We have received a number of emails from fans asking about the Top 10 Hottest Young Actors rankings and for some recommendations on movies they ought to see to really appreciate these guys and their acting - the questions are most especially addressed to Robert Pattinson, Gaspard Ulliel, Jamie Bell, Ben Whishaw, and Jim Sturgess.

As always, we try to oblige. Here are a number of movies that really showcase the talents of these young guys. Many of them are incredibly good films from some of the industry's cutting-edge filmmakers, and others come from new directors and scriptwriters who are just about to break into the scene.

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Let's start with Jamie Bell. At 22 years old, Jamie is definitely one of the industry's most talented young actors. In fact, he beat Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and other leading actors in the 2001 BAFTA Best Actor awards. Bell won that trophy for his astounding performance in Billy Elliot. I know many of you watched that fantastic movie and some of you might have watched his latest movie, Hallam Foe, but I think that  you might not be aware of his other awesome movie, Undertow. Here are some scenes featuring Bell and Kristen Stewart:

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The movie was made by David Gordon Green, the same filmmaker who gave us Pineapple Express, George Washington and Snow Angels, among others. Undertow tells the story of the Munn family, and how Bell and his younger brother (played by Devon Alan) escape from their uncle (Josh Lucas) who killed their father (Dermot Mulroney) in search for some valuable family treasures.

What makes this an exceptional showcase for Bell is his ability to get into his character - Chris Munn. Chris is a lonely young kid who can't connect with his father and has all sorts of problems with his girlfriend and her family. He is also desperate to have sex and to get into a serious relationship with a girl. This is where it differs from other movies, however, in that the young lead goes to a brothel, has sex and falls in love. As the brothers try to escape from their uncle, they encounter different kinds of people and enter a sub-culture of sorts where people live in various desperate situations.

tMF Top Three Jamie Bell films: Billy Elliot | Hallam Foe | Undertow

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It's kind of amusing how some 'fans' assume they can classify Gaspard Ulliel just because they've seen him in Hannibal Rising. That's almost like saying Shia LaBeouf is a no good actor for being too 'robotic' (excuse the pun) in Transformers. Of course, Shia has much more to offer than just being a backgrounder in the Michael Bay series. That also applies to this fabulous award-winning French actor. The only problem I guess is that most of these 'fans' have never had the chance to see even a single French movie, let alone those with subtitles.

My all-time favorite Gaspard Ulliel film is Strayed (Les Égarés) - here he is simply amazing! As the young Jean Delgas, he plays it to the hilt! - - he is quite mysterious, sensual, and fearless. This should have given Ulliel his first Cezar award, but instead he won for A Very Long Engagement, another sweeping historical saga with Audrey Tautou! In one of his less well known movies, Jacquo Le Croquant, he plays the lead and after the first half, he's in almost every scene. It's not a perfect movie and many would question the storyline, but it was a remake of a popular TV series in France.

tMF Top Three Gaspard Ulliel Films: Strayed | A Very Long Engagement | Jacquo le Croquant

Here is the dance sequence where Jacquo and Lina competes with the evil Le comte de Nansac and his equally evil daughter...

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As I said in my intro to Jim Sturgess' top ranking, he's probably one of the most talented imports from the UK. The term I used is 'most probably' which only means it's a qualified assessement. Not that I don't honestly believe in his talents - - the guy is tremendously talented and right after watching Across the Universe, I arrived at the conclusion that here we have one incredible young actor who can sing and act!

The acclaim he got from the Julie Taymor Beatles-inspired movie has now been overtaken by an even better performance in Fifty Dead Men Walking. I would not be surprised if he's not mentioned by award-giving bodies like the Academy, but who cares anyway! The guy is awesome and you and I knew that even before he appeared in this explosive movie about the IRA ...

tMF Top 3 Jim Sturgess Films: Fifty Dead Men Walking | Across the Universe | 21

[ Very powerful and disturbing scenes, you have been warned! ]

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Who is Ben Whishaw? His portrayal of the perfumer and murderer Jean Baptiste Grenouille in Tom Tykwer's Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is more than enough for me to put him in any top list, let alone at tMF's very own Top 10 hottest young actors. But he is no one-movie wonder. In fact, he's been giving British audiences some of the best performances from any actor of his or any generation for many years now.

Even his small role in Layer Cake (with the much overrated Daniel Craig) is a joy to watch. But if you really want to appreciate Ben at his finest, then you need to watch a couple of scenes from his earlier movie called My Brother Tom. Unlike movies from mainstream Hollywood, this movie is all about abuse, sexual abuse:

A teenage girl, Jessica, befriends a teenage boy called Tom, who is bullied by a local gang. She is abused by Jack, who is both her neighbour and school teacher, and Tom is sexually abused by his father. Together they bond in the woods, creating a private reality that no-one else can enter.

tMF Top 3 Ben Whishaw Films: Perfume | My Brother Tom | Brideshead Revisited

[ Very powerful and disturbing scenes, you have been warned! ]

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Robert Pattinson: At #1, does this still boggle your mind? Rob just won his first ever Best Actor trophy from a rather small, yet internationally recognized Film Festival, the Strasbourg International Film Festival. I would not be surprised if many of you, especially those who are not into Twilight, react negatively to his top ranking. Even the bigger movie news sites based in the UK have yet to feature Rob among their news.

But does it mean he is not deserving of the ranking? Certainly not. He is a unique type of actor. For me,someone like him comes along once in ten years - the kind of actor who never gives a damn about publicity or what other people might say about him. He remains true to his character and to himself, and while he's quite independent and aware of his importance and growing popularity, he remains exactly who he is - Rob.

In our last rankings, tMF celebrated Ryan Gosling as the hottest young actor, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is seriously talented. But talent alone is not enough in today's cutthroat competition for grabbing the news and becoming the hottest talent. With Half-Nelson, Ryan blew away the competition and established his dominance at the same time. The same applies today as we put Rob at the top. I felt the same way when I watched Oliver Irving's How To Be, the movie that will no doubt propel Rob to greater heights. It's also an indie film, but unlike Half Nelson, it has no marketing machinery to promote it. It will rely heavily on word of mouth.

Here's the trailer!

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What makes his portrayal of Art so special  is the way he lose 'Rob' and just dives into character. I am reminded of a younger Hugh Grant in some parts of the trailer. He has this innate ability to be amusing and funny without even trying. That's very hard to do. People say Michael Cera is the best young actor to handle comedy roles, but I tend to disagree, I think Rob is funnier and better.

But he's more than just a fantastic comedian: he can also make viewers cry and is very effective in drama too. Something the Michael Ceras of the industry can't quite deliver.

tMF Top 3 Robert Pattinson Films: How To Be | The Bad Mother's HandBook | The Haunted Airman

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I'll have more recommendations in part 2 of this series.

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Comments (8)

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I can only imagine some of the emails that were receieved just based on some of the comments!

No further explanation was needed as to why these actors were chosen in the top 10, but I certainly like this list, and admire the effort to give those who asked answers to their questions. tMF always listens to the fans...very applaudable.

I gave my many thoughts about the top 10 list on the list itself, but that's never stopped me from sharing my opinion before!

What makes his portrayal of Art so special, is the way he loses 'Rob' and just dives into character. I am reminded of a younger Hugh Grant is some parts of the trailer. He has this innate ability to be amusing and funny, without even trying. That's very hard to do. People say Michael Cera is the best young actor to handle the best comedy roles, but I tend to disagree, I think Rob is funnier and better.

But the thing is, he's more than just a fantastic comedian, he can also make viewers cry and be quite effective in drama. Something the Michael Ceras of the industry can't deliver.

I like Michael Cera, and am looking forward to Nick and Nora...(and will be heading over to that article soon!)...but the kid doesn't hold a candle to Rob. You said it best when you said Rob's not only a fantastic comedian, but he does have the ability to make viewers cry! I can't tell you how much I hear about people crying when his character Cedric died. I can't tell you how often I myself cry at moments in The Bad Mother's Handbook, when you just want to reach out and give Daniel Gale a hug, because Rob plays him SO WELL! And then a moment later he has me laughing in that film! I can even see myself getting emotional when I get the chance to see How To Be...

Rob DOES lose himself and become the character fully. I've not thought that about such an actor, especially such a young actor, in a long time.

blearyeyedmesgirl , October 03, 2008 | url

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Rob's versatility is key. His comfort at handling comedic and dramatic roles as well s different styles of films will ensure he has a formidable career. He reminds me more and more of Depp every day.

ruthp , October 03, 2008

Robert Pattinson is AWESOME

I love Rob!

I can't wait for Twilight!!!!!!

Kelsey Cullen , October 03, 2008

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This makes me so proud to be a Robert fan. He's truly deserving of all the attention he's been getting. I can't wait to catch "How To Be" Oct 18 at the Austin festival.

Stella , October 03, 2008

His character as Cedric

I told some of my friends that even I cried during that death scene in Harry Potter. I'm not the usually emotional person or maybe some may even say I might be having an off-day, but yeah, he's extremely in character and to see this young kid die with so much promise... that really moved me.

I simply don't care! Fans are supposed to feel emotions and get carried away by the movies we watched, otherwise, why become a fan at all if you can't feel and become absorbed with the movies you love!

jed , October 04, 2008

Jim!

I suggest that anyone reading this article, to click on the youtube video featuring Jim Sturgess - that clip will give you just a glimpse into an awesome performance from perhaps one of the best young actors we have today! It's really that good!

jed , October 04, 2008

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Jed-two quick comments: I think you've done a fine job with your list, and am sorry that you've gotten so many comments that you felt you had to justify them; having said that, your justifications are spot on. Thanks!

second: Rob Pattinson. I take issue with those (even his fans) that dismiss his part in G of F. For such a small part (and we're talking minutes of screen time and only three slightly significant speaking parts), he was memorable. Rob was the reason I made a point of seeing "How to Be" at Slamdance, my reasoning being that if his performance stuck in my mind after such a little part, I wanted to see more from him. I'm far from the "14 y.o Twilight fan" that is disparaged in much of the press; in fact, I wasn't interested in reading the books my daughter had been begging me to just try until I read that he was attached to the film. He is beautiful, but that can't carry a movie (plug in any number of "actors/actresses" who try). "How to Be" certainly did not disappoint-he's a really talented guy. Sorry for the rant-I'm just getting tired of being dismissed as a drooling idiot because I'm impressed with Rob's talent (believe it or not, girls, a beautiful face gets boring without something behind it).

Autumn , October 04, 2008

ROB (L)

i love robert pattinson. he's incredible!

letícia , October 05, 2008 | url

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