10. Emily Blunt: I may have asked this in my review for Into The Woods but I'll ask it again: Why isn't this girl a bigger star? Seriously, last year, she proved in Edge of Tomorrow she can be badass while also being able to showcase her musical and comedic timing in Into The Woods. She's also done horror, indies, and even prestigious period pieces. You give her a genre, she'll nail it. Let's cross our fingers Marvel is breathing down her agent's neck so she can get that superhero movie she rightfully deserves.
9. Nicole Kidman: While at the height of her fame, she was known for being Tom Cruise's wife, her filmography has certainly proved she is more than just that. Not only has she tackled different types of mainstream fare, but she is always willing to take risks in edgy indie fare no matter how controversial the role or film may be.
8. Naomi Watts: Much like her good friend and fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman, there is no role or genre Naomi Watts hasn't or won't tackle. Whether she plays dual Hollywood personalities, tries to survive a horrific tsunami, fights off the evil of a haunted videotape, delivers laughs as a Russian stripper, or forms a bond with a giant gorilla, she never fails to impress.
7. Jessica Chastain: Thank goodness for the year 2011. If she didn't have that amazing breakthrough, we probably wouldn't have been introduced to her unique talent. Already, she has proven she can go from sweet and sensitive, like in The Help to playing tough and guarded like in Zero Dark Thirty. Both of those aforementioned performances earned her back-to-back Oscar nominations and judging by the amount of vastly different films she has lined up, she certainly isn't resting on her laurels anytime soon which means we get to see more of her talent.
6. Charlize Theron: An actress with looks like hers could easily take roles that resort to her coasting on her looks and constantly voguing for the camera. Thankfully, Charlize Theron never goes that route as a lot of the roles she has tackled have proven she is more than just a pretty face. Not only that, but she even manages to find humanity in the more villainous or unsympathetic roles she plays, whether it'd be her Ravenna from Snow White and the Huntsman or her Mavis Gary from Young Adult. Plus, in her more recent heroic turn as Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max, she showcases the vulnerabilty behind her character's tough exterior. Even in her Oscar-winning turn in Monster, she doesn't simply coast on the physical transformation. Theron is living proof that you can be a gorgeous face in Hollywood and still manage to hopefully achieve longevity in your career.
5. Amy Adams: When I think about her chameleonic acting talent, I always ask myself "How does she do it?". She can go from playing a demure Bronx nun to a hard-nosed Boston bartender. From playing a sensual con artist in American Hustle to playing sensitive and sardonic in Her. Plus, she can go from playing a Disney Princess to throwing a punch as Lois Lane.
4. Cate Blanchett: The "Bossy Aussie" herself, Cate Blanchett is a titan in the acting community that, like all the other actresses on this list, is willing to tackle any genre and play roles that are good, bad, and somewhere in between. While the film community has frowned over her Oscar loss for Elizabeth, she still left the ceremony with guns blazing as she would go on to play roles like an elf queen, Katharine Hepburn, a modern-day Blanche DuBois, Lady Tremaine, an Irish reporter, and even Bob Dylan. Like the rest of us, I can't wait to see what she has in store next.
3. Marion Cotillard: The genius of Marion Cotillard's acting ability is how she proves just how less is more. What I mean is she can do more acting with her eyes than what most actors can do with pages of dialogue. Plus, she can transform into her characters without having to go through an actual transformation and pull off 180 after 180 with her calculating Stephanie from Rust and Bone being different from her Sandra in Two Days, One Night who is a stretch from her femme fatale Mal in Inception who wouldn't be pals with her Miranda in The Dark Knight Rises who I'm sure is a far cry from her upcoming Lady Macbeth. To France, the country that helped introduce us to her unique talent, I say merci beaucoup!
2. Julianne Moore: Who says that Meryl Streep is the only actress over 50 to still tackle interesting female roles? Even in her earlier acting years, Julianne Moore was still bouncing from genre to genre and switching from blockbusters to indies with ease. Now, she managed to breathe new life into Margaret White in the Carrie remake without replicating Piper Laurie's portrayal, play a woman with Alzheimer's in her Oscar-winning turn in Still Alice without ever coasting on the nature of the role for the sake of winning laurels, embody Sarah Palin, and tap into her darkly comedic self as Havana Segrand in Maps To The Stars. Even if her film is "meh", she never is and not only always brings in her A game, but will hopefully be still in the game for years to come.
1. Tilda Swinton: To demonstrate her range, I'll start off by mentioning the banner year she had in 2014. She had a small but pivotal role as the elderly and weary Madame D. in The Grand Budapest Hotel, a lead role as a centuries-old vampire in Only Lovers Left Alive, and a juicy supporting turn as the villainous Thatcher-esque corporal Mason in Snowpiercer. Like I said, that's just 2014. She also has her career-best turn as a self-loathing and bitter mother turned anxious demure outsider in We Need To Talk About Kevin, her turn as a misanthropist who seems unaware of her calculating nature in Julia, her White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia films, the androgynous archangel Gabriel in Constantine, and even her Social Services in Moonrise Kingdom. No matter the size of the role, genre, or scale of the film, always expect her to deliver.
So that was my list of what I feel are the best actresses currently working today. Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to write your thoughts in the comments section and share who you think are the best currently working. My list of the Top 10 Best Actors Working Today will come soon. Thanks for reading!
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