Now where were we? Let us continue with 17-11 before reaching the elusive top ten.
17. Margot Robbie
After exploding onto the American film scene in Wolf of Wall Street, Margot Robbie has proven that she has a remarkable breadth of talent, a well that we’ve barely tapped into. It would be so easy to brush her off as a gorgeous model-type who can just play the femme-fatale or blonde-bombshell or promiscuous neighbor, but I’m so happy that she hasn’t let Hollywood pinhole or sideline her as her commitment to whatever role she inhabits is uncommon and inspiring. Australia has gifted the film industry with many of the greats and Margot is consistently proving why she has a spot on that olympic podium.
Essential viewing: I, Tonya (2017) dir. Craig Gillespie, Mary Queen of Scots (2018) dir. Josie Rourke, Bombshell (2019) dir. Jay Roach
16. Denzel Washington
I mean, you can’t countdown the greatest actors of the 2000s without including the prolific Denzel Washington. Denzel has been giving some of the most unforgettable performances for as long as I’ve loved movies. Training Day alone is a benchmark for modern acting, a staggering display of bravura. When I proposed this list to some friends before settling on my final draft, I got some flack for including Denzel because, “isn’t Denzel just doing Denzel at this point? Isn’t he just always doing a drag version of himself?” First of all, no. Second of all, even if he is, was, or continues to, isn’t that enough? If you were one of the greatest actors alive today, wouldn’t you just keep doing what works? Allow me to answer. Yes, yes you would. And what works for Denzel works for me. Legend. The end.
Essential viewing: Training Day (2001) dir. Antoine Fuqua, American Gangster (2007) dir. Ridley Scott, Flight (2012) dir. Robert Zemeckis
15. Michelle Williams
One of the great injustices of the 2000s thus far is Michelle Williams not having an Oscar. Williams is often in projects that shake us to our core, continually showcasing an unending proclivity for the dark and complicated. Though she may be known for her more heavy-hitting work— a mom who’s lost a child, a woman who’s husband is in love with another man, an icon swept up in the darker side of fame— she clearly has just as much fun and devotion to playing light and buoyant in flicks like I Feel Pretty and The Greatest Showmen. But the moment Michelle cemented herself on my personal Mount Rushmore of acting (Mount Rushmore should be actresses, there, I said it), was when I saw her play Sally Bowles in Cabaret on Broadway. There will never be an experience that can match watching Michelle Williams have a full breakdown mere feet from you.
Essentially viewing: Blue Valentine (2010) dir. Derek Cianfrance, My Week with Marilyn (2011) dir. Simon Curtis, Manchester by the Sea (2016) dir. Kenneth Lonergan
14. Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron was tiptoeing onto scene before the 2000s and then when the millennium changed, she exploded. Just watch Monster to understand why she is lauded as one of the new greats. Theron is the type of actress who demands your attention, dares you to look away while she’s onscreen. She possesses the kind of allure that seems gifted from another realm. Theron seesaws so beautifully between high-octane action and introspective-realism, allowing her to convincingly portray survivors of an apocalypse, survivors of abuse, survivors of workplace violence, or wives of alcoholic superheroes. But it’s her work with Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman that really thrills this writer, movies in which she can play deeply flawed characters that have no desire to be likable, they just strive to, well, be.
Essential viewing: Monster (2003) dir. Patty Jenkins, Young Adult (2011) dir. Jason Reitman, Tully (2018) dir. Jason Reitman
13. Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem has somehow carved out a niche in the global film world as being equally capable of playing the most ruthless villains and the most charming of men. Much like say Al Pacino or Meryl Streep, it is so exciting to see Bardem show up on screen as he sends a jolt of electricity into every scene he takes up space in. His bombastic choices and tremendous line deliveries are never the obvious choice and they always keep the collective we on our toes making for an– to borrow this motif again– electric experience. I mean, when someone is giving a critically acclaimed, BAFTA nominated performance in huge franchise film (Skyfall), that’s when you know they are the real damn deal.
Essential viewing: No Country for Old Men (2007) dir. Joel and Ethan Coen, Vicki Christina Barcelona (2008) dir. Woody Allen, Skyfall (2012) dir. Sam Mendes
12. Jessica Chastain
Extremely captivating and fully submerged in whatever world she’s thrown into, Julliard-grad Jessica Chastain always brings authenticity to even the most heightened situations. There was a period of time during the 2010s where it seemed like Chastain was everywhere, in every film, and on the top of everyone’s list of people to work with. She was truly unstoppable. And though we may not see her in as high a frequency of films as we once did half a decade ago, her reputation as one of the most talented actresses working today remains. She continues to choose varied projects, began her own production company to promote diversity both in front of and behind the camera, and though she bares that signature red hair, it’s impossible to tell the dancer from the dance when she’s submerging us into the worlds’ of her deeply complex characters.
Essential viewing: The Help (2011) dir. Tate Taylor, Zero Dark Thirty (2012) dir. Kathryn Bigelow, Molly’s Game (2017) dir. Aaron Sorkin
11. Adèle Haenel
It sounds so silly because she is such a huge star in France, with two Cesar Award (read: French Academy Award) wins out of seven nominations at just 31 years old, but Adèle Haenel feels like my staggering cinema secret that people are just barely catching onto. And in many ways, to the American audience, Haenel is cinema’s best kept secret. But on the world stage, she is a ferocious, kind-eyed, impossibly-capable onscreen presence who’s titanic performance, and more specifically, who’s final scene in Portrait of a Lady on Fire was some of the finest acting to be captured on screen this century so far. Should Hollywood catch on to Ms. Haenel like Europe has, it will be art imitating life as she really will be a lady on fire— there will be no stopping her.
Essential viewing: Water Lillies (2007) dir. Céline Sciamma, BPM: Beats Per Minute (2017) dir. Robin Campillo, Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) dir. Céline Sciamma
