The Future of Hollywood Leading Men and Women

Ben Foster

(30 years old; this generation’s Edward Norton)

This is one of the best actors working right now. From the first time I saw his intense stares in the underrated thriller Hostage, I knew that Foster had something unique. This was after his brilliant work that I am just now discovering in Six Feet Under. He followed this up with his coked-out Dennis Hopper channeling in Alpha Dog, which he totally nailed. He got his props for 3:10 to Yuma, then gave a career performance in The Messenger, which is perhaps the most underrated and underseen movie of the past five years. His energy and potential brings to mind a personal favorite Edward Norton. While Foster is still making a name for himself, Norton got off to a much quicker start with his Oscar nom for his first film. If only Foster was that lucky, then I cannot even imagine where he would be at this time.