The 2010 RyMickey Awards - Breakthrough Award

***Edited 4/14/11***
For the following actors and actresses, 2010 may or may not have been the first year they came onto the film scene, however, it was their year where they really came into their own on the cinematic landscape.

Runners-up

#7 -- Mila Kunis - Black Swan, The Book of Eli
#6 -- Ashley Bell - The Last Exorcism

And the Top Five...

#5 - Armie Hammer - The Social Network

I didn't really appreciate his role as the stuck-up snooty Winlevoss twins until a second viewing, but it'll be interesting to see what else Mr. Hammer has to give in the acting department.  

#4 - Gemma Arterton - The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Maybe it's best that I didn't see Ms. Arterton in Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia or else she may not have made the list.  However, in The Disappearance of Alice Creed, she's proves to be both vulnerable and strong in a very difficult role that many actresses would not have been brave enough to take on.

#3 - Aaron Johnson - Nowhere Boy, Kick-Ass, The Greatest

I actually liked Aaron Johnson in all of the movies listed above, but wouldn't have said that he belonged in this category until I saw his performance as a young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy.  Throughout all three of those films above, he showed a wide range of emotions and has me looking forward to what he does next.

#2 - Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

A nice star-making turn in True Grit will hopefully carry the young Ms. Steinfeld to much success.  She's already got some major films coming out in the upcoming years and she earned a much deserved Oscar nomination (and, in my opinion, was robbed of the award).

#1 - Andrew Garfield - The Social Network, Never Let Me Go

Mr. Garfield was the best thing in both The Social Network and the disappointing Never Let Me Go, providing both movies with their respective "best moments."  While it's slightly upsetting that his next major project is the new Spiderman series, here's hoping that he continues to throw in some "indie" movies in the midst of his Hollywood blockbusters.