Hollywood has no shortage of Pretty Young Things vying for the title of Next Big Thing, but it takes a certain something to really outshine the competition. As intangible as that something may be, we here at MTV News are pretty sure we've got it figured out, evidenced by our list of 10 up-and-comers to watch. Meet "The New Class"—a curated collection of young actors and actresses about to graduate to greatness. Each day this week, we'll award each a superlative (you know, like Most Accident Prone...but much cooler) AND give you the opportunity to vote for the ultimate title of Class President.
We start with "Mortal Instruments" stars Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower, who are bound not only for shared success in the supernatural YA adaptation, but for singular accolades in projects like "Snow White" and "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn." We spoke with both about their honors.
We've dubbed Lily Most Likely To Be The Ass-Kicking Girl Next Door for a reason. She's shown her mettle in flicks like "Priest" and "Abduction," and she promises MTV News she won't be the damsel in distress in the upcoming "Snow White."
"It's weird people saying my name," Lily humbly told us of her induction into The New Class. "It's still a weird concept to me because I love doing what I do. It's an honor to be placed in a New Class of actors, and I'm doing what I love, and I'm having the best time."
As for which actress' careers she'd like to emulate, Lily aimed high. "I really admire Keira Knightley and Kate Winslet and, of course, Meryl Streep. I like that none of them have stuck themselves in a box," she said.
Co-star Jamie earned himself Most Likely To Be The Next Johnny Depp, a title he probably could have predicted. "You know, Johnny Depp has always been a massive inspiration for me and he's somebody who has produced an incredible amount of work, and every single piece that he does is amazing," Jamie said when asked whose career he'd like to follow. "And he also very cleverly manages to stay himself and very much shy away from the limelight, where it could have been very easy for him to put himself in a position where his friends and his family were in danger."
Now it's your turn, Crushers. Check out all the New Class members in our interactive yearbook, and vote in the poll below for Class President.
Are you a fan of Lily and Jamie? Do you think they're headed for big things? Sound off in the comments and on Twitter!
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