5 actresses (one’s a former model) to look out for in 2016

(AFP) While some of the actresses listed hereare already on their way to movie stardom, 2016 willplace them in more prominent lightwith a list of high-profile projects lined up.

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.Roomrolls 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 favourites at the Oscars.

Margot Robbie

At only 25, this Australian has already had roles inThe Wolf Of Wall Street,FocusandThe 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.

In August, she’ll play Harley Quinn inSuicide 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 inEqualizer) onThe 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 inThe 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 romanceTulip Fever(which also features Alicia Vikander and Christoph Waltz), the adaptation of the seriesAbsolutely FabulousandSuicide Squad.

This year will also see her take on one of the leading roles in the next Luc Besson movieValerian.

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 seriesUndercovers. 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 inConcussion(which releases Christmas 2015), a movie that is thought to be an Oscar contender.

She will also feature in the thrillerThe Whole Truthwith Keanu Reeves and Renee Zellweger, and the historical productionThe Free State Of Joneswith Matthew McConaughey. She’s also been chosen to play in Disney’s live-action adaptation ofBeauty And The Beastthat’s set for release in 2017.