commitment to alter his diet and transform his body to depict the malnourished Zamperini later in the film.

For Starred Up, meanwhile, the preparation was probably just as psychologically grueling. In the film, O’Connell plays Eric, a new prisoner with a bruised past and a short temper. In his review, We Got This Covered’s Dominic Mill compared the physicality of the actor’s work to Tom Hardy’s performance in Bronson, writing that “O’Connell is absolutely tremendous in the role, with an alternately terrifying and pitiful portrayal of a kid who never really had a chance.”

As ’71 proved to me, O’Connell can express a lot – fear, anger, emotional defeat – without needing large splashes of dialogue. As Gary Hook, a British soldier abandoned by his unit during the tense conflict in Northern Ireland, he does not get much to say. However, the actor’s portrayal is piercing and moving, showing off O’Connell as a magnificent conduit to bring the audience into those emotionally ravaged times.