After more than a decade as an entertainment journalist, interviewing countless actors, it’s something I’ve experienced only a handful of times. Before you even know they’re there, you feel the atmosphere inexplicably shift. It becomes electric, suddenly charged. You can’t see them yet - but you already know they’re there. With more celebrities crammed into Hollywood than ever before, it’s only the most top-tier of movie stars that can manage this science-defying feat. Tom Cruise. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Cate Blanchett. I’ve seen - or literally felt - all of them do it, first-hand. To celebrate the launch of the new news.com.au app, we’re celebrating the people, places and events we’ll never forget from the first quarter of the 21st century by asking for Australia’s view. Our 25@25 series will finally put to bed the debates you’ve been having at the pub and around dinner tables for years – and some that are just too much fun not to include. Every generation has their own top-billing stars. The sixties and seventies had John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Barbra Streisand. You get my drift. But here we are, 25 years into the new century (arguably a defining era of cinema), which begs the question: who is the face of it? It’s not just box office success, although that’s a major factor. It’s also their general presence, talent, global name recognition, and their ability to dominate premium headlines throughout their career … not just around the release of their biggest movies. With all those factors in mind, I’ve whittled down all the options to just 10 nominations so we can decide, once and for all, who should be named the Biggest Movie Star of the last 25 years. As noted above, Cruise, Johnson and Blanchett are obviously on that list. They’re joined by Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Scarlett Johansson and Angelina Jolie. Now as part of news.com.au’s 25@25 series, I need you, our valued readers, to help me on my noble quest to figure out who takes out the top prize. Listen, just for the record, I vote Tom Cruise. Only a true star can deliver a smackdown like this. But don’t give me that much power! Cast your own vote in the poll above, and help us pick the ultimate winner. And if you’re looking for some genuinely bonkers facts you probably didn’t know about all these megastars, watch the video above - from near-death experiences to weird phobias, it’ll blow your mind. Not just a film buff? Vote in the other 25@25 polls below