Jason Schwartzman

Though Jason Schwartzman is related to some of the biggest names in Hollywood (Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage), and has collaborated on musical projects with indie-rock heroes (Evan Dando), his under-the-radar charm and wry humor are more Guy Next Door than Next Big Thing. Despite having no prior acting experience, Schwartzman delivered a breakout performance as an overly confident prep school student in Wes Anderson's Rushmore that became a touchstone for eccentric high school kids everywhere. In the 2005 adaptation of Steve Martin's novella Shopgirl, Schwartzman slyly acknowleded and redeemed his awkward, boyish image, while his existential crisis in I Heart Huckabees was as messy and confusing as anything in real life. Cast by cousin Sofia Coppola as the ineffectual King Louis XVI in Marie Antoinette, the then-26-year-old offered a complex take on the young ruler that was based more on emotion than fact. In 2009, Schwartzman landed the lead role in the HBO series Bored to Death, and his sarcastic, self-aware performance as a struggling writer/private detective is equal parts bumbling and bittersweet. With an off-beat persona that works as well in high-profile films (Judd Apatow's Funny People) as it does in quirky fare (the videogame-inspired Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Schwartzman has become one of Hollywood's most unlikely stars.