CASEY AFFLECK
Past Gem: Lonesome Jim (2005)

After years in big brother Ben's shadow in films like Good Will Hunting and 200 Cigarettes and as a minor sidekick in the Ocean's capers, the Assassination of Jesse James star stepped into the lead of this indie deadpan black comedy directed by Steve Buscemi. He gets to shine — well, ''shine'' isn't really the right word — as the title character, a sad-sack factory worker in a depressed Midwestern small town, whose life brightens up when he meets a pretty and affable nurse (Liv Tyler).