tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Not only are they capable of lighting up the silver screen, they are also some of today's most talented young actresses, commanding huge fees - in some cases, in the millions. Many have won multiple awards, while others have starred in some of today's biggest box office hits. In short, we're listing down the cream of the crop!

Just like our recent Top 50 hottest young actors, we've narrowed down our list from 88 to 50, and set an age limit. If you miss seeing some of your favorites, so do we - including Maggie Gyllenhaal (31 years old) and Amy Adams (34 years old). Definitely some of the names you'll see on the list are emerging talents - the ones you will see getting the big roles in the near future - and some of them already have, with awards and nominations to boot.

Here's the updated Top 50 list!

# 50 - Jo Woodcock - She plays a challenging role in the latest adaptation of Tess of the d'Urbervilles as the younger sister of Tess, Liza-Lu Durbeyfield - a role instrumental in reuniting Tess and Angel.

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Born in 1988, Jo Woodcock has made a number of television appearances, including Masterpiece's Miss Marple: Towards Zero, Waking the Dead and Torn. In 2009, she will appear in the film Dorian Gray alongside Colin Firth.

More about the actress from ScreenTerrier, which listed Woodcock as one of their Faces to Watch in 2009.

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Her cinematic work commenced with a supporting turn as Princess Arabella in Martha Coolidge's lighthearted romantic comedy The Prince & Me. After that, Bennett appeared in such projects as the big-screen fantasy comedy Nanny McPhee (2005), the disaster-themed sci-fi telemovie Supernova (2005), the family-oriented time travel fantasy From Time to Time (2009), and the Iain Softley-directed literary fantasy Inkheart (2009), for which she took on a lead role.

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# 48 - Kaya Scodelario - Seductive and sexy, Kaya Scodelario will be introduced to American audiences via Moon, but she is already quite popular in the UK via the tv series, Skins. With no prior acting experience, Scodelario was cast in the first series of Skins in 2007 as Effy Stonem, and was renowned for having very limited speaking lines. She returned to the second series in which her character was developed considerably, before eventually becoming the central character in the 2009 series. Scodelario and Lisa Backwell (who plays Pandora Moon) are the only actors from the original cast to return to the latest season. She has described how, in this role, at the age of only 16, she was able to cope with having to disrobe for several 'racy scenes':

Obviously it's slightly embarrassing to be standing in a room full of fifty men in your underwear. But you just had to laugh at yourself. We had to do one in the woods at night. It was freezing cold and I was like, 'Why, why would you do this in the woods?' ... But she [Effy] has always worn skimpy outfits, so I've got used to the fact she's a very sexy girl.

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Scodelario will also appear in sci-fi thriller Moon, which is due for release this coming July. Other trivia includes - being included in Entertainment Weekly's 2009 "Summer Must List", and named "Summer's Must Bad Girl" for her portrayal of Effy. She is close friends with fellow actress Emma Watson.

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# 47 - Kimberly Nixon - Expect Ms. Nixon to become one of cinema's finest character actresses! Kimberley studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Before she graduated in 2007, she was able to secure herself an agent after appearing in the school play Quadrophenia. In fall of 2007, she appeared in five episodes of the BBC drama series ‘Cranford' alongside Dame Judi Dench.

Kimberley Nixon tackled three films in 2008 - ‘Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', ‘Wild Child', and ‘Easy Virtue'. Her latest film, indie flick ‘Cherrybomb' written by playwright Daragh Caville, debuted at the Berlin Film Festival last February 2009.

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She was named as one of 2007's UK's Stars of Tommorow:

Kimberley Nixon's talent, charisma and delicate beauty have seen her segue straight from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama into the BBC's prestige period drama series The Cranford Chronicles alongside A-listers including Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton and Michael Gambon. That production - about a rural Cheshire town on the cusp of change - wrapped earlier this month and Nixon has moved straight on to Working Title's boarding school comedy Wild Child, in which she co-stars as the spiky tormentor-in-chief of a spoilt US newcomer, played by Emma Roberts.

It is the first big screen role for Nixon, a self-confessed film buff, whose tastes run to "films which rely on the screenplay and acting rather than the money". And was she given any tips from the veterans on The Cranford Chronicles? "Eileen Atkins told me the best piece of advice she got was from Alec Guinness - to set three alarm clocks."

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# 46 - Teresa Palmer - She played two amazingly different characters: the ever-suffering Melody in the 2006 Australian drama film, 2:37, from upcoming film-maker Murali K. Thalluri and a bullying American schoolgirl named Vanessa in The Grudge 2. She is Teresa Palmer, and was recently named as one of Australia's 30 'Stars of Tomorrow' in Screen International. She was supposed to be the leading lady in Jumper, but was replaced abruptly by Rachel Bilson (as was the case with Hayden Christensen who bumped Tom Sturridge for the lead). Palmer is definitely one to watch in the years to come.

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Aged 19 at the time, Palmer had just embarked on a teaching and journalism degree, but soon realised it wasn't for her.

"I'd always dreamt of acting but, in Adelaide, we don't have exposure to the opportunities that make stardom a possibility. I had a local agent and one day he called and said, 'There's this teenage boy here who says he's making a film and he wants to talk to you.' Before I'd even met Murali Thalluri (2:37 's then 19-year-old writer, director and co-producer), I said, 'I'll do it.' I knew that, despite its controversial subject matter, I'd signed up for something special. Everyone poured their blood, sweat and tears into it."

Citing the film's reception in Cannes as her "most proud moment to date", Palmer acknowledges that 2:37 's impact (and her ensuing 2006 AFI Best Actress nomination) propelled her first to Sydney, then to Hollywood, where she was snapped up by the agent who represents Cameron Diaz and Eva Longoria. "I've been incredibly blessed," Palmer admits. "I was picked up by a couple of great agents who've really supported and believed in me, even though I still have only a few film credits to my name."

Coming up: Young Americans, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Justice League.

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# 45 - Blake Lively - One of the most popular young stars today, Blake Lively, is not only making waves in television (via Gossip Girl) but is slowly becoming known as a young actress to be reckoned with. With such diverse film choices as The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, Accepted, Simon Says, and Elvis and Anabelle, Lively proved she is both a celebrity and a talented actress.

Watch the trailer for Elvis and Anabelle, featuring the actress and Max Minghella, her leading man, definitely one of Lively's best movies so far:

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On her movie, Sisterhood...:

I think that people saw the title and they got really scared away. The Sisterhood, first of all, screams "chick flick." Of the Traveling Pants? "Like what does that mean? That there's magical pants dancing around at Hogwarts?" I think the title scared a lot of people away. But like 90% of men we talked to said that they cried during it. And they said, "I didn't think that it was going to be a movie that I would even like, but I loved it." Because it seemed like it would be feminine issues--you know, like "my prom dress" or "this boy that I have a crush on doesn't know I exist." But it was really universal issues, and serious issues. There was cancer, the loss of virginity, a broken family, falling in love for the first time--it was things that anybody could relate to. So you're not the only one!

The 21-year old actress will also appear in New York, I Love You an upcoming romance set to be released some time in 2009. From the producers of Paris, Je t'aime, it stars an ensemble cast including Orlando Bloom, Natalie Portman, Christina Ricci, Hayden Christensen, Shia LaBeouf, Kevin Bacon and Blake Lively.

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# 44 - Melonie Diaz - Read this quote and get ready! Melonie who? Queen of what?

In a ritual almost as old as the festival itself, the media single out one prolific actress each year for what is widely seen as a career-boosting coronation. Being anointed is a confirmation of status in the independent film world and a step toward studio movie stardom. Diaz, who this year is actually in four festival entries -- "American Son," "Assassination of a High School President," "Be Kind Rewind" and "Hamlet 2" -- is the latest to be handed the crown. She joins such esteemed predecessors as Parker Posey, Lili Taylor, Christina Ricci, Kirsten Dunst, Chloë Sevigny, Catherine Keener and Patricia Clarkson.

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That's the article that made us instant fans! But of course, long before Melonie Diaz became a much-celebrated actress, we already loved her in A Guide to Recognizing your Saints. The Sundance article continues: "It's an honor," Diaz says, "but it's intimidating, and a little embarrassing. In industry terms, I'm still a newbie. The first in a lineage of Latina actresses that includes Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson and America Ferrera to ascend the throne, Diaz is already a Sundance veteran. At 15, she made her film debut in Tom DiCillo's "Double Whammy," which screened at the 2001 festival. The following year she appeared in "Raising Victor Vargas" and returned in 2006's "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints.

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# 43 - Anna Kendrick - Don't be surprised, but Anna Kendrick is poised for more success, even after Twilight! I think she was very fine in Rocket Science and look forward to the next movies she'ls been cast, especially Elsewhere. Get to know more of Anna...

Kendrick claims to have "caught the [acting] bug" at the age of ten, when her parents would drive her from her hometown of Portland, Maine to New York so that she could attend auditions.Her first appearance was the role of Dinah in the Broadway musical High Society in August 1998, at the age of twelve, which earned her Theatre World Award, Drama Desk Award and Tony Award nominations, the latter of which made her the second-youngest nominee ever. Afterwards, she featured in a number of other theatre productions, including the musical A Little Night Music, before making her film debut in the 2003 musical comedy Camp, for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Chlotrudis Award and Best Debut Performance Independent Spirit Award for her portrayal of the character Fritzi Wagner.

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In 2007 she appeared in her next film, Rocket Science, in which she portrayed Ginny Ryerson, a fast-talking high school debater. Although she says she found the role intimidating and challenging after watching an actual national collegiate championship debate, her performance was highly praised by critics and she was nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress. In late 2007, she auditioned for the role of Jessica Stanley in Twilight, a 2008 film adapted from the titular first book of the novel series by Stephenie Meyer. She had intended to do a mix-and-match audition with various actors, but was too ill and had to leave; she was, however, brought in for a later session where she was given the role. Kendrick will reprise her role as Jessica in Twilight's sequel, New Moon.

High-profile Films: Kendrick is featuring in the upcoming 2009 film Elsewhere, in which she plays her first lead character, a girl whose best friend (played by Tania Raymonde) goes missing. Her theatre singing experience gave her the opportunity to star in her next project, The Marc Pease Experience, currently in production, where she appears opposite Jason Schwartzman and Ben Stiller as a high school senior involved in musical theatre. She has been cast in Jason Reitman's film Up in the Air, based on Walter Kirn's 2001 novel of the same name, alongside George Clooney. She is set to feature in Edgar Wright's upcoming adaptation of the graphic novel Scott Pilgrim, titled Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

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# 42 - Dakota Blue Richards - Sprightly British actress Dakota Blue Richards achieved her first major cinematic coup as eloquently named Lyra Belacqua, heroine of the effects-heavy fantasy extravaganza The Golden Compass. The story -- adapted from the best-selling novel by Philip Pullman -- finds 12-year-old Lyra journeying into a stunning fantasy world to rescue her best friend, a world that encompasses "dæmons," witches, massive polar bears, and all sorts of other stunning beings. She would next star in another fantasy-novel adaptation, The Moon Princess, as Maria Merryweather.Also watch out for Five Miles Out.

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How she was chosen for the role in The Golden Compass was reported by The Argus, and I quote:

A year ago she was an unknown schoolgirl more interested in seeing her friends in Brighton than mixing with A-listers on the red carpet. But Dakota Blue Richards has been plucked from obscurity to play the starring role in what is set to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the decade.

Dakota, 13, will play Lyra Belacqua in the movie adaptation of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy which premieres across the globe in December. The first film in the putative trilogy, to be called The Golden Compass, has been made by New Line, the company behind The Lord of the Rings films. Ten thousand girls turned up for open auditions in Cambridge, Oxford, Exeter and Kendal. But it was Dakota who caught the casting directors' eye in Cambridge... [ read more ]

To add more to the acclaim, here's The Film Experience comparing the young actress to Soairse Ronan:

When someone in Hollywood needs a 15 year old blonde with dramatic chops to headline or co-star in their movie, I imagine that Saoirse Ronan and Dakota Fanning are getting the scripts first. Can we get a few mailed to Dakota Blue Richards, too?

She's exactly 1 day older than Saoirse Ronan (weird trivia!) but I fear she may get lost in the shuffle. Fanning has two months on both of the Dakotas and many more years of experience and celebrity. But Saoirse already has an Oscar nomination and a primo gig with Peter Jackson. Richards, on the other hand, is only known for headlining The Golden Compass, the blockbuster that didn't bust blocks. Since Compass she's made 1 TV film, 1 short and 1 feature. [ read more ]

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# 41 - AnnaSophia Robb - She was unforgettable as Leslie Burke in Bridge to Terabithia. I have no expectations going to the theater to watch this film and she blew me away. As an upcoming young actress, she is definitely destined for more unforgettable roles.

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She also appeared to be quite prepared to tackle the role, as she explained in an interview:

It's a place that is anything and everything you want it to be" she says. She continues, "In Terabithia, you just put out your ideas and they happen just like that. It's about having fun, it's about friendship, it's about hope, and it's also about learning to deal with your problems when you go back to the real world. I think Terabithia is a place that's different for everyone. It's a place where you can go if you're feeling sad or down, and you're never really alone because there are always creatures watching you. I think all kinds of people will fall in love with Terabithia.

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Says Alex Chun @ The LA Times on Robb's performance:

The film is also carried by a strong cast led by Robb, who with her disarming smile and short blond bob has all the presence of a young Tatum O'Neal.

It's also quite interesting to browse her official website, where she explained why she became an actress:

Ever since I can remember I have wanted to act, when I was about eight I asked my parents if I could get an agent to help me find work. We found a local talent agency in Denver called Big Fish Talent Agency. I started to book work with them; doing some news paper press and small commercials. I also joined an acting class run by Su Coffey, called Hollywood Showcase Denver. At the end of this fairly intensive 6 week acting course a group of invited agents and managers from Los Angeles came out to do a final work shop with us. They also came to scout for talent they'd be interested in representing in LA. That's how it all started for me... [ read more ]

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What's on your mind? Oh and yes, there are 40 more names on the list, and if your favorite young actress is not yet here, then perhaps she might be ranked higher or perhaps not at all, so please do tell us who she is and why she ought to be part of the list. Anyway, just fire away!