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With apologies to Brendan Fraser, Claire Danes, Liv Tyler, Neve Campbell, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Christina Ricci, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, and Nicole Kidman — all of whom had a very real case for making this list.

Obviously, your list of the 20 hottest stars under 30 from the ’90s might differ from mine, but I think this is pretty close, if not right on the money. The stars who made it did so based on their ’90s filmographies, how much heat they seemed to have at the time, and my own recollection as someone who was there, reading way too many entertainment magazines and taking all of this far too seriously.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: The Crush, Clueless, Batman & Robin

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Clueless was a big deal, and it made Silverstone one of the biggest stars of her generation overnight. 

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Home Alone, My Girl, The Good Son, Richie Rich

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: It’s hard to overstate just how famous Macaulay Culkin was after Home Alone. At 10 years old, he was a literal movie star who could open a movie on his name alone. Exhibit A: He was paid $8 million (more than $18 million in today's dollars) to play Richie Rich. 

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Dangerous Liaisons, Pulp Fiction, Beautiful Girls, Gattaca

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: She was glamorous enough to be a traditional movie star but strange and cool enough to work with filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino. I was in college when Pulp Fiction came out, and man did she instantly become the cool star to crush on in the dorms. Thurman entered the 2000s seeming like someone who could go in almost any direction.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Se7en, Sliding Doors, Shakespeare in Love

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Paltrow ended the ’90s with just about everything she could want: an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, romantic-leading-lady status, and prestige credibility. A very long A-list acting career seemed inevitable.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Edward Scissorhands, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, The Age of Innocence, Reality Bites, Little Women, Girl, Interrupted

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: In the '90s, Winona was just about every teenager's favorite movie star: cool without seeming like she was trying to be, beautiful without looking manufactured, and equally believable in a Martin Scorsese period drama and Reality Bites.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Pretty Woman, The Pelican Brief, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Notting Hill, Runaway Bride

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Julia Roberts wasn't just a movie star in the ’90s; for stretches, she was the movie star. Pretty Woman made her a phenomenon, and many massive hits followed. As 2000 hit, everyone expected her to continue on her path to becoming Hollywood royalty.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Poison Ivy, Boys on the Side, Scream, The Wedding Singer, Ever After

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Drew was one of the most famous child stars ever thanks to E.T., and really turned things up a notch in the '90s, transitioning into an adult star with impressive dramatic and comedy chops.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: The Mask, My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Cameron Diaz's debut in The Mask (opposite Jim Carrey) made everyone go, "Who is SHE?!" Beautiful and genuinely funny, she also had serious dramatic chops.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Ed Brasco (oops, I mean Donnie Brasco)

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Johnny Depp became a major movie star by flying his freak flag and ignoring what Hollywood expected a young heartthrob to do. His '90s filmography is full of strange, dark, filmmaker-driven movies...and they were hits.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Courage Under Fire, Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, The Talented Mr. Ripley

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Matt Damon entered Hollywood in about the most enviable way imaginable: co-writing Good Will Hunting with his best friend as a star-vehicle for them, winning an Oscar for the screenplay, and then becoming a favorite star of major directors.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Chasing Amy, Good Will Hunting, Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Ben Affleck went from indie-film guy to Oscar-winning screenwriter to blockbuster leading man almost absurdly fast. By 2000, he seemed positioned to be one of the defining leading men of the next decade.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Hackers, Gia, Playing by Heart, and Girl, Interrupted

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Jolie was such an edgy young star that not even kissing her brother on the lips or gushing about sex with Billy Bob Thornton could slow her down. Her biggest moment? Winning Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted at the Oscars.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Léon: The Professional, Heat, Beautiful Girls, Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Portman was extraordinary from a young age, and her teen performances in the '90s suggested only bigger and better things were in store.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Point Break, My Own Private Idaho, Speed, The Matrix

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Keanu Reeves was a heartthrob who, while getting little respect as an actor, was a fave of acclaimed directors like Francis Ford Coppola and Gus Van Sant. He was versatile too, doing comedy, action, and drama.

Keanu's post-2000 career grade: A- (extra points for defying expectations)

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Six Degrees of Separation, Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, Enemy of the State

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Smith very quickly went from rapper to sitcom star to one of the absolute biggest movie stars in the world.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: The Man in the Moon, Fear, Pleasantville, Cruel Intentions, Election

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Witherspoon was a gifted child actor at the start of the '90s, then became such a strong teen actor that she undoubtedly made someone as talented and experienced as Matthew Broderick think, I gotta bring my A-game with this kid!

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Heavenly Creatures, Sense and Sensibility, Titanic

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Kate Winslet already had an Oscar nomination when Titanic made her one of the most famous actors alive at 22. So, yeah, she was a big deal!

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: This Boy’s Life, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Romeo + Juliet, Titanic

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Like Winslet, DiCaprio had already been nominated for an Oscar when Titanic happened. Suddenly every teenage girl I knew was obsessed, “Leo-mania” was very real, and we all expected a big career ahead.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Thelma & Louise, Interview with the Vampire, Se7en, 12 Monkeys, Fight Club

WHY HE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Brad Pitt entered the ’90s as an absurdly handsome up-and-coming actor and spent the rest of the decade proving that he was more interesting than a pretty face.

BREAKTHROUGH ROLES: Speed, While You Were Sleeping, Hope Floats

WHY SHE WAS SUCH A BIG DEAL: Speed made Bullock a star, but unlike many impossibly polished ’90s leading ladies, she came across as funny, approachable, slightly frazzled, and like someone you might actually know.