This is a following list of the MTV Movie Award winners and nominees for Best Breakthrough Performance, first awarded in 1992. In 2010 and 2011, it was renamed Best Breakout Star. In 2012, it returned to its original name but was turned into a non-voting category, where an academy of outstanding directors honors a silver screen newcomer with extraordinary talent. In 2017, it was renamed Next Generation, and was converted to a voting category.
From 1999 to 2005, and in 2009, it was split into two categories: Best Male Breakthrough Performance and Best Female Breakthrough Performance.
Winners and nominees
1990s Year Winners and nominees Film RoleRef 1992 Edward Furlong Terminator 2: Judgment Day John Connor Anna Chlumsky My Girl Vada Sultenfuss Ice-T New Jack City Scotty Appleton Campbell Scott Dying Young Victor Geddes Kimberly Williams Father of the Bride Annie Banks 1993 Marisa Tomei My Cousin Vinny Mona Lisa Vito Halle Berry Boomerang Angela Lewis Whitney Houston The Bodyguard Rachel Marron Kathy Najimy Sister Act Sister Mary Patrick Rosie O'Donnell A League of Their Own Doris Murphy 1994 Alicia Silverstone The Crush Adrian Forrester Ralph Fiennes Schindler's ListAmon Göth Jason Scott Lee Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Bruce Lee Ross Malinger Sleepless in Seattle Jonah Baldwin Jason James Richter Free Willy Jesse 1995 Kirsten Dunst Interview with the Vampire Claudia Tim Allen The Santa Clause Scott Calvin Cameron Diaz The Mask Tina Carlyle Hugh Grant Four Weddings and a Funeral Charles Mykelti Williamson Forrest Gump Bubba Blue 1996 George Clooney From Dusk till Dawn Seth Gecko Sean Patrick Flanery Powder Jeremy "Powder" Reed Natasha Henstridge Species Sil Lela Rochon Waiting to Exhale Robin Stokes Chris Tucker Friday Smokey 1997 Matthew McConaughey A Time to Kill Jake Brigance Vivica A. Fox Independence Day Jasmine Dubrow Courtney Love The People vs. Larry Flynt Althea Leasure Ewan McGregor Trainspotting Mark "Rent Boy" Renton Renée Zellweger Jerry Maguire Dorothy Boyd 1998 Heather Graham Boogie Nights Rollergirl Joey Lauren Adams Chasing Amy Alyssa Jones Rupert Everett My Best Friend's Wedding George Downes Sarah Michelle Gellar I Know What You Did Last Summer Helen Shivers Jennifer Lopez Selena Selena1999James Van Der BeekVarsity BluesJonathan "Mox" Moxon Ray Allen He Got Game Jesus Shuttlesworth Joseph Fiennes Shakespeare in Love William Shakespeare Josh Hartnett Halloween H20: 20 Years Later John Tate Chris Rock Lethal Weapon 4 Detective Lee Butters Katie Holmes Disturbing Behavior Rachel Waggner Cate Blanchett Elizabeth Elizabeth I Brandy I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Karla Wilson Rachael Leigh Cook She's All That Laney Boggs Catherine Zeta-Jones The Mask of Zorro Elena Montero
2000s Year Winners and nominees Film Role2000Haley Joel OsmentThe Sixth SenseCole Sear Wes Bentley American Beauty Ricky Fitts Jason Biggs American Pie Jim Levenstein Michael Clarke Duncan The Green Mile John Coffey Jamie Foxx Any Given Sunday "Steamin" Willie Beamen Julia Stiles 10 Things I Hate About You Kat Stratford Selma Blair Cruel Intentions Cecile Duvall Shannon Elizabeth American Pie Nadia Carrie-Anne Moss The Matrix Trinity Hilary Swank Boys Don't Cry Brandon Teena2001Sean Patrick ThomasSave the Last DanceDerek Reynolds Jack Black High Fidelity Barry Patrick Fugit Almost Famous William Miller Tom Green Road Trip Barry Manilow Hugh Jackman X-Men Wolverine Ashton Kutcher Dude, Where's My Car? Jesse Montgomery III Erika Christensen Traffic Caroline Wakefield Aaliyah Romeo Must Die Trish O'Day Anna Faris Scary Movie Cindy Campbell Piper Perabo Coyote Ugly Violet Sanford Zhang Ziyi Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Jen Yu2002Orlando BloomThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingLegolas DMX Exit Wounds Latrell Walker / Leon Rollins Colin Hanks Orange County Shaun Brumder Daniel Radcliffe Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Harry Potter Paul Walker The Fast and the Furious Brian O'Conner Mandy Moore A Walk to Remember Jamie Elizabeth Sullivan Penélope Cruz Blow Mirtha Jung Anne Hathaway The Princess Diaries Princess Mia Thermopolis Shannyn Sossamon A Knight's Tale Jocelyn Britney Spears Crossroads Lucy Wagner2003Eminem8 MileJimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith Nick Cannon Drumline Devon Miles Kieran Culkin Igby Goes Down Jason "Igby" Slocumb, Jr. Derek Luke Antwone Fisher Antwone Fisher Ryan Reynolds National Lampoon's Van Wilder Van Wilder Jennifer Garner Daredevil Elektra Kate Bosworth Blue Crush Anne Marie Chadwick Eve Barbershop Terri Jones Maggie Gyllenhaal Secretary Lee Holloway Beyoncé Knowles Austin Powers in Goldmember Foxxy Cleopatra Nia Vardalos My Big Fat Greek Wedding Toula Portokalos2004Shawn AshmoreX2Iceman Shia LaBeouf Holes Stanley "Caveman" Yelnats IV Ludacris 2 Fast 2 Furious Tej Parker Omarion You Got Served David Cillian Murphy 28 Days Later Jim Lindsay Lohan Freaky Friday Anna Coleman Jessica Biel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Erin Scarlett Johansson Lost in Translation Charlotte Keira Knightley Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Elizabeth Swann Evan Rachel Wood Thirteen Tracy Louise Freeland2005Jon HederNapoleon DynamiteNapoleon Dynamite Zach Braff Garden State Andrew Largeman Freddie Highmore Finding Neverland Peter Llewelyn Davies Tim McGraw Friday Night Lights Charles Billingsley Tyler Perry Diary of a Mad Black Woman Madea Rachel McAdams Mean Girls Regina George Ashanti Coach Carter Kyra Elisha Cuthbert The Girl Next Door Danielle Bryce Dallas Howard The Village Ivy Elizabeth Walker Emmy Rossum The Day After Tomorrow Laura Chapman 2006 Isla Fisher Wedding Crashers Gloria Cleary André "3000" Benjamin Four Brothers Jeremiah Mercer Jennifer Carpenter The Exorcism of Emily Rose Emily Rose Taraji P. Henson Hustle & Flow Shug Romany Malco The 40-Year-Old Virgin Jay Nelly The Longest Yard Earl Megget 2007 Jaden Smith The Pursuit of Happyness Christopher Gardner, Jr. Emily Blunt The Devil Wears Prada Emily Charlton Abigail Breslin Little Miss Sunshine Olive Hoover Lena Headey 300 Queen Gorgo Columbus Short Stomp the Yard DJ Williams Justin Timberlake Alpha Dog Frankie "Nuts" Ballenbacher 2008 Zac Efron Hairspray Link Larkin Nikki Blonsky Hairspray Tracy Turnblad Chris Brown This Christmas Michael "Baby" Whitfield Michael Cera Superbad Evan Megan Fox Transformers Mikaela Banes Jonah HillSuperbad Seth Christopher Mintz-Plasse McLovin' Seth Rogen Knocked Up Ben Stone2009Robert PattinsonTwilightEdward Cullen Ben Barnes The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Prince Caspian Taylor Lautner Twilight Jacob Black Dev Patel Slumdog Millionaire Jamal Malik Bobb'e J. Thompson Role Models Ronnie Shields Ashley Tisdale High School Musical 3: Senior Year Sharpay Evans Miley Cyrus Hannah Montana: The Movie Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana Kat Dennings Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist Norah Vanessa Hudgens High School Musical 3: Senior Year Gabriella Montez Freida Pinto Slumdog Millionaire Latika Amanda Seyfried Mamma Mia! Sophie Sheridan
2010s Year Winners and nominees Film/Show Role 2010 Anna Kendrick Up in the Air Natalie Keener Quinton Aaron The Blind Side Michael Oher Zach Galifianakis The Hangover Alan Garner Logan Lerman Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Percy Jackson Chris Pine Star Trek Captain James T. Kirk Gabourey Sidibe Precious Claireece "Precious" Jones 2011 Chloë Grace Moretz Kick-Ass Hit-Girl Jay Chou The Green Hornet Kato Andrew Garfield The Social Network Eduardo Saverin Xavier Samuel The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Riley Biers Hailee Steinfeld True Grit Mattie Ross Olivia Wilde Tron: Legacy Quorra 2012 Shailene Woodley The Descendants Alexandra "Alex" King Elle Fanning Super 8 Alice Dainard Melissa McCarthy Bridesmaids Megan Price Rooney Mara The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Lisbeth Salander Liam Hemsworth The Hunger Games Gale Hawthorne 2013 Rebel Wilson Pitch Perfect Fat Amy Ezra Miller The Perks of Being a Wallflower Patrick Eddie Redmayne Les Misérables Marius Pontmercy Suraj Sharma Life of Pi Piscine "Pi" Patel Quvenzhané Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild Hushpuppy 2014 Will Poulter We're the Millers Kenny Rossmore Liam James The Way, Way Back Duncan Margot Robbie The Wolf of Wall Street Naomi Lapaglia Michael B. Jordan Fruitvale Station Oscar Grant Miles Teller The Spectacular Now Sutter Keely 2015 Dylan O'Brien The Maze Runner Thomas Ansel Elgort The Fault in Our Stars Augustus Waters David Oyelowo Selma Martin Luther King Jr. Ellar Coltrane Boyhood Mason Evans, Jr. Rosamund Pike Gone Girl Amy Elliott-Dunne 2016 Daisy Ridley Star Wars: The Force Awakens Rey Amy Schumer Trainwreck Amy Townsend Brie Larson Room Joy "Ma" Newsome Dakota Johnson Fifty Shades of Grey Anastasia Steele John Boyega Star Wars: The Force Awakens Finn O'Shea Jackson Jr. Straight Outta Compton Ice Cube 2017 Daniel Kaluuya Get Out Chris Washington Riz Ahmed Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Bodhi Rook Chrissy Metz This Is Us Kate Pearson Issa Rae Insecure Issa Dee Yara Shahidi Black-ish Zoey Johnson 2018 Tiffany Haddish Girls Trip Dina Iain Armitage Big Little Lies Ziggy Chapman Young Sheldon Sheldon Cooper Timothée Chalamet Call Me by Your Name Elio Perlman Katherine Langford 13 Reasons Why Hannah Baker Love, Simon Leah Burke Nick Robinson Simon Spier Letitia Wright Black Panther Shuri 2019 Noah Centineo To All the Boys I've Loved Before Peter Kavinsky Awkwafina Crazy Rich Asians Goh Peik Lin Ncuti Gatwa Sex Education Eric Effiong Haley Lu Richardson Five Feet Apart Stella Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Pose Blanca Rodriguez
2020s Year Winners and nominees Film/Show Role 2020Ceremony not held due to COVID-19 pandemic; Greatest of All Time special aired instead 2021 Regé-Jean Page Bridgerton Simon, Duke of Hastings Maria Bakalova Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Tutar Antonia Gentry Ginny & Georgia Ginny Miller Paul Mescal Normal People Connell Waldren Ashley Park Emily in Paris Mindy Chen 2022 Sophia Di Martino Loki Sylvie Ariana DeBose West Side Story Anita Hannah Einbinder Hacks Ava Daniels Alana Haim Licorice Pizza Alana Kane Jung Ho-yeon Squid Game Kang Sae-byeok 2023 Joseph Quinn Stranger Things Eddie Munson Bad Bunny Bullet Train The Wolf Bella Ramsey The Last of Us Ellie Emma D'Arcy House of the Dragon Rhaenyra Targaryen Rachel Sennott Bodies Bodies Bodies Alice
References