Jul 01 2010
Eight Legitimately Good Actresses Under 30 Years Old
I’m sure you’ve all heard me complain about acting not being that great anymore. Unfortunately it’s just a matter of time before the Robert De Niro’s and Meryl Streep’s of the world pass on. I don’t mean to sound all depressing. I’m just saying that the acting greats we came to love in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and even this first decade are all nearing their 60s, 70s and 80s.
So who is going to step up? Unfortunately I’m not very bullish here. I mean we’ve got DiCaprio and Ed Norton but even those guys are nearing 40. Where’s the new crop of actors? Hell, not actors. What about actresses? You’re telling me Megan Fox is going to represent the ladies? Hell no.
Oddly enough however, there are some actresses that might be worthy of carrying the torch of greats like Streep and Helen Mirren. Here are eight actresses under the age of 30 that I think are legit…
Scarlett Johansson – 26
She’s a Woody Allen favorite and despite my eyes wandering below her neck every time I see her you have to admit that she’s not a bad actress at all. She was great in her breakout role of Lost in Translation and has been nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Not to mention she’s got 15 award wins under her belt. Not bad for someone that most just think is hot.
Keira Knightly – 25
You have to put someone who got nominated for an Oscar in here don’t you? While I can’t stand the skinny pale faceness of her, Keira is a very good actress. I guess the British accent helps but still, I’ve seen her enough times to know that she’s not a Megan Fox idiot type. Did you know that she has dyslexia?
Ellen Page – 23
Another Oscar nominated actress, Ellen Page proved herself in Juno but I’m curious to see how she’ll fare out in Inception and other upcoming films. Something tells me she’ll be great in her 30s but might not last much longer than that.
Emilie De Ravin – 29
It’s really mostly television and LOST that Emilie is known for but I suspect she’ll be up and coming. This is one of those predictions that might be completely false but the Aussie accent, looks, and ability to cry just might bring her fame. And while all the acting on LOST wasn’t that spectacular I think De Ravin was one of the better ones.
Anne Hathaway- 27
She more than proved herself with Rachel Getting Married and personally I think she kind of gets a bad rap. The girl can act, period. When you can be on screen with Meryl Streep and carry yourself, it’s impressive.
Natalie Portman – 29
The girl’s been doing this since she was 12. She’s been nominated for an Oscar. She’s taken part in one of the biggest movie franchises in history. She’s played a stripper. What the hell else do we need? Seriously though, Portman is legit.
Evan Rachel Wood- 22
There’s just something I don’t like about Evan Rachel Wood. Maybe it’s the whole Marilyn Manson thing. I don’t know. She definitely gives me a weird vibe and now that she’s a big star it’s a little annoying. However, one can’t deny that she’s talented. Hell she co-wrote the movie 13. She’s also been nominated for a Golden Globe.
Saoirse Ronan -16
She’s one of those “weird” actresses. By that I mean she’s got that kind of eerie face and way about her that’s actually a great quality. Not to mention the girl was nominated for an Oscar at the age of 13. It was either Saoirse or Abigail Breslin and I think we know that Breslin will eventually fade.
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Natalie, to me, has the same problem that Winslet has: She is acting way to intense for my liking (even though she is incredibly gorgeous).
THE best performance of a young actress in the last years that I remember was the kid from the Golden Compass. Terrible movie, but she seemed to BE Lyra, just perfect. Her name is Dakota Blue Richards and she has said that she does not want to be an actress when she grows up, but hopefully she changes her mind.
But, well, non of the girls on your list gave my as much hope for acting as Marissa Tomei did in the Wrestler. Spectacular performance.
And what about Anna Kendrick? Up in the Air was quality.
Kiera Knightly? If an actress so wooden she has earned the nickname Ikea Knightly is one of the best up and coming actresses then we are in trouble.
I’ve never seen Saoirse Ronan acts, but in the picture you selected, she reminds me of Chloe Sevigny, a pretty good actress if you ask me.
What movie was that Anne Hathaway pic from? I want to see more of that.
You put Ellen Page and her extremely mediocre performance in Juno but you forgot Ana Sophia Robb? For shame. Watch this you can see a truly talented young actress in action
http://www.letmewatchthis.com/watch-22917-Have-Dreams-Will-Travel
Lol I love reading the comments on these lists.
“Here are eight actresses under the age of 30 that I think are legit…”
Did you read that, people? Eight actresses that Natty THINKS are legit. I’m pretty sure that means that this is an opinion column, not a definitive one. So if you think he left off a bunch of legit actresses then why dont you write your own fucking column instead of coming on here and nitpicking. For Christ’s sake its annoying.
Anyhow, Portman and Hathaway are the two on this list that I think will go the farthest. Portman in Garden State is still one of my favorite roles. I fell in love with her after that.
[...] Best Actresses Under 30 [...]
Carey Mulligan. Girl is legit.
@ Illeat
Yeah I thought Garden State was gonna be garbage but Portman pretty much saved it for me…..that and the entire breakfast scene with the knight. That shit cracked me up.
i’d add (with equal parts enthusiasm and hesitance) chloe moretz to the list. i’ve only seen her in kick-ass…but she absolutely nailed the character. young, kid actors are awful more often than not but chloe not only was competent and believable in the role…she simply blew everyone (including mark strong…who is…well…mark strong!) off the screen. while she doesn’t have much of a mainstream resume yet hopefully her showing in kick-ass is a sign for things to come!
@ pardal
“she simply blew everyone ”
I dont think that’s legal…..
@ J5
…ugh…please connect the start of the sentence with the end of the sentence without stopping at the random parenthetical phrase! (although, i admit…perhaps it wasn’t the best phrasing on my part and i may have walked into that one…still…i think my non-gross intentions were fairly obvious)
@ pardal
lol, yeah I know what you meant, just being a smartass.
Although with Nicolas Cage on set, you never know what’s gonna happen.
@ J5
fair enough! yeah, nic cage is an interesting one. ever see the japanese commercials he’s done? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVMziCNFF1I&feature=related he’s consistently the oddest thing on screen no matter what!
@theButterFly
It’s from Havoc. And yes, you want to see more of that. You definitely want to see more.
I think you need to add Anna Paquin(28). I mean she already has an Oscar.
I get the feeling you’ll be adding Chloe Moretz to this list very, very soon.
And yes, where the hell is Anna Paquin? She was nominated for an Oscar at age 11 or 12.
Carey Mulligan and Anna Kendrick are both amazing. They both have great futures ahead of them.
I’ve only seen de Ravin in Lost, and her acting sucked hard. The whole show she was the most annoying and useless character.
Flso, we need Allison Brie here. She’s cute, and wonderful both in comedy and drama.
Evan Rachel Wood did not co-write 13, that was nikki reed.
I agree with what you said about Evan Rachel Wood, but it’s not the Manson thing…she just comes off as an extremely political and drama-ridden girl.
no Dakota Fanning? I still love her from I Am Sam!
[...] that might be worthy of carrying the torch of greats like Streep and Helen Mirren. Here are eight actresses under the age of 30 that are legit. var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname=”Eight Legitimately Good Actresses Under [...]
My opinion:
Keira Knightly, Scarlett Johansson definately not to be on this list. Because apart from Atonement and Lost in translation they are both average performers.
But I would add Kirsten Dunst.
omg natalie portman <3
Scarlett Johansson is a very good actress, she’s young and “hot”, looks like the perfect Holywood combo. I do hope she will be still around at 50+ because she has the profile to become a star.
And it’s Ronan coming up on the outside, and she’s skated past them all. We have a winner…. It’s Ronan by a street.
Anna Paquin most certainly be on this list, same with Kirsten Dunst. Dakota Fanning as well.
Amanda Seyfreid may prove to be a wonderful actress if she can get some roles in better movies.
I’ve seen DeRavin on both Lost and Roswell, didn’t much care for her acting in either show.
how could you have NOT mentioned Ellen Page’s role in Hard Candy? that performance alone solidified her as an amazing actress in my book. shit, that movie should have won an oscar.
Boy, you need to get out more
Why do they all have to be so beautiful ? Waaaah