1. Cate Blanchett
Sometimes I have to remind myself that Cate Blanchett is a mere human like the rest of us. She certainly seems like Wonder Woman when you consider her career. Conflicted teacher conducting an affair with a student? Check. Pregnant journalist amidst the sea's quirkiest crew? Check. One of the most legendary, revered actresses to ever live? Check. Bob Dylan? Check. I could go on forever, but the point is that, like a superhero, Cate makes impossible feats seem effortless and nothing's been able to stop her yet.
Perhaps the only thing as impressive as Cate's daunting talent is her amazing career savvy. While I can't say I've seen everything she's ever done, she's never been known to make a truly terrible movie. Heck, she even managed to get an Oscar nomination out of the supposedly weak Elizabeth: The Golden Age. On top of all of that, she's probably one of the most fearless actresses working today. A lot of women in the entertainment industry would shy away from taboo issues like inappropriate teacher-student relationships or think twice before seriously playing a man, but Cate thrives off these opportunities, giving us some of the most fascinating characters movies can offer.
I really wanted to avoid posting the following clip, since I've already featured The Aviator in my favorite actors post, but once you watch it I think you'll see why it was so inscapable, and why Cate earned so much well-deserved praise.2. Audrey Hepburn
This choice should come as absolutely no shock to anyone who's actually met me. After all, my well-worn Breakfast at Tiffany's purse is basically my security blanket, and the very detailed Audrey Hepburn Halloween costume I wore in '06 famously (and by famously I mean my one friend and I still talk about it) left my high school Film Studies teacher speechless. It's gotten to the point where I've been accused of deliberately inviting comparisons. Well you know what, I'll take any I can get because Audrey Hepburn isn't just one of my favorite actresses, she's also kind of my idol.
I suppose I love Audrey for all the same reasons most people do: her astounding class, charm and vivaciousness. She brought such an incredible energy to all her films, and her screen presence is undeniable. It may not be very original for me to say, and it may make me sound about 30 years older, but there simply aren't any actresses like her today.
Now, I love Breakfast at Tiffany's as much as the next person (well, as much as the next teenage girl is probably more accurate) but I'm going to plug her Oscar-winning role in Roman Holiday. Gregory Peck is hands down her best onscreen match, and their chemistry is already apparent in this famous scene. (My buddy Nicolas Cage decided to rip off this iconic, impromtu bit in National Treasure 2. A part of me wished his hand really would get bitten off every time I saw that trailer.)
Oh and sorry for the subtitles.
3. Kate Winslet
If you'll recall from one of my previous ancedotes, Titanic nearly ruined Leonardo DiCaprio for me. Somehow, this was never the case with Kate Winslet. In fact, I remember secretly wishing I were as glamorous as Rose back in the fifth grade, when an especially colorful barrette was considered high fashion. (Catholic school nuns aren't the religious - no pun intended - Cosmpolitan readers you'd suspect them to be.) I even took the time to learn the name of the young actress headlining that monster of a movie, something I usually never cared enough to do back then. So while it took a couple years before I truly became a fan of hers, Kate and I have always been on good terms.
I remember reading a review of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind when it was first released that basically sums up why she's so great. I'm paraphrasing, but the reviewer said that her character, the ever-eccentric Clementine, felt like someone you could run into on the street on any given day. That's the wonderful unifying element to all of Kate's diverse performances: no matter the quirks or craziness (and I think anyone who's seen the aforementioned movie can agree that Clementine's pretty out-there), her characters are so remarkably authentic that you feel like you already know them.
I could post a clip from Eternal Sunshine, Sense and Sensibility, Little Children or one of her other fantastic roles, but I recently got into Ricky Gervais's brilliant celebrity satire Extras and, well, after watching this it's basically impossible not to love her. (Brief scene set-up: Kate attempted to give Maggie some tips on talking dirty over the phone with her new boyfriend, and has come to see how it went.)
