Top 10 Actresses – The 00’s

Article by Todd Plucknett

Posted - 2/8/10

Honorable mention: Natalie Portman, Zooey Deschanel, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Connelly, Samantha Morton

10. Naomi Watts. One of the few intelligent things Roeper ever said was that Naomi Watts would have been a great Hitchcock blonde. He’s right, especially looking at some of the superb performances and films she was in this past decade. She could not have started off better than she did with one of the best films of the last 10 years Mulholland Dr..  She did the two The Ring films. Ellie Parker was incredibly raw, yet grippingly acted. She got her lone nomination for 21 Grams. She was amazing in the underrated films We Don’t Live Here Anymore, The Assassination of Richard Nixon, The Painted Veil, and Eastern Promises. There is also I Heart Huckabees, King Kong, and Funny Games (the only remotely watchable part of the film). That’s quite a list. I love her.

Best performance of the decade: Mulholland Dr.

9. Maria Bello. This is an actress that I have always really enjoyed to watch. Her decade highlights included her star-making turn in Coyote Ugly, along with Auto Focus and Secret Window. Her real talent came out in World Trade Center, A History of Violence, The Cooler, and Thank You for Smoking. She is underrated in Towelhead and The Jane Austen Book Club. I also really liked her in Assault on Precinct 13. She is an interesting actress. There is no one around quite like her.

Best performance of the decade: The Cooler

8. Scarlett Johansson. This is one of those actresses who went from obscurity to prominence in a very short amount of time. She started out with Ghost World and The Man Who Wasn’t There. She got four Golden Globe nominations for Lost in Translation, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, Match Point, and A Love Song for Bobby Long. She was in the underrated film The Island and in popular films He’s Just Not That Into You, The Prestige, and The Black Dahlia. She is a great actress, and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here and when she finally lands that elusive Oscar nomination.

Best performance of the decade: Lost in Translation

7. Uma Thurman. I couldn’t ignore my favorite actress. Basically, she is award-worthy for nearly every role she is given. Tarantino has said that she has the screen presence of a 1930s movie star. I totally agree. First, she did the period piece Vatel. Then she moved on to the underrated Tape, Chelsea Walls, and Kill Bill. She was the only memorable part of The Producers, Be Cool, and Paycheck. She was superb in Prime and the underappreciated The Life Before Her Eyes. Then her crowning work was not even a theatrical release, which was Mira Nair’s Hysterical Blindness. She didn’t quite have the decade she did in the ‘90s, but it was still among the best in the ‘00s.

Best performance of the decade: Hysterical Blindness

6. Laura Linney. Who doesn’t love Laura Linney? I seriously love every film she touches. You Can Count on Me, Mystic River, Love Actually, The Savages, Kinsey, John Adams, and The Squid and the Whale are all astonishing performances. She also has Breach, Ethan Hawke’s The Hottest State, Jindabyne, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. To be perfectly honest, I do not think she has ever given a bad performance.

Best performance of the decade: You Can Count on Me

5. Cate Blanchett. I may not be the most enthusiastic fan of her, but Cate Blanchett really is the next Streep. Check out this run she had this decade. She started off with the superb performance in The Gift. She moved on to Bandits, for which she should have been nominated for. She had the Lord of the Rings trilogy. She had the quality smaller films The Shipping News, Stories of Lost Souls, Veronica Guerin, Heaven, and Coffee and Cigarettes. Add in Little Fish, Babel, The Life Aquatic, Ponyo, and Benjamin Button, along with her nominated performances in I’m Not There, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Aviator, and Notes on a Scandal, she basically wrapped up one of the best decades imaginable. The only things holding her back are The Missing, Notes, and Elizabeth, all of which are among the worst films of their respective years. She was great in all of them, but the films were just disastrous.

Best performance of the decade: Bandits

4. Ziyi Zhang. I haven’t seen all of her work, but from what I have seen, I can honestly say that Ziyi Zhang is one of the best actresses working today. With work that ranges from Crouching Tiger, Hero, and House of Flying Daggers to Memoirs of a Geisha and 2046, she has proven that she can outclass the biggest stars in any language. Throw in several other acclaimed performances in films like The Banquet and Jasmine Flower, along with a refreshing and funny turn in Rush Hour 2, then you have a resume that can stand up with any during the past 10 years.

Best performance of the decade: Memoirs of a Geisha

3. Patricia Clarkson. This one might surprise some people. I have been a fan of hers for a long time. She is always in quality films, and she always brings an incredible amount of humanity to her roles that place her among the most compelling actresses in the business. With a filmography that ranges from The Pledge to Dogville to Miracle to Lars and the Real Girl, her talent and creativity is vast. Her year in 2003 was incredible, featuring All the Real Girls, The Safety of Objects, and Pieces of April. She was also a highlight in Vicky Christina Barcelona, Whatever Works, and Far from Heaven. Add in Elegy and Married Life, and you have as complete of a decade as any.

Best performance of the decade: Far from Heaven

2. Kate Winslet. Oh, how I adore Kate Winslet. Tied for the most nominations in the decade (along with Dame Judi Dench), she put together a run of films that rivals any run during this period. With Quills and Iris, she proved that she was on top of her game from the beginning. Eternal Sunshine, Finding Neverland, and Little Children kept her in the Oscar mix throughout. Smaller efforts like John Turturro’s Romance and Cigarettes and The Life of David Gale proved that she can do anything. She even threw in a sweet romantic comedy with The Holiday. Then she closed out the decade with Revolutionary Road and her long-awaited Oscar-winning role in The Reader. Now she has planned a Farrelly Brothers comedy and a miniseries based on Mildred Pierce. I can’t wait.

Best performance of the decade: Quills

1. Meryl Streep. What is there to say about Meryl Streep that hasn’t been said? She is on a run unlike anyone her age ever. Starting off the decade, she had AI, The Hours, and Adaptation. Then she had some of her best work in Angels in America. Prime, The Manchurian Candidate, A Prairie Home Companion, and Lemony Snicket all earned her acclaim. She was nominated for Doubt, The Devil Wears Prada, and eventually Julie & Julia. Lions for Lambs is extremely underrated. Fantastic Mr. Fox is among the best films of 2009, and It’s Complicated and Mamma Mia earned her Golden Globe nods. Who else could garner Oscar buzz for simply appearing in a film? No one. That’s right.

Best performance of the decade: Adaptation