It wasn’t long ago that Hollywood thought nothing of the old archetype: the damsel in distress. Today, female characters in films, both small and large, are being given more to do than just scream for help. It seems so obvious in retrospect, but when you imbue a character with more to offer than just their role as an object of affection or attention, the story being told will be more robust.
The beauty of having better characters on screen is that you get to cast talented female actors to bring them to life. Hollywood has always had a surplus of amazing women with the chops to captivate audiences, but now, they’re being given more of an opportunity to showcase their skills with more interesting material. For this year’s Women’s History Month, we want to point out three of the amazing female actors who are seeking out interesting roles in order to produce more complex work that evolves cinema as entertainment and as an artform.
Angelina Jolie
Not only is she an Oscar winner, a Golden Globe winner, and a noted humanitarian, Angelina Jolie has often been named Hollywood’s highest-paid female actor. That’s important to note because in Hollywood, money talks! With her talent, Jolie has proven time and again that she can bring audiences into the theater. She sells tickets, and she’s compensated for it appropriately. Since her first leading role in 1995’s Hackers (“Hack the planet!”), Jolie has steadily conquered the entertainment industry, winning an Oscar for the film Girl, Interrupted and taking on giant film franchises like the Tomb Raider and Maleficent series. She’s also expanded her skillset, becoming a respected director in her own right. Jolie is a star, pure and simple.
Octavia Spencer
Since her film debut in 1996’s A Time to Kill, Octavia Spencer has been writing her own ticket to Hollywood superstardom. Starting as a set intern and casting assistant, she’s now received just about every accolade the industry has to offer, including an Oscar, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, three SAG Awards, three National Board of Review Awards, and two Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. And with lauded work in films like The Help, Fruitvale Station, and Hidden Figures, she has developed a reputation for picking the right scripts and filmmakers to work with. By pairing her undeniable talent with dynamic scripts and roles, Spencer has become one of the most revered actors in the industry. She is also an author, having published two books in her Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective series.
Stephanie Beatriz
While you most likely know her from her multi-year stint on the Fox and NBC comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Stephanie Beatriz is quickly making a name for herself on the big screen. Starting with her compelling turn in the indie feature The Light of the Moon, which won the Audience Award for a Narrative Feature at 2017’s South by Southwest Film Festival, she has cultivated her career by adding bigger and bolder projects to her résumé. Recently, she had a scene-stealing role in the film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights. And when the Mouse House came calling, Beatriz answered, starring as the lead in Disney’s Encanto. With a huge career lying in front of her, the actor is continuing to line up projects that stretch audiences’ perceptions of who she is and what she can do. While we may not “talk about Bruno,” we’re certainly going to be hearing a lot about Stephanie...