The Most Likely To Succeed

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

After good work as the earnest-earthling-in-love-with-an-alien on the rocky series "Roswell," which finally fizzled after its third year, Shiri Appleby needed a vehicle to show what else she could do. Her film A Time for Dancing never made it to screens. But then another film, Swimfan, in which the 23-year-old actress played a girlfriend role not too far removed from her familiar "Roswell" stint, became a modest success. Though it was the young star from Steven Soderbergh's Traffic, Erika Christensen, who had the showy part of a jilted psycho, it was Appleby's turn as the girl done wrong by Jesse Bradford's dalliance with Christensen that ultimately lent the film its heart and gravity. Appleby's character came off as good but not dopey, genuine but conflicted and endearing rather than annoying. It wasn't a flashy performance, but a generous, credible one--the kind a good director would notice and remember the next time he or she needed a fresh presence in a role that called for unmannered technique.

THE SLOW BURN

Cole Hauser started off in what has since been revealed to be illustrious company--his costars on two early films, 1992's School Ties and 1993's Dazed and Confused, included then-unknowns Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (who became his longtime friends), Brendan Fraser, Chris O'Donnell, Matthew McConaughey and Renee Zellweger. But unlike his compatriots, Hauser never quite broke through, despite being highly regarded as an actor. Projects like The Hi-Lo Country and Hart's War were high-prestige in the making but not at the box office. He persevered and built a solid reputation nonetheless in low-key roles in films like Good Will Hunting and Pitch Black; now he's poised to strike a higher profile. After playing Robin Wright Penn's boyfriend in White Oleander, he'll costar with Bruce Willis in Antoine Fuqua's jungle drama Tears of the Sun. Then he'll embark on the high-octane Fast and the Furious sequel playing the equivalent of Vin Diesel's bad-guy character in the first. It's potentially his juiciest role yet, one that may prove correct those talent-watchers who have always believed he might take a while to hit but would be left standing after other Young Hollywoodites soared and plummeted.

THE PRODUCERS

At any given time, there are lots of small production companies all over Hollywood scrambling to put a film together and secure financing. Anthony Rhulen's company, Roulette Entertainment, was one of them, but not just any one of them--it was cofounded by Josh Hartnett and fellow actor Elden Henson. Last year, Rhulen and his thespian partners improved their position by joining forces with compatible creators. FilmEngine, a production/financing company, was born with partners AJ. Dix, who'd supervised deals at New Line, and Bill Shively, a Florida entrepreneur. Combining forces with the hoppin' management/production company Benderspink--which had plenty to offer, having set up American Pie 2 and The Ring-- and adding fresh blood Tyler Addison Mitchell, hailing from ICM, to the mix, this Engine got roaring. Their first film, due out next year, will be The Butterfly Effect, a thriller starring Ashton Kutcher. Mitchell already has projects like Skeleton Coast in development with Mel Gibson's Icon Pictures, and Hartnett will be doing the heist actioner Wish You Were Here.

THE SWEET SUCCESS

Up until she took on a frothy summer comedy directed by a young Australian import, Sophie Carbonell had done the costume design on minor films like Crime + Punishment in Suburbia and served as West Coast editor of Paper magazine. But in 2001, she got a whole lot of moviegoers thinking pink when she brought humor, style and plenty of gaudy punch to the hit Legally Blonde. The success of that film established her as a fashion force and endeared her to the film's gifted star, Reese Witherspoon. Hardly surprising then, that having taken care of the Ice Cube action-comedy All About the Benjamins, she was off to make Reese Witherspoon look good again. In Sweet Home Alabama, Carbonell has styled-up Witherspoon for her role as Melanie Carmichael, a way-happening N.Y.C. fashion designer eager to transcend her Alabama roots. Carbonell looks pretty good herself, since real-life maestro Marc Jacobs was enlisted to create Melanie's fictional designs.

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