| Before last summer, Jessica Chastain and Michael Fassbender were just a couple of young actors trying to make it in the crazy world of Hollywood. Now -- following the successes of "The Help" and "X-Men: First Class," respectively -- Chastain and Fassbender are both A-listers, working with the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Summer movies: where stars are made.
So! Which actors are sitting on the verge of a breakout as this year's crop of summer movies arrives? Allow HuffPost Entertainment to offer you some options. Ahead, 12 potential summer breakout stars -- from Cobie Smulders to Luke Kirby. BLOG POSTS  | Greg Garrett: All-American Avengers Take on Aliens, Alienation
The Avengers doesn't solve this problem of what to confront for us. Art rarely gives us definitive answers; it more often asks questions than answers them. But by bringing this current to the service, it could at least remind us of the possibilities open to us. |  | Evan Shapiro: Sex Is Bad
Welcome to TV in America, where violence, no matter how malicious or senseless, is just fine but sex is decried, maligned and verboten in all but the most secure corners of the schedule. TV's ban on sexuality not only covers scenes of nudity or sexual acts, but our very language itself. |  | Ryan Gosling: Watch I Am Congo -- Because We're Not in It
After you learn a little about Fidel, there are other profiles of courageous Congolese living their lives and standing up for what they believe in. We hope you'll take the time to watch these profiles and get to know Congo and its people a little better. |  | J-L Cauvin: The Elephant in the Room at the Comedy Awards
That is how comedy should work. You are only as good as your last show. Sure fans will give you a break because they are your fans, but should an entire industry be giving the same blind loyalty to a performer? |  | William Bradley: Mad Men: To The Moon! (And Crashing Back Again)
After a few weeks of episodes dominated by stagey set pieces driven by forced plotting, entertaining though it was, Mad Men is back to its more customary approach of organic storytelling. | | MOST POPULAR ON HUFFINGTONPOST.COM |
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