They're young, they're hot and they're ready for their close-ups. Behold our guide to Hollywood's new guard -- from, the already-verging to the just-emerging.
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Keira Knightley
19, Bend It Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Love Actually
WOWED US BY: Proving that girls, whether kicking the winning goal or walking the plank, can be tough and feminine
WATCH FOR HER IN: This summer's King Arthur, a Pirates sequel, The Jacket with Adrien Brody and Tulip Fever with Jude Law
Eva Green
23, The Dreamers
WOWED US BY: Acing her debut role with stunning performance in Bernardo Bertolucci's steamy ménage-à-trois tale The Dreamers
WATCH FOR HER IN: The Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven with Orlando Bloom
Will Kemp
26, Broadway's The Car Man, Van Helsing
WOWED US BY: Making us all want to get our groove on with his ruggedly sexy hip gyrations in that unforgettable Gap commercial
WATCH FOR HIM IN: The psychological thriller Mindhunters with Val Kilmer and LL Cool J
Rose Byrne
24, I Capture the Castle, Troy
WOWED US BY: Continuing the Hollywood influx of gorgeous, talented Aussie thesps
WATCH FOR HER IN: The thriller Wicker Park (above) with Josh Hartnett and her Troy costar Diane Kruger
Diane Kruger
27, Troy
WOWED US BY: Landing the coveted role of Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships, in Troy after an exhaustive, worldwide talent search
WATCH FOR HER IN: Wicker Park and National Treasure with Nicolas Cage
Hilary Duff
16, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Cheaper by the Dozen
WOWED US BY: Flexing her teen appeal beyond the Disney channel on the big screen and with her chart-topping first CD
WATCH FOR HER IN: A Cinderella Story and the performing arts-school tale Heart of Summer
Scarlett Johansson
19, Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring
WOWED US BY: Matching Bill Murray note for wistful note with a wise-beyond-her-years performance in Lost in Translation
WATCH FOR HER IN: A Love Song for Bobby Long with John Travolta and A Good Woman with Helen Hunt
Orlando Bloom
27, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Troy
WOWED US BY: Swashbuckling with old-Hollywood panache in the audience-rousing Pirates
WATCH FOR HIM IN: The indie thriller Haven and the big-budget medieval tale Kingdom of Heaven
Cillian Murphy
30, 28 Days Later, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Intermission
WOWED US BY: Affirming that Colin Farrell isn't Hollywood's only talented young Irishman with his brooding, heroic turn in last summer's bloodcurdling zombie flick 28 Days Later
WATCH FOR HIM IN: Next year's Batman Begins
Keisha Castle-Hughes
14, Whale Rider
WOWED US BY: Becoming the youngest-ever Oscar nominee for Best Actress for her heart-wrenching work in Whale Rider
WATCH FOR HER IN: Star Wars Episode III as the Queen of Naboo
Ryan Gosling
23, The Believer, Murder by Numbers, The Slaughter 'Rule, The United States of Leland
WOWED US BY: Drawing comparisons to a young Robert De Niro for his fearless portrayal of a neo-Nazi with a startling secret in the controversial The Believer
WATCH FOR HIM IN: The romantic drama The Notebook in June and the thriller Stay with Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in the fall
Kerry Washington
27, Save the Last Dance, The Human Stain, Against the Ropes
WOWED US BY: Bursting onto the scene with raw sincerity in the Sundance triumphs Our Song and Lift
WATCH FOR HER IN: Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story with Jamie Foxx and Mr. and Mrs. Smith with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
Michael Pitt
23, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Murder by Numbers, The Dreamers
WOWED US BY: Going to the edge in the raucously bizarre Hedwig and baring his character's soul (and more) in the NC-17 The Dreamers
WATCH FOR HIM IN: M. Night Shyamalan's The Village and Asia Argento's The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
Emmy Rossum
17, Mystic River, The Day After Tomorrow
WOWED US BY: Emoting (and singing) so purely and piercingly in the Appalachian-set Songcatcher that we were shocked she had never acted professionally before
WATCH FOR HER IN: The much-anticipated The Phantom of the Opera (right) as Christine
Lindsay Lohan
17, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Mean Girls
WOWED US BY: Playing both the straightlaced mom and punky daughter with charming, effortless ease in the enthusiastically received body-switching comedy Freaky Friday
WATCH FOR HER IN: High-school flicks Dramarama and Gossip Girl
Emile Hirsch
19, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The Mudge Boy, The Girl Next Door
WOWED US BY: Holding his own with an intimidating Jodie Foster in the coming-of-age drama Altar Boys
WATCH FOR HIM IN: Imaginary Heroes with Sigourney Weaver and Lords of Dogtown from Thirteen director Catherine Hardwicke
Chad Michael Murray
22, Freaky Friday, the WB's One Tree Hill
WOWED US BY: Building One Tree Hill into a breakout hit with his charismatic, sensitive portrayal of small-town loner Lucas Scott
WATCH FOR HIM IN: This summer's A Cinderella Story, playing Prince Charming to Hilary Duff, and the forthcoming horror remake House of Wax
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