The 2014 TIFF Springboard: The 13 Actors to Watch Out for in Toronto

Avid fans of “Downton Abbey” will know exactly who Laura Carmichael is. Hero/villain Lady Edith Crawley is coming to TIFF as Henriette in Sophie Barthes’ “Madame Bovary.” Gustave Flaubert’s first novel has made it to the screen several times since 1949, but given the combination of the increasingly impressive Mia Wasikowska and Paul Giamatti’s way of really pulling off the good-natured guy, Barthes’ second feature is a drama not to be skipped. There’s little to no word on how Henriette plays into the tragedy about a restless wife who embarks on a few ill-fated affairs. But Lady Edith has a penchant for making a disapproving face and oscillating between sweet and sour. Maybe we’ll see some of that — and hopefully more of Carmichael in films after this one.

When one of your first roles is Meryl Streep’s daughter (“It’s Complicated”), you’re probably headed in a good direction. Caitlin FitzGerald has not only starred as Libby Masters in “Masters of Sex,” but will be seen alongside Gaby Hoffman this fall in “Manhattan Romance.” By the time we get to see “Adult Beginners” (in which Nick Kroll fails at life in Manhattan and moves to the suburbs to become a nanny), her face will be pretty familiar. “Adult Beginners” also stars Joel McHale, Rose Byrne, and Bobby Cannavale.

You’ve never seen him before, but Garrett Wareing is really on his way. The 12-year-old takes on the lead role in “Boychoir” as a frustrated kid who finds himself in a battle of wills with his demanding choirmaster Carvelle (Dustin Hoffman). We’re expecting great things. Miles Teller wowed in a similar role in this year’s Sundance smash “Whiplash.” Could Wareing follow suit?

Go back in time to the ’90s and grab some glow-sticks. Now throw in Greta Gerwig and Brady Cobert, and you have “Eden,” a story about a French DJ who makes it from the garage to greatness when he invents a new kind of electronic music. Felix de Givry takes the lead as Paul (the DJ). His only previous role was a bit part in 2012’s French drama “Something In The Air.” Gerwig’s fans will likely come in droves for “Eden,” if only to see her dance pretty differently than she did in “Francis Ha.” If Felix can keep up with her, he won’t be unknown for long. 

Reese Witherspoon’s biggest hit this year may not be “Wild.” “The Good Lie”  is based on “Lost Boys of Sudan,” the true story about thousands of young men who fled to refugee camps during the second Sudanese Civil War (which lasted till 2005). Some had the chance to come to America. “The Good Lie” tells the story of a woman (Witherspoon) who took three Sudanese men in, and Arnold Oceng and Ger Duany star as two of them. Oceng comes from a background of short recurring TV roles and some horror flicks (like “The Tapes” and “Demons Never Die”). Duany had a bit part in “The Fighter” and played Rocky in 2011’s Sundance hit “Restless City.” Not only do these two parts take up a hefty portion of screen time, but they’re also charming characters. These are the roles to refuel their careers. 

“I Am Love,” “Come Undone,” and “Bliss” — Alba Rohrwacher is no stranger to romantic dramas. The Italian actress has completely graduated from bite-sized roles and stars alongside Adam Driver in “Hungry Hearts.” When Jude (Driver) meets Mina (Rohrwacher) by chance in New York City, their romance is immediately tested by a life-or-death turn of events. Is it a meet-cute? A drama? Both seem to be her specialities. We’ll see her in Albanian drama “Virgin, ” Italian drama “Alaska,” and “The Tale of Tales” (with Salma Hayek and “Nymphomaniac”‘s Stacy Martin) sometime next year. 

After one TV movie and a bit part in “Labor Day,” Elena Kampouris is coming to TIFF in both a drama and a comedy. She stars alongside Adam Sandler in “Men, Women & Children” (the drama already known for its completely dialogue-less trailer) and “The Cobbler” (in which Sandler plays a shoemaker who gets a chance to both literally and figuratively walk in the shoes of his customers). Compared to her two previous roles, these are two projects with a lot of crowd-pleasing potential. If one of them doesn’t put her on the map, the other likely will. 

Much like Garrett Wareing, Jaden Lieberher finds himself in his first film role alongside a legendary lead. After the notoriously hard-to-get-ahold-of Bill Murray signed on for “St. Vincent,” high-caliper stars followed quickly after him (Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd, and Terrence Howard). This is Lieberher’s first feature role, but he’s involved in three more films coming within a year after this one. It’s not hard to see why he’s already accelerating — when you watch the trailer, his bewildered and quizzical facial expressions are something between precious and precocious. We can’t wait to see more. 

Career peaks for George MacKay include “Defiance” with Daniel Craig, “The Boys Are Back” with Clive Owen, and “How I Live Now” with Saoirse Ronan. His resume variety just keeps growing with Matthew Warchus’s second feature (following 1999’s “Simpatico”). “Pride” follows UK gay and lesbian activists, as they struggle to help miners during their National Union of Mineworkers strike in the summer of 1984. MacKay fills a lead role as Joe next to Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton (Professor Umbridge of “Harry Potter”). We’ll see him next year in “Captain Fantastic” with Viggo Mortensen. To call MacKay versatile is quickly becoming an understatement. 

Chilling dramas are her thing. Muna Otaru has worked as a crew member on “Syriana” and “The Wire,” and had small roles onscreen in “Taken By Force,” “Lions For Lambs,” and “Rendition.” In “The Keeping Room,” she stars as one of three southern women who must fight to defend their home from rogue soldiers during the Civil War. The other women? Hailee Steinfeld and Brit Marling. It’s a perfect breakout role. 

Remember Dolly Parton’s son in “Joyful Noise?” He’s actually a much bigger name on Broadway, boasting roles in “Rock of Ages,” “West Side Story,” “Bonnie & Clyde,” and “Newsies.” He also had a good run on TV show “Smash” up until the end of 2012. It’s no surprise that his TIFF feature is a musical-to-film. He stars in “The Last Five Years” alongside Anna Kendrick. Prepare to see these two musical powerhouses kill it.

We’ve only seen Chiara D’Anna once before in Peter Strickland’s 2012 horror-drama “Berberian Sound Studio. His latest drama, “The Duke of Burgundy,” is heading to TIFF, featuring D’Anna in more pivotal role. The story follows a woman who studies butterflies and moths as she pushes the limits on her relationship with her lover. We’re not sure where the Duke comes in exactly, but love, butterflies, and Burgundy all seem to mesh for dark melodrama aesthetics. It’s enough to get us excited and D’Anna on her way.