Hugh Grant — “The Heretic”

For decades, Hugh Grant has been a symbol of British rom-coms and crime comedies, so his role in the horror film “The Heretic” truly surprised fans. The film works largely thanks to the actor’s “baggage.” Two young Mormon girls are preaching their religion to the townspeople and stumble upon the home of the sweet and friendly-looking Mr. Reed. It would seem, how could such a charming man turn out to be a monster? He is smart, educated, and delicate—like most of Grant’s characters—but his smile is chilling. “The Heretic” showed the dark side of the actor whom audiences had known for thirty years, and critics called this role one of the best of his career.

Konstantin Khabensky – “Yura Was Here”

Famous actors often play people with mental disabilities – Dustin Hoffman in “Rain Man”, Tom Hanks in “Forrest Gump”, Sean Penn in “I Am Sam”. But in recent years this practice has caused a lot of controversy, since very often such roles portray a picture far from reality. Konstantin Khabensky is a completely different story in the dramedy “Yura Was Here,” unexpectedly playing a helpless man, a child in an adult’s body, left in the care of young men. While the film is incredibly authentic, Khabensky’s role isn’t the center of attention: it’s a story about friendship and acceptance, not about a person with a diagnosis.

Demi Moore – “Substance”

After decades in Hollywood dramas and melodramas, Demi Moore literally rebooted her career thanks to “Substance.” Many perceived her as an actress of a previous generation, but she suddenly delivered an extreme and physically challenging role in a body horror film that became the main event of the year not only for connoisseurs of the genre, but also for the film industry. The provocative horror film became a huge box office and festival hit, and the actress, previously nominated seven times for the Golden Raspberry anti-award, finally received critical praise and her first Oscar nomination.

Ilya Sobolev – “Call Vitya!”

Most people know Ilya Sobolev as a stand-up comedian and showman, but now he can be seen not only in a purely comedic role. In the new dramedy series “Call Vitya!”, which gave Sobolev his first leading role, the actor plays the psychic charlatan Vitya, who unexpectedly gains the gift of truly seeing ghosts. Despite the comic premise, the series is full of drama and touching moments—after all, with his new ability, Vitya must learn to speak with the dead and console their relatives. You can see Sobolev like this starting July 1st on KION.

Dmitry Nagiyev – “Chikatilo”

For many, Dmitry Nagiyev is first and foremost a showman and TV presenter, and only then an actor. But even on screen, he is remembered mainly for his comedic roles. Meanwhile, since the nineties, he has been trying to go beyond the comic role, and the most daring foray unexpectedly turned out to be the series “Chikatilo”. Until the last moment, the creators kept secret who would play the serial killer, whose last name has become a household name – and the appearance of Nagiyev produced an explosive effect, becoming the main “attraction” of one of the first domestic true crime series.

Liam Neeson – “The Naked Gun”

At 72, Liam Neeson has emerged from the role of a stern avenger and led the new version of the comedy “The Naked Gun”. Despite initial skepticism from fans of the original trilogy, the actor proved a worthy replacement for Leslie Nielsen, who passed away in 2010. Critics noted that his seriousness and stoicism proved the perfect basis for a parodic comedy, as it has been known since the days of Buster Keaton that a face without a smile can be funnier than a grimace. Neeson also worked brilliantly with Pamela Anderson, with whom he began a real-life romance.

Aglaya Tarasova — “Air”

For the star of the melodrama and comedy genre, the role of Aglaya Tarasova in the war drama “Air” by Alexei German Jr. turned out to be a serious professional and personal challenge. Filming lasted several years longer than planned and was conducted not in cozy studios, but in field conditions. In the film about female pilots of the Leningrad Front, Tarasova played one of the main characters – with, perhaps, the most tragic fate. The actress is difficult to recognize, and it is not because of the makeup, but because of a completely different, harsh and precise style of acting.

Charles Melton – “Under Fire”

After the image of the handsome man from “Riverdale”, few expected such a serious dramatic range from Charles Melton. His work in the drama “May December” and especially in the war film “Under Fire” revealed a completely different actor. In the first, he played a hostage in his own marriage, living with a woman twice his age and never having his own opinion about anything, and in the second, he played one of the members of a special forces unit who finds himself under siege by the enemy. Working with art-house film directors, he adapts organically to certain roles, which reveals him not as an ambitious newcomer, but as an experienced actor.