Promising young women in their best movie roles

Breaking out of prison is probably easier than breaking into Hollywood. La La Land is the stuff of dreams but it’s been built on the stuff of nightmares… the crushed souls of many aspiring actors who thought they had “it”. Whatever “it” is, typically it comes down to a combination of talent, luck, timing and, above all, perseverance.

It’s in the spirit of “keep on keepin’ on” and “don’t stop believin’” that we celebrate these rising stars. Sorry, risin’ stars. Here are just five promising young women who hitched their dreams to a shootin’ star, took the bull by the horns, the bullfighter by the cojones and said “I made it! Here I am.”

Promising Young Woman (Carey Mulligan)

Carey Mulligan is one of those rare talents whose acting is so nuanced and refined you sometimes forget she’s even there at all. It’s actually a massive compliment.

Her first significant role was in Pride & Prejudice… the one with Keira Knightley. Pouting prettily and sweet nothings aside, the actor has built a strong reputation on the back of solid and subtle performances in films like An Education, Drive, Far from the Madding Crowd, Suffragette and The Dig.

While a bit of a critically acclaimed wallflower, Mulligan has always been a promising young woman. This, ironically, is her loudest performance… teaming up with writer-director, Emerald Fennell, to deliver an iconic crime drama mystery thriller in the key of The Girl with the Unicorn Tattoo. She’s able to flaunt her tremendous range as med school drop out by day and vigilante temptress by night, Cassie.

According to Rod Stewart, “blondes have more fun”, and unfortunately Mulligan reinforces this notion with a spunky, impassioned all-out performance. Kitsch, eclectic, thrilling and wickedly funny, Promising Young Woman has a bold and fearless spirit carried forth by Carey Mulligan in full flight.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web (Claire Foy)

Accumulating experience through recurring roles and regular appearances on British TV series, Claire Foy’s acting career has been shared between television and film. 

Foy’s best known for her acclaimed and award-winning role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown. While a Nic Cage B-movie may not seem fit for any Queen, it’s where she broke into film as The Girl. Since then, Foy’s fostered a strong reputation with a string of solid performances in Unsane, Breathe and First Man.

Besides The Crown, her second most famous role finds her playing the definitive “The Girl”, young tattooed hacker Lisbeth Salander. David Lagercrantz’s sequel, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, carries the spirit of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy and demanded a film adaptation. A challenging role in a famed series, Foy became the third Lisbeth Salander after Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. (The first without an “oo” in her name.)

A cold and dark crime drama thriller, The Girl in the Spider’s Web finds Foy taking on her most action-oriented film role yet. While not the first person you’d think of for Salander, she owns the vigilante part, giving the character a tomboyish charm and gritty determination.

Wonder Woman 1984 (Gal Gadot)

Gal Gadot’s film career literally went from 0-100km/h in 2.9 seconds. An uncredited dancer in a TV series, she became Miss Israel and then landed the recurring role of Gisele in the Fast Saga. While she’s not planning on becoming Governor of California just yet, Gadot has become another fine example of the American Dream in action… and in action.

It’s no secret, her drop-dead gorgeous looks have spurred her career onto new heights, reprising her role as Gisele several times in Fast 5, Fast & Furious 6 and then in Furious 7. While the beloved box office blockbuster franchise put her on the map, Gadot’s picture-perfect face and real-life Amazonian proportions made it her destiny to play DC’s Diana Prince, better known as Wonder Woman.

Starting with Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Gadot branched out in Justice League before unleashing the definitive Wonder Woman. The equally spectacular Wonder Woman 1984 finds Diana wrestling with inner turmoil as she races to stop the fall out of a powerful artefact in the hands of a megalomaniac. A fun and entertaining sequel, Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins get the chance to conjure up the magic all over again.

The Glass Castle (Brie Larson)

Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers, better known as Brie Larson, has led an extraordinary life as an actor and recording artist in spite of sharing her stage name with a soft cheese.

Larson started making waves with noteworthy performances in Tanner Hall, Just Peck and Diablo Cody’s breakout drama series, The United States of Tara. The talented actor was first recognised for her outstanding work with a three-way nomination for Short Term 12, Don Jon and The Spectacular Now.

Like most actors in the DC and/or Marvel Universes, she’s become best known for her role as Captain Marvel. While Brie won an Oscar for her quietly powerful lead performance in Room, her most widely seen performances are the times she’s saved the day in Avengers: Endgame.

The stellar adaptation of The Glass Castle finds her playing Jeanette in a heartfelt biographical coming-of-age drama. From her character’s perspective, we journey with a young woman growing up in a dysfunctional family with an alcoholic father (Woody Harrelson). Larson adds a nuanced and seasoned turn to The Glass Castle, pushing off Harrelson’s kingpin performance to embroider the raw edginess of this nostalgic and haunting film.