Before I saw "An Education," I’d read these raves about lead actress Carey Mulligan. She was a revelation! She was a star in the making!I remained skeptical of all the breathy enthusiasm.
     But when I actually saw the wistful coming-of-age comedy, I understood the hype. I was struck by how easily Mulligan commanded the screen as the intelligent, charming yet unsettled 16-year-old growing up in 1960s England. She more than holds her own with the proven likes of Peter Sarsgaard (as her older, questionable suitor) and Alfred Molina (as her hilariously conservative father).
     After seeing Mulligan in "An Education," I began thinking of other performers who made a huge impression on me the first time I saw them — such as Ellen Page in "Juno." Like Mulligan, she comes across as whip-smart in a way that a lot of actresses and actors simply don’t. Not a lot of young performers could have spouted Diablo Cody’s oh-so-idiosyncratic dialogue and make it seem organic.
     Even more of a dramatic discovery was Edward Norton in "Primal Fear." Granted, the role was a juicy one (spoiler alert: he seemed to be a naive innocent but turned out to be a calculated killer). But Norton calibrated his performance so perfectly that the big reveal was shocking — and yet, looking back, made perfect sense.
     What actor made a big impression on you the first time you saw him or her?