War Horse

Character: Geordie Soldier

An anonymous British soldier -- Geordie is a reference to the Newcastle area of England, so it's roughly as if his name was, say, Brooklyn -- the Geordie Soldier is a small part of "War Horse," but an important one. When Joey is tangled in barbed wire ... more in the no man's land between the trenches, it's the Geordie Soldier who bravely -- and foolishly -- waves a white flag in the hope that the Germans on the other side won't kill him as he tries to free Joey from the painful snarls of metal. Saying more would destroy one of the film's biggest scenes, so we'll leave it at that -- and also note that for an anonymous, nameless character, the Geordie Soldier makes a sincere impression.

Actor: Toby Kebbell

A natural-born character actor, Kebbell has an iron-strong capacity for making small parts sing in the service of big films, and his work in "War Horse" is no exception. He's also played a David Blaine-style magician in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a too-proud prince in "Prince of Persia" and a rock band manager in the brilliant "Control." Kebbell may not get the biggest parts, but he hurls every drop of himself into them, and that's why audiences and directors have been wanting more.

(Eric Charbonneau/WireImage)