Year in review: The breakout actors of 2021

To us, it’s clear who the biggest breakout star of 2021 was. Prior to this year, most people had not heard of Sima Liu. Suddenly, he was starring in not only a Marvel movie but the highest-grossing movie in the United States. Having now played “Shang-Chi,” Liu has risen to be a true movie star already.

Jean Smart gets a lot of the love for “Hacks.” She also got an Emmy. However, the two-hander wouldn’t work without the other hand. That’s where Einbinder comes in. She may not have won an Emmy, but she more than holds her own against Smart.

Some people definitely knew Pugh. They likely recognized her from “Little Women.” Then, “Black Widow” happened. To many, she ran away with the film. There was so much talk of Pugh outshining Scarlett Johansson in that movie, and the internet was abuzz with love for the actress. There’s a reason – spoiler alert – that “Black Widow” ends by setting up Pugh’s character to remain in the MCU.

OK, so starring in “Clifford the Big Red Dog” isn’t necessarily huge. Ah, but that wasn’t all Whitehall did in 2021. He played the comic relief role in “Jungle Cruise,” which was a legit blockbuster. One starring role and one scene-stealing role? That sounds like a breakout year for Whitehall to us.

So much of the interest in “The Many Saints of Newark” was seeing Michael step into the shoes of his dad James. While the younger Gandolfini had done some acting before, he had never had a role this big. He would be playing Tony Soprano, the role that made his dad famous. It proved to be more than stunt casting. Michael lived up to the legacy of his father while making the role of young Tony his own.

The final Daniel Craig Bond film was always going to be big. From the first trailer, it was clear that Lynch was going to be a standout. Largely an unknown actress beforehand, Lynch gets to play not only a spy for MI-6 but the person who took over the 007 designation after Bond went AWOL (again). When they let you play a 007, you’ve enough a breakthrough year.

This was a big year for McKenzie. Sure, Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho” didn’t hit as many hoped, but she got to star in a film from a major filmmaker. On top of that, she’s in the Oscar hopeful “The Power of the Dog” and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Old.” That’s a winning trifecta, and a sign of future stardom to be sure.

Grace is only 15, so it’s not like she’s been waiting for a breakout year for a while. This year, though, she got to play Phoebe Spengler in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” One of her costars in that movie is Finn Wolfhard, who knows a thing or two about leaping into fame as a teenager. Don’t be surprised if Grace follows suit.

Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the best actors of his generation. His work alongside the director Paul Thomas Anderson was incredible. Sadly, Hoffman has passed on. Now, a new Hoffman is stepping into the limelight. Anderson cast Cooper, Philip’s son, as the lead of his new film “Licorice Pizza.” Every PTA film is an event for cinephiles, putting plenty of eyes on the young, inexperienced actor.

Steven Spielberg directing a remake of “West Side Story?” That was bound to get a lot of attention. Then, an unknown in Zegler got the role of Maria. She has proven to be more than up to the task. People have been surprisingly positive about Spielberg’s film, as remakes of classics often get maligned. Not this time and Zegler is part of why.

We’re doing back-to-back cast members from “West Side Story,” but with good reason. If you hadn’t seen her on Broadway, you probably didn’t know DeBose before she played Anita in that film. That’s the role that won Rita Moreno an Oscar. Guess what? DeBose is considered one of the favorites to win for 2021.

After seeing him in “Watchmen,” we called Abdul-Mateen a future star. That started to come to fruition in 2021. For starters, he was the lead of the new “Candyman” movie. That didn’t land as much as we thought, but he had another role to fall back on. He plays Morpheus in “The Matrix Resurrections.” If people didn’t know Abdul-Mateen already, they definitely do now.

“Rutherford Falls” was one of the first successful Peacock original series. Schmieding is a big part of that. She co-stars with Ed Helms in this sitcom co-created by Helms, Mike Schur of “Parks and Recreation” fame, and Sienna Teller Ornelas. Schmieding’s turn as Reagan Wells is largely why the show works, minting a new sitcom star, even if she is on a streaming service.

Some were familiar with Majors before 2021, due to the critical darling “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” and his starring role in “Lovecraft Country.” In 2021, though, he needed one episode of television to show he’s going to be one of the biggest stars of his generation. In the “Loki” season finale, Majors wows with his gripping turn as “He Who Remains.” If that wasn’t enough, he also starred in Netflix’s revisionist Western “The Harder They Fall.”

Once more into the “Loki” well. Tom Hiddleston was already a star for playing Loki, but this was a show that needed multiple Lokis. Enter Di Martino as Lady Loki. She and Hiddleston have great chemistry as two flavors of the same entity, which definitely added some spark to the Marvel show.

Hahn was an underrated favorite of many for years. “Oh yeah, she was so funny in ‘Step Brothers’,” people would say. Then, “WandaVision” happened. Suddenly, the internet was in love with Hahn. She was memed. She was tweeted about constantly. Everybody was in love with her. This is leveling up from known commodity to true, transcendent star. And it all started with one wink.

Nate was certainly around on season one of “Ted Lasso.” He was a tertiary, somewhat charming character. In season two, his role got bigger and messier. Suddenly, Nate was emerging as the villain of the piece. He, and by extension, Mohammed the actor who played him, got a lot of hate on the internet. It wasn’t always healthy – this is a scripted TV show after all – but Mohammed definitely got his time in the spotlight in 2021. We bet Nate is jealous.

If you were aware who Dornan was prior to 2021, it was likely as “The guy from the ’50 Shades’ movies.” Also, that probably meant you have a negative opinion of him. After this past year that likely isn’t the case. In the goofiest, funniest comedy of the year – “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” – Dornan more than holds his own alongside Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Then, he made a charismatic, dramatic turn in “Belfast,” one of the Oscar favorites. Dornan showed he can do comedy and drama. He’s much more than Christian Gray.

Fisher was an unexpected star of 2021. If not for Warner Bros. and HBO Max deciding to release the Snyder Cut of “Justice League,” it wouldn’t have happened. In the original cut, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg isn’t around much. In the Snyder Cut, a lot of people think Fisher does the best job, and his role is definitely bigger. The road to the Snyder Cut was a bit ugly, but it paid off for Fisher.

Sure, he had a notable role in “Get Out,” but it wasn’t all that big of a turn. He also had his own sitcom, but it lasted only one season. Lil Rel was known, but Howery was the hardest-working man in showbiz in 2021. The dude was in eight movies. Eight! He co-starred in “Bad Trip,” “Vacation Friends,” “Free Guy,” and more. Plus, he got to play himself in “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” When you are playing yourself alongside LeBron, you’ve leveled up on the stardom front.