The general public knows little if anything about these five actresses who could make their name in Hollywood in 2016.
Brie Larson
If the name of this 26-year-old American doesn't ring any bells with you, that's likely to change in 2016. "Room" rolls out internationally in January and her performance as a mother held captive in a room with her five-year-old son has already got her a Golden Globe nomination and makes her one of the favorites at the Oscars.
Margot Robbie
At only 25, this Australian has already had roles in "The Wolf of Wall Street", "Focus" and "The Big Short". She'll be seen in two highly anticipated movies in 2016 – in July, she'll take the role of Jane in a new version of “Tarzan” starring Alexander Skarsgard, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson, and in August, she'll play Harley Quinn in "Suicide Squad", which is about a team of DC Comics supervillains.
Haley Bennett
Having started out in independent cinema ("Kaboom"), this 27-year-old American will move on to other things next year. She'll be working with Antoine Fuqua (who directed her in "Equalizer") on "The Magnificent Seven," which is slated for release in September.
She will feature in the next Terrence Malick movie (alongside Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett and Benicio del Toro), and in a Warren Beatty opus.
She'll also take the leading role in "The Girl on the Train," a thriller adapted from a novel by Paula Hawkins, which is expected in October.
Cara Delevingne
At the age of 23, this English model decided to leave fashion behind and take her chances as an actress. Following her first attempts in 2015 ("Pan", "Paper Towns"), she'll take on a greater number of big screen projects in 2016.
The “it girl” will have roles in the historical romance "Tulip Fever" (which also features Alicia Vikander and Christoph Waltz), the adaptation of the series "Absolutely Fabulous" and "Suicide Squad". This year will also see her take on one of the leading roles in the next Luc Besson movie "Valerian."
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
This 32-year-old Brit had already tried to make her name in Hollywood in 2010 with a leading role in the J.J. Abrams series "Undercovers".
Unfortunately, its failure did not help her on her way to success. However, 2016 is likely to be better as she'll be on the big screen alongside Will Smith in "Concussion" (which releases Christmas 2015), a movie that is thought to be an Oscar contender.
She will also feature in the thriller "The Whole Truth" with Keanu Reeves and Renee Zellweger, and the historical production "The Free State of Jones" with Matthew McConaughey.
She's also been chosen to play in Disney's live-action adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" that's set for release in 2017.
