There were plenty of impressive performances this year, but BuzzFeed Entertainment talked to the stars within about their particularly outstanding acting achievements in 2014.

Jaimie Etkin for BuzFeed News

Eddie Redmayne

The Transformation of Eddie Redmayne by Adam B. Vary

In The Theory of Everything, the 32-year-old actor went through a rigorous, painful process to take on the physicality and emotional life of famed scientist Stephen Hawking. It’s a performance that could catapult Redmayne to an Oscar.

David Bertozzi/BuzzFeed News

Uzo Aduba

Behind Crazy Eyes' Stunning Transformation In "Orange Is The New Black" Season 2 by Jaimie Etkin

Uzo Aduba has seen the Bantu knot-wearing, eyeball-bulging fan favorite go from territorial would-be lover to dangerously devoted daughter on the hit Netflix series. She talks to BuzzFeed News about Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren's shocking second season arc.

Rick Diamond / Getty Images

Jake Gyllenhaal

Jake Gyllenhaal Knows What People Think Of Him by Adam B. Vary

The 33-year-old actor gives the best performance of his career in the darkly comic thriller Nightcrawler — this is how he pulled it off.

Chuck Zlotnick / Open Road Films

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