Have you ever scrolled through Netflix for hours on end only to end up rewatching your comfort classics? If you’re looking for some movies or shows to watch in place of these comfort classics, I have plenty of recs for you. In honor of Women’s History Month, check out the impressive filmographies of my top five favorite actresses!
1. Natalie Dormer
As a history fanatic, British actress Natalie Dormer is my all-time favorite star of historical films and dramas (and my first celebrity crush).
Some of her most notable appearances include “The Tudors “and “Game of Thrones.”
The former centers on the historical monarch Henry VIII and his six wives. Dormer offers a sympathetic portrayal of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, as an intelligent woman with agency in a male-dominated world.
In the latter, she plays Margaery Tyrell, an equally ambitious woman with an eye on the crown. With rumors circulating that Anne Boleyn inspired this fictional character, no better woman could have filled the role!
Not so fond of history? Check out Dormer’s role as Cressida in the young adult dystopian series “The Hunger Games” or as the lead in her passion project thriller “In Darkness.“
2. Lupita Nyong’o
A Mexican-Kenyan actress, Lupita Nyong’o is a beacon of feminism, anti-colorism and equal opportunity for all. Not to mention, she is a phenomenal actress!
Nyong’o appears as Nakia in “Black Panther” as a spy-turned-humanitarian leader, bringing the technologically flourishing kingdom of Wakanda to the global stage alongside her lover King T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman).
A sports drama and biography, “Queen of Katwe” captures the life story of Woman Candidate Master Phiona Mutesi, a premier chess player from Uganda. In the film, Nyong’o plays Nakku, Mutesi’s mother who struggles to make ends meet as a maize shopkeeper in Katwe, one of the slums in Kampala.
My personal favorite, though, is Nyong’o’s role as Adelaide Thomas in the psychological horror film “Us.” She again takes on the role of a mother, this time one willing to resort to great lengths to defend her young children. Thomas relives her childhood traumas when doppelgängers, or the so-called Tethered, terrorizes her family. Stick around for the plot twist ending and you’re sure to feel a chill down your spine!
3. Michelle Yeoh
As an Asian American woman (who shares the same name, no less), I am especially grateful for Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh’s contributions to the entertainment industry.
Fighting against racism and misogyny throughout her 40-year career, Yeoh has turned down degrading and stereotypical roles in favor of honoring her ethnic, racial and cultural identity.
She now boasts an extensive and diverse filmography, starring in a series of Asian and American action and martial arts films, the rom-com “Crazy Rich Asians,” the superhero film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and perhaps most notably, the absurdist comedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once.“
4. Jenna Ortega
One of the most popular Gen Z actresses across the country, Jenna Ortega has proven her talent and versatility time and time again.
I first discovered Ortega in the thriller series “You” which tells a twisted love story through the eyes of protagonist Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), a stalker and serial killer who seems entirely unaware of his wrongdoings. Ortega plays the role of Ellie Alves, the younger sister of a woman who becomes an unwitting victim of Goldberg’s plots.
In her earlier years, Ortega debuted in “Jane the Virgin” and spent some time as a Disney Channel actress. She has since shifted toward more horror-oriented roles, most notably in the horror-comedy series “Wednesday” as high school student and protagonist Wednesday Addams.
In the past two years, Ortega has also appeared in the fifth and sixth installments of the cult classic “Scream” series. In both films, she plays Tara Carpenter, one of Ghostface’s surviving victims.
5. IU (Lee Ji-Eun)
This wouldn’t be my article if I didn’t mention K-pop at least once, and I can’t just not mention South Korean media darling and premier actress IU (Lee Ji-Eun).
A successful singer-songwriter who broke into the film industry in 2011, IU has since appeared in some of the most popular Korean dramas in her home country.
In the historical fiction series “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” IU plays modern woman Go Ha-jin who switches bodies with a prince from Imperial Korea’s Goryeo dynasty. Throughout the series, Go Ha-jin finds love with the princes in her struggle to navigate this new world of politics.
Beyond that, IU also appears in the supernatural series “Hotel del Luna,” a drama that gradually unravels the mystery of the hotel and its workers. In this series, IU takes on the role of a ghostly hotel owner paying off debts from thousands of years ago.
“Persona” is a comparatively heavy anthology series where each of its four episodes contains double meanings, and in which IU plays herself. In the episode “Love Set,” IU competes for her father’s affections against an unwanted potential stepmother. The episode “The Collector” shows IU playing with men’s emotions and stealing their hearts, either figuratively or literally. In “Kiss Burn,” IU seeks vengeance on her friend’s abusive father, and in the final (and strongest) episode, “Walking at Night,” IU enters her lover’s dreams as a spirit, echoing themes of suicide and depression.
In an era of streaming, the sheer number of options right at your fingertips can be both a blessing and a curse. With spring break approaching quickly, this is your chance to break the cycle of indecision by celebrating these five experts of their craft!