SHARON LEAL

She starred in two big holiday hits, Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married? and This Christmas — but if you feel like you recognize Sharon Leal's pretty, half-Filipino features from somewhere else, you're not alone. ''A lot of people were thinking, 'Where have I seen you before?''' says the 35-year-old Fresno, Calif.-bred actress. Answer: Leal made her film debut as the meek, doe-eyed singer who stepped into Jennifer Hudson's shoes in Dreamgirls — a far cry from the brash career women she plays in both Married and Christmas. Her next step? Diversifying her résumé further, first with the 2008 Cuba Gooding Jr. thriller Linewatch. Explains Leal, ''You have to be smart about what people have already seen you do.'' —Neil Drumming