LINDA CARDELLINI Sarah Michelle Gellar may have landed the more glamorous role in next summer's "Scooby-Doo", but you can bet that Linda Cardellini will be the brains of the operation. The 26-year-old gets her big (screen) break as bespectacled brainiac Velma, and it's arrived at just the right time: despite attracting rave reviews, Cardellini's TV show Freaks and Geeks was cancelled last year.

TARYN MANNING Whether she ever breaks out of that 'best friend' role is yet to be discovered, but as far as the supporting chum goes, 23-year-old newcomer Manning has cornered the market. She played second fiddle to Kirsten Dunst in "Crazy/Beautiful", and does buddy duties in two major new releases featuring famous pop stars: as one of three girls who go on a road trip in "Crossroads" (with Britney Spears); and as one of Eminem's 'beeyatches' in "8 Mile".

RHONA MITRA She made several attempts to land the role of Lara Croft (having been the original model for the game), but this posh 25-year-old - who, incidentally, had her boobs done by her plastic surgeon father - is finally edging her way into the American mainstream. She's already played opposite Sly Stallone in the update of "Get Carter" and been Kevin Bacon's victim in "Hollow Man". But more impressive are her upcoming credits, in Reese Witherspoon's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Kevin Spacey's death row drama, "The Life of David Gale", for director Alan Parker. All of which has led to internet rumours that she's belatedly being considered for an action hero role - opposite Ben Affleck in "Daredevil".

SAMANTHA MUMBA This Irish lass may be best known for her singing, but she's making a splash in the film world too, garnering praise from her co-stars - which include Guy Pearce - for her turn in "The Time Machine". She narrowly missed out on the female lead in "Austin Powers III: Goldmember" but is being touted to step into the late Aaliyah's shoes in the upcoming "Matrix" sequels.

MARSHA THOMASON You probably know her from the BBC series Playing the Field, but this ballsy northerner has just finished playing a delicate damsel - aka Martin Lawrence's straight woman - in time-travel comedy "Black Knight". A hit in the States, Thomason is now looking to Hollywood for her next project, as well as starring in British indie pic "Long Time Dead".