Jul 30 2012
Seven Actresses Not Afraid To Pick Incredibly Challenging Roles
Rosario Dawson
I can understand if people don’t know just truly amazing this woman is, and how much she gives in her performances. Much like Monica Bellucci, Dawson suffers from being naturally stunning, and this can detract some people from taking her seriously. At first. But you need to look at her introduction to the world to truly understand how brave of an actress she is. Look no further than the movie KIDS.
While some may say Chloe Sevingy has been the break out star from that film for brave role, she jumped the “brave roles” train by bl*wing her greasy boyfriend of the time, Vinca Gallo, on film in Brown Bunny. That’s not brave. It’s sleaze. Now back to Dawson.
Careful, people have been known to go blind if they stare too long, much like the sun.
Though I have documented my reasoning for why this woman is awesome and brave before, and much more in depth over here, I will do a quick run down for those not in the know. Basically, in Descent (which not enough of you saw, and not be the confused with The Descent, about the awesome-underground-cave-dwellers) she showed how dark of a place she was willing to go.
And Sin City, she shows just how believably bad ass she was.
In 25th Hour, she subtly showed the nuance of how even the most genuine beautiful girl can make the strongest of us doubt when she is a knockout.
She showed us a believable, streetwise kid in Kids when she was just a kid. Do I need to keep going?
Again, it is tough to take at points, but Descent is far more believable than most similar movies. And you see strength and pain in Dawson’s character, which must be tough to have to balance as an actress.
The thing about Rosario Dawson, too. She fights for some amazing causes and even has a comic book she helped create and lend her likeness to on the side, so she shows us she is awesome in real life, too.
Angelina Jolie
I fully realize how the mighty have fallen, as is the case with a few of the others on this list. But remember, art varies wildly at times. Would you always want to be playing devastated, wounded broken people?
No, that would take a toll on anyone, so can you blame some of these actresses for taking less challenging roles as time goes on? No, not at all. But you can’t watch a movie like Gia or Girl Interupted and not be floored by the places Angelina Jolie was willing to go for the medium of film.
Another amazing Martin Schoeller portrait.
Long before Angelina Jolie was raiding tombs and curving bullets, she could play ‘damaged’ like very few before her, and very few since.
Gia is easily the most glaring example of this, with Jolie playing in the biopic of real life model and eventual heroine addict who died of A.I.D.S, Gia Marie Carangi. To say Angelina lost herself in the role would still be an understatement. At no point while you are watching this film do you think you are watching someone act. I know I have said that about a few of these woman thus far, but that is why they awe me. In this case, the honesty and vulnerability of these characters might be a result of Angelina being more like Gia than he would want the world to initially know.
Outside of the movie Hackers, which no one counts as a real movie, anyway, GIA was the first REAL introduction to Angelina Jolie. And the image of the rebellious beauty would follow her for years as a result of it.
Angelina has since gone on to pair off with the most handsome man in the world, and they have slowly attempted to start their own United Nations using only their adopted children. But that matters little. Because all of us who know and love Angelina love her because of this stuff. The crazy girl stuff, which she could pull of at the height of her career like no other.
Charlize Theron
The running theme on this list is beautiful woman, but that’s not on purpose. It’s not my fault the woman who pick the bravest roles and play them most convincingly, just happen to be stunning in real life. The thing is, if you only jumped on board for the Theron movie, Monster, about the real life serial killer, Aileen Wuornos, you would never know she was ever a stunner. Because they turned this:
Did I already make the joke about staring at the sun? Dammit.
And they turned her into this:
Yeah, it still kinda messes me up, too.
And if all they did was makeup and their acting sucked, the makeup would have mattered little. But Charlize was so invested into her role as Wuornos that she almost BECAME her, to a creepy extent. The perforamance feels so genuine that, at no point in this film, do you stop and think to yourself: That is Charlize Theron. Nope, it is Aileen Wuornos, through and through.
It is only once you actually see an interview with Aileen Wuornos that you truly can understand how spot-on and chilling this performance is.
Get ready to have your mind blown:
Told you Charlize Theron killed it, pun intended.
Like I said at the beginning of the piece, I can’t imagine having to ‘go there’ for the sake of a movie. But not only do these woman go there, but they go there with conviction and convincingly. Time and time again, too.
An One To Keep Your Eye On:
Chloe Moretz
You, much like me, probably doubted two movies this girl was in before you even saw her. The first one being Kickass. All I kept thinking to myself when I read this comic was: there is no way they are gonna do this little girl justice in the movie. I really thought it would be like a watered down version, much like Millar’s other comic-movie-misstep, Wanted,. Which got bastardized for a pg-13 Summer cinema. But no, outside of the jetpack scene, Kickass was spot on, and you know who owned that entire movie?
This little girl, Chloe Moretz, as Hitgirl.
This clip is NSFW, and TAFL. Too. Awesome. For. Life.
And then, when I heard they were doing an American remake of Let The Right One In, a movie I already felt was perfect, I was double upset. Imagine my shock when it was handled with just as much grace and delicacy as the original. And you know what made “Let Me In” work? This little girl. Chloe Moretz.
From her first seconds on film I had no doubts about who or what she was, and how many lifetimes she may have lived. How a young girl reflects that in her eyes I will never know, but watch out for this girl. I can pretty much bet an Oscar will be handed to her at one point in her lifetime. Hopefully sooner than later.
No idea how Chloe Moretz pulls off “tortured” so well, but it is palpable in Let Me In.
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- Seven Memorable Ray Liotta Film Moments
I disagrre with the statement that hackers is nto a real Movie. I personally place that as one of my top 10 guilty pleasure films. no matter what time of the day it is if that movice is playing on tv and i notice it I’m watching it.
BTW nice list overall and agree totally with the talented Bellucci
Sorry for spelling errors at work and in a rush typing.
@ORA
The fact it’s a “guilty” pleasure, proves it’s not a real movie
Hackers is one the greatest love stories of our time! But really, I just loved the hell out hackers, it was so incredible really, and it made me a fan of The Prodigy which rules. I think you should have added the Changeling to Jolie’s list, its the one movie which made me realize that even though she may do crap like Mr. and Mrs Smith, when she really gets down to it, she can rock the shit out of a role and give us a great movie. I still cringe when I talk about the Changeling.
Also a brutal Bellucci movie is of course Malena, not as much as Irreversible but I remember going into as a kid and think “yay boobies” but then was like “ugh, this is really sad”.
Watts lost me when she did King King, i just did not care about that movie, i just saw it as a whole lot of money going to waste but I really liked her in the International.
Is Let Me In the American remake of Let the Right One In? Even the American dub of the latter was irritating relative to the original soundtrack (largely because of the voice of the young girl (not to give anything away)).
I CAN NOT believe you didn’t include Jennifer Jason Leigh. Seriously. All she does are challenging roles. BRUTAL roles sometimes.
List denied.
Excellent list of immense talent and beauty.
What about Eliza Dushku?
well, Chloe Moretz is set to star in Carrie, and if she pulls a job as good as if not better than Sissy Spacek did for the original, she can at least get a nomination
@Ethan
What about her…She doesn’t belong on this list.
Really great list but what about Hilary Swank? I liked her in Boys Don’t Cry. Oh and Natalie Portman?
@ FrankenPC, Good call with Jennifer Jason Leigh. Right from the get-go (Fast Times and abortion) she tackled some tough stuff.
@Ethan, you’re trolling, right??? Please tell me you’re trolling. Draugr hit the nail on the head with his reaction.
And Maria, also a great call. I think I didn’t think of Swank because Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby both messed me up so much.
Also, note to me, how the HELL did I leave out Jennifer Connelly?????!!!!!
Wow, I have problems….
The idea of what she had to do in Dollhouse was challenging. A new personality each week.
I liked Connelly in the House of Sand and Fog, even though, I guess due to the film medium, her character is really much less sympathetic in the book than in the movie.
And no to Swank I just really hate that ugly bitch.
Hackers pretty much paved the way for my love for electronic music (that and the soundtracks to the “Wipe-out’ video-games around the same time).
Have to give it to Meryl Streep as being my favorite actress and one of the BEST actresses of all time. She is so amazing! Gia, Angelina Jolie, made a complete hit. I think that’s one of the only movies that I really like her in besides the movie Hackers… and Charlize Theron….my God, need I say more about that woman? lol But hands down to this article! Meryl Streep is above all the rest for me
Great article as always 
thefact monica bellucci agreed to take that photo says more about her then hollywood. enough with the objectification crap. she’s a big girl and CHOSE to take the simulated load on her ace
@koonta
*woosh*
This post makes little sense to me, their job is to act and they get payed for it … they earn more per movie than I will in lifetime doing my 9-5 job. Not really fair division of wealth there but never mind there.
So we need to say these are those who are ready to go extra mile? What? Act in a rape scene, and you deserve some special praise.
You act good you get praise but please no bull**** with this “challenging” role stuff. I watched interview with Christian Bale the other day and the man says I am lucky to been cast for Batman, actually I am lucky to be cast in any movie since I feel privileged for that.
If you know how to act then great! But no “kudos” for rape scenes and that bullshit, I would go now and let myself get raped just so I can have rest of my life to do what I want and have money for it. Do I get something for that?
The guy ready to take on the most challenging experiences?
I enjoyed this article, but I’m not sure what version of Wanted you saw that was PG13. I’m not a huge fan of it, but you see a bullet go through a dude’s forehead in slow-motion in the opening scene.
LOL ELIZA DUSHKU? She is easily the worst actress that, for some damn reason I can’t figure out, Joss Whedon is obsessed with.
@Druagr,
He would “whooshed” if he spelled face right. And that was the last thing I said about objectification in the whole piece, actually. And if I recall, I showed a picture of a woman crying while she is masturbating, and link a photo from my own website with a woman who has three tits, so am pretty sure I am made that point null by the end of the piece, on purpose. But it’s cool no one picked up on that. That just reflects on me as a shitty writer and definitely does not reflect anything for the readers.
Oh, and by the way, the term is *Swoooosh for further reference.
@Dude, Ok, man. Fair enough. Point taken. I think the roles are brave and it takes balls, and you seem to think spending forty hours on a set letting someone simulate raping you is no big deal. To you, that’s on par with Tom Greene taping sausages to his fingers. It is an actor “acting”. I think that is a limited scope, and a sad way to view it, but cool, glad you read the piece.
F
^ftw
Dude: What. DaFuq.
# FrankenPC – Agree with you about JJLeigh. Think she will probably never be as widely known as she should because she never does conventional roles/movies. Irreversible was good but Monica Belluci was better in Malena – it was a part written for her. I just saw Rosario Dawson in ‘Unstoppable’ and no doubt it was an action movie but she nailed it. Think I’m going to go buy the Blu-Ray for that.