My Favorite Actresses

The Very Top of the list. I'm crushing on her, I've interacted with her, and she's an excellent performer.

I started watching Lost Girl solely because I found her part to be so incredibly enjoyable. Whenever her character wasn't in a scene, I switched off. In the middle of a dark Buffy-CSI SyFy drama, her gothic pixie personality is an absolute delight. She lights up every scene she's in, and acts like a sister to Bo. The show itself may roll a few eyes, but her performance alone makes it a personal favorite.

She's also a wonderful human being who I had the privilege of seeing at this tiny rock show in LA. She spent the whole set cheering the band on and taking photos to help give them exposure. Seeing that, it didn't feel right to go "Holy crap! You're Ksenia Solo! I friggin' love you!" and make the moment about her rather than the band she was working so hard to support.

Lastly, she's the most beautiful person I've ever seen on the planet. Not pretty like supermodel or pretty like "girl next door". Beautiful like a statue of Aphrodite. Never been so rocked to the core by a person.

The only Hollywood actresses I can say has been my friend. For one glorious day, I met her at a charity event and we were best buds. She gave free hugs and convinced me to send a video valentine to a friend of mine back home whom I affectionately referred to as "Tam Tam" (one of her character's nicknames in Lost Girl, which she loved that we used). She is so explosively warm and friendly, I think she may be one of the best people on earth.

She is the first and only line of dialogue from 50 Shades of Grey that is worth remembering; "Mr. Grey will see you now". And for someone so adept at playing intense and hostile and sharply vicious; she's an absolute sweetheart of a person.

I love The Middle, and Sue Heck is a big part of the reason why. Forget adorable, she's hilariously awkward on every level. So optimistic, so full of hope and energy; you can't help but love her, because the entire world is against her. But she's a fighter, even though she really doesn't look like one. I predict she will amount to great things someday, and no one will notice. Keep on fighting, Sue! Go for it Eden!

Really, that drive is what draws you in. As any 8 year old will quote for you, life is hard. Let's be honest, life often sucks. Life likes to take a sh*t on us for fun. It's enough to get us all down. The universe seems to have taken a special interest in trying to dump on this girl, she never seems to catch a break with anything. But to see her keep pushing and smiling like she knows it will all work out in the end; you really start to pray for her that it will turn out right. So many of us give up because of the sh*t life throws at us; but to see this young woman go through all this and stay smiling, if anyone deserves a break, it's her. Especially because it takes so little to make her happy.

We'll always be struggling, but Sue deserves a happy ending.

Not a greatly well-known actress, she is more of a personal encounter story.

Amber is mostly (if not exclusively) known for her role in Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Tara, Willow's (Alyson Hannigan's) girlfriend in the middle seasons. She was unfortunately killed off and left acting later on. A friend of mine from college is a big Buffy fan and has spent a great deal of her life being mistaken for Amber, which she loves. While in LA, she was doing a book signing for the first book in her newest series, so I decided to drop by and get my friend an autographed book to watch her head explode.

Amber.... showed up over an hour early, unannounced, to chat with people and look around the store. We talked about the weather, the East Coast, and then my friend, whom she was delighted to meet. It took an hour to get the video call up, but Amber would check in now and then between conversations to see how it was going. When I finally got it up, she and my friend had a great conversation. Well, Amber had a great conversation, my friend mostly just squeaked fangirl sounds of amazement and happiness at meeting her. Priceless.

Amber had everyone say hi to her over the video call during her reading. Which she kicked butt in, by the way. Not just robotically reading her words, she was doing voices, adding dramatic pauses, and getting into her work. One of my most fulfilling experiences in LA.

Lastly, she seems to be one of those celebrities who just doesn't photograph well. She's exceptionally pretty and nice in person, which photos never seem to be able to get across. Says something about the superficiality of photos and press, I suppose.

I really liked Ginger Snaps (if I haven't made that abundantly clear on all my other lists). In particular the two leads. I'm upset they haven't seen more success. Katharine in particular, she did a fantastic job at being so much more than just eye candy. But her next highest career point seems to be Freddy vs Jason as one of the throwaway characters, which really upsets me. Apparently part of her problem is that she refuses to do nude scenes. Wait, what? How is that a problem? That's called personal integrity. I wish more actresses had it.

Great fortune came her way with American Mary. It's strange to think two filmmakers could have an opportunity to work with an actor they've admired since they were teenagers.... when the actress is barely 30. Still, glad to see others see her greatness.

The most distinctive and addictive quality about Katharine is her delivery. She manages to find dry humor in any scene, no matter how serious, dramatic, or deeply disturbing. Even in Hannibal opposite Mads Mikkelsen's magnetic and irresistible performance she snuck in smiles, jabs, and flirts. She's the only one who can get away with it on that show. She's still quite young but already has over a hundred credits on her acting resume, which is quite an impressive feat. And she always makes me laugh, which is an inexhaustible talent.

My favorite comedy actress of all time. Just putting that out there, that is my gut feeling, and I am powerless against it. Describing her is hard, but I think Roger Ebert did it best, he described her as a young woman who acts as if she was raised properly; no trailer, smelly apartment, or anything like that. Raised like a proper young lady to know exactly what is right and what is horribly inappropriate, which is what allows her to catch us off guard so well. She knows exactly what she should and should not say, which gives her an insurmountable edge against people who think they know her better than she knows them. Be wary, she always smiles, particularly when she's saying something shocking. She jumps from topic to topic with very little warning.

But besides her comedy, there is also a real person with real problems and real feelings. There's a scene in Wreck-it Ralph where her character gives a quick summation of her lonely life story to Ralph; she doesn't say a whole lot, but every word feels so true and emotional that you understand Sarah herself has plenty of issues like anyone else. Her whole character may be cute and even annoying at times, but her emotional moments are so powerful it really opens your eyes to the side of Sarah Silverman we never see.

Plus, have you ever met anyone more blunt? Tact is for people who can't be Sarah Silverman.

More than any other actress, I have a crush on Amanda. Pretty, talented; and my god, she has the singing voice of an angel! Furthermore, I enjoy the way she can play innocent and fragile or dark and sexy.

She has a somewhat small part in Les Mis (or she isn't featured as predominantly as several of the other actors/actresses), but she fills the role of Cosette instantly. Beautiful, delicate, angelic; you want her to be protected, and you want her to find love. The person she does fall for was the biggest disappointment in Les Mis for me; I didn't think he was good enough for her. I've since come to understand that in my eyes, NO ONE is good enough for her.

I've liked her for a while, although her acting chops could be hit or miss. First noticed her in Live Free or Die Hard; she was far from your typical little hostage. Girl had more bite than anyone in that movie. Enjoyed her (and everyone else) in Scott Pilgrim. What really won her over for me was The Thing prequel. She's fantastic in it, and I absolutely recommend it.

These days, she's taking on some more serious roles. I hoped Smashed could help put her more on the map for people, but it seems she's still at work finding recognition. Honestly though, that seems to be the place where artists find their best performances, so yay!

Yes, I'm a big Harry Potter fan. That should be enough description for what initially got me interested in her; here's a little more. Perks of Being a Wallflower, that movie you don't need to describe to people. When you've seen it, you know what I mean when I think about her in it. Relatable and unattainable like a true crush.

Then there's her words and actions on behalf of the unheard or neglected. She's one of those rare people who is as magical on the screen as off the screen. Smart and sincere, and talented to boot.

A big part of the reason I got into House, her and Hugh Laurie. Really, it was how smart she seemed and how well she could see through to the heart of things that I admired. That, and the first time you see her, you have to ask yourself "who was THAT?". She is addicting and always enjoyable. I look forward to seeing her in the foreseeable future.

Olivia's been keeping very busy these days. I try and see each of her movies, no matter how small a part she has in it. I find her that much fun to watch. I think she has a great career ahead of her.

Something about those eyes....

Loved her first role in Leon: The Professional, and things went up from there. V for Vendetta and Black Swan are my favorites with her. Black Swan in particular really brought out a lot from her. She played so fragile and then so terrifyingly beautiful, and then back again.

She can reach down and find a darkness one wouldn't suspect her of having. Find it and unleash it in a ferocious display.

The Princess Bride and Forrest Gump. Princess Buttercup and Jenny Curan. Two characters absolutely worlds apart from anything we'd seen before, two unbelievable performances, two characters I will never forget. Either of them would put her on my list. Together, she's one of my favorite actresses of all time.

I'm a big HIMYM fan and she's my favorite part of American Pie. Adorable and sweet, but I love when she goes psychotic! I could watch HIMYM for just her and Jason Segel. And Neil Patrick Harris, of course.

Now that I'm finally watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, all my points are even more supported. She isn't an Oscar-rank actress, she's not someone you turn to when you want a gripping performance. She's just a veritable ray of sunshine and fun energy in every scene she's in. She brings life to the screen. There's a lot of times when we need that more than another white-knuckle Oscar drama.

Saw her in Up in the Air with my Mum. I was dragged along to go see it, didn't really know what it was about. I ended up liking it quite a lot. She was my favorite character. New, fresh from school, trying to put a number to everything, naive but well-meaning. She was also hilarious for her few scenes in Scott Pilgrim. Looking forward to more from her, she seems like an actress with a lot of range and ability.

She played a small but effective part in End of Watch. At first I worried her part was too small for her to really make an impact in a movie so driven and engaging (mostly because of its two leads), but the scene with her playing with Brian's camera after they been dating shortly slides her into the world of the film like a perfect piece of the puzzle. She may not be important to the plot, but we like her, and we feel like she is the right person for Brian. Any one of us would want a girl like this on our arm.

She seems like someone who would be sisters with Emma Watson (minus the accent). I'd give my right arm to see a movie with the two of them playing sisters.

I never watched Blossom.

I only met her on the Season 3 finale of the Big Bang Theory, and I wanted to hate her so much. She was supposed to be Sheldon's girlfriend, an irrational concept. But as Season 4 went on, she grew to become one of my favorite characters. In the years since then, she's become an instrumental piece of the show, bridging the gap between the nerd world of the boys and reality. One foot in both, but belonging completely in neither.

She is a hilarious middle ground between crazy people like Sheldon and well... the rest of the world. Her "besty" relationship with Penny is one of my favorite additions to the show. What makes her the most interesting character in the show currently is the fact that she is the character who is trying to change. The other characters rarely deviate from certain paths and mindsets, but Amy is on a constant journey to explore uncharted territory, and with a character like hers, there is no lack of funny situations to put her in.

Misery is my favorite Stephen King novel, and Rob Reiner's Misery is one of my favorite Stephen King movies. Kathy Bates is the main reason. She's so kind and thoughtful and motherly, but once you see how unstable she really is, those sweet moments start to freak you out, because you never know when she'll have a radical change. You can see precursors to some of Fletcher's terrifying demeanor in Whiplash.

Even outside of Misery, she's always a fantastic addition to any movie (except North, yeah). She plays characters that never disappear into the background, no matter how small they may be. She's has a commanding screen presence and funny dry wit. You gotta admire the woman who won't be ignored or pushed to the side.

I actually saw Bridesmaids really late. I adore Mike & Molly. I watched the premier because it seemed like a nice show. It was, and I loved the characters. I loved the feeling of honesty it had, these were real people in a real relationship.

When I saw Melissa delivering the Emmy nominations on TV, I was as surprised as anyone (including Melissa) when her name was called. I rooted for her during the Emmys, but thought she would have a hard time getting any sort of recognition amongst some of the women up for the award, It was only the first season of the show, and it wasn't exactly a groundbreaking program. When she won, I screamed. I can't believe our little Molly beat out Tina Fey and Amy Poehler!

I cried during a comedy scene between her and Sandra Bullock in The Heat; it was that funny. Then there was her SNL 40th anniversary appearance, returning the late Chris Farley to life. Movies like Identity Thief, Tammy, and Spy have proven Melissa is every bit as talented as a comedy A-lister (in actuality she's significantly more talented than most A-list comedy actors). It's so hard to believe, but she may be the funniest woman on the planet even if her movies don't do as well. Her timing is great, original material fast & furiously raucous, and she is a master of comedy physicality like hasn't been seen since Chris Farley. I friggin' love this lady!

#3 on my personal list of great child actors. I loved her in Signs and Little Miss Sunshine. It was also fun watching her put Woody Harrelson in tears in Zombieland. Her must-see movie is Maggie, with Arnold Schwarzenegger. They have scenes that feel so heartfelt and sincere, you completely forget that Arnold is a 60-something Austrian man pretending to be the father to a 16-year old American girl. They just feel like a father and daughter.

Admittedly, I'm mostly a fan of Orphan. Truth be told, I don't need anything else. She frikin' terrified me in Orphan. She made Damien and Regan look like Annie.

She also brings that incredible level of aggression and evil to The Hunger Games, even though we don't see too much of her. I still twitch whenever I see her in movies (or interviews).

Isabelle is my favorite actor/actress under 20. I was disappointed to hear the remake for Suspiria with her was cancelled, but it does kinda make sense that it wouldn't be about the acting or dialogue as much as just visuals. I'm trying eagerly to find another project to follow her in. Maybe I'll get into Masters of Sex, word around town is that it's really good, and both Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan have stood out to me.

I enjoyed her in Let Me In long before I saw Kick Ass. I still prefer it. I look forward to a whole lot of great performances by her. She can be sweet, caring, bloodthirsty, and psychotic; distinctively. She is definitely making a name for herself as one of the most prominent child actors right now. She also did a fantastic job in Hugo. I might see Dark Shadows just to watch her with Johnny Depp.

I worry Hollywood may be asking too much of her and trying to make her too big of a star too fast. Let the kid grow up a little!

It's funny, but I don't think she was meant to be a typical Hollywood leading lady. Something about her feels a bit more.... average, than a lot of other child stars. She doesn't seem like a sexualized Barbie Doll, more like a neighborhood kid with attitude. Even with all her exposure, she hasn't lost her charm yet. I hold firm that the kid deserves some time to grow up and enjoy her childhood.

Saw her on House, then in Super 8. Super 8 was what really won me over. In particular the little scene at the train station where they have her rehearse her lines. Holy crap.

I saw her most recently in We Bought a Zoo. I was happily surprised at first (hadn't looked into the movie enough to know she was in it), but then a little disappointed when I noticed that 90% of her screen time is her smiling and giggling. She can do so much more.

A day is going to come when the world will realize she's utterly fascinating on the screen. The day will come!

First saw her on HIMYM when she collected sock monkeys and beat Ted's ass into the ground after he broke up with her. But what really made me her fan was her performance as Amber "Cutthroat B*tch" Volakis on House. She was aggressive, manipulative, willing to go to any means to win, and my god was it funny watching her verbally spar with House. I hope I get to see more of her in other things. Imdb lists her as an actress from White Chicks; I pray to God she gets some better movies in the future.

Her roles continue to be sparse, but her sharp wit and hard-hitting demeanor haven't lost any of their bite. It's worth working a little to find a good movie with her in it.

Only seen her in a few episodes of House, but I like her already. She isn't quite as unrealistic as some of the more pretty-face doctors House has worked with (no offense to any of them), and she doesn't seem aggressive enough to be able to keep up with House. I believe that is her charm. She has enough self-confidence that she will voice her opinion when no one else would listen, even if she knows people won't listen. But she has an excellent head on her shoulders, which I believe House is starting to notice as well. Also, part of me hopes that she will punch House at some point.

She seems a bit more focused on behind the camera work than on-camera work, but she's wonderfully silly when she wants to be.

I'm a fan of her work as Rogue in X-Men, but my favorite moment of hers was in Trick 'R Treat. I won't give it away, but let's just say it's wild. I don't watch True Blood, although I'm considering watching The Piano. She seems to fall perfectly into both critics' and moviegoers' circles seamlessly, an impressive task. I'm still trying to figure out how she does it.

I just like her. She does a good job, she adds energy to all her parts without ever playing things over-the-top, she's an all-around effective actress in any role or genre. She flows into a film without disturbing the atmosphere around her, like a great actor should.

I love the range she has; I've seen her be motherly, psychotic, rich, poor, role model and fantastic creation of strangeness. My favorite movies with her are probably The King's Speech and Big Fish. And while I haven't seen some of her other movies, I love what I have seen of her in them from clips and quotations.

Wild and reckless with an air of sophistication to give it a distinct taste, Helena Bonham Carter is a national treasure.

Zoe has an Honorable Mention because if I'd made this list a few years ago, she'd have absolutely been on it. For the tiny amount of time we saw her in Pirates of The Caribbean, she was my favorite character after Jack and Barbossa. Yes, she was in Pirates of the Caribbean. I did enjoy her in Avatar as well, particularly when she let her inner animal out. But these days, it seems like Hollywood is trying to make her another sex symbol with roles like Columbiana. I don't like that. I hope we can get to see more good roles for her in the future, less unoriginal knockoffs. Even the new Star Trek film did seem to focus a little too much on that. Fortunately, Guardians of the Galaxy might help her continue branching out into different roles. She seems like someone who can avoid getting tied down to one project or even franchise.

I loved Ginger Snaps, and the girls who carried it were the main reason. I loved the ever-unbalancing Ginger, but the worried Brigitte was my favorite character. Honestly, she was a major screen crush for me for a long time.

She just felt like a whole new kind of dark and brooding. She cares for her sister, and she tries to fix things, even with blood on her own hands. I regret that there aren't many other movies that feature her prominently, but there are the Ginger Snaps sequels. I think those might actually be enough for me. Even if I'm alone in my appreciation for her, it's heartfelt and hasn't faded with time.

An up-and-comer I know from The Big Bang Theory as the lovable Bernadette. One of the shortest actresses I have ever seen, she's adorable! She's also hilarious, I love the high-pitched chirp she uses on TBBT, as well as when she does her impression of Howard's mother. Still, I can't help but think she deserves better.

Her sick voice is also the single funniest thing I've ever heard. Imagine this little girl making bedroom talk with the voice of one of those 55 year old ladies who have chain-smoked since they were 10. I hurt myself laughing.

A recent addition who I swore I wouldn't add because I felt that people were only ever watching her for her (rocking) body. Then I started watching a little Modern Family. What won me over was the Season 3 Christmas episode. She delivers a little epilogue at the end that really touched me. That little epilogue changed my entire view of her as an actress. It wasn't overly melodramatic or contrived, wasn't forced, and also wasn't the kind of epilogue that they just seemed to give to her to say. It was a touching little piece that felt straight from her character's heart. I swore I wouldn't add someone like her unless they really earned it, and she blew me away.

Having had time to watch her in other shows and movies, I've come to admire her even more. She has a natural sense of wonder and excitement that ups the energy for every scene she's in, and brings out the best in other actors and actresses.

I'm a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia films, and Lucy was always my favorite. Particularly during The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; she proved she is more than just the cute, childlike sister. She has feelings and concerns and problems and character. I really hope to see more of her, outside of Narnia.

Particularly in The Office. Smart, down-to-earth, helps anchor things to some semblance of reality. The show is always funnier when she's there, whether she's involved or just sitting there staring. Her and Jim are a perfect match for quietly screwing with the crazy people. At the same time, she also feels like an actress with a lot more to offer, like many of the actors/actresses on that show. At the same time, I think she also has a lot more to offer, comedy and otherwise.

Yes she's the model for sweet and even homely (which she turns into a great compliment). Really, she makes being yourself seem like your best quality. In her own little way, she's changed all of us.

This is somewhat of a weird choice for me because I've seen almost none of Maya's work. I don't watch SNL much at all, or most of the shows she's been involved in. But every now and then I catch glimpses of her. And she kills me. I can't quite describe it, but she just kills me. I'm at a loss for words with regards to describing her comedic style, because I haven't watched it enough to really start to pick up on her particular method; but the one thing I always feel when I watch her is that this is a woman who just has an instinctual knowledge of what is funny. Her actual material may be hit or miss, but she just seems like a friendly and very funny person. I like that about her.

Also, she's a fantastic singer.

A fantastic actress on the rise, with near-endless possibilities ahead for her. First saw her in The Devil Wears Prada (yes, I saw The Devil Wears Prada). She carries a kind of professionalism and realism that makes her stand out in any movie. At the same time, I think my favorite moments of hers are when she does cut loose.

Clearly I am not the only one who thinks she's awesome and amazing in any way. She's like the Edward Norton of actresses. We've seen her in far fewer movies than we think we have, but she's made such an endearing effect on us that we act like we watch everything she's in.

Charm, composure, talent, humor, what more can an actor desire?

As Kim in Scott Pilgrim vs The World, she brought down the house with every word that crawled out of her deadpan expression; then kicked out the jams and showed everyone he rocker core. As Maggie in The Newsroom, she manages to be at the center of everything without having any actual power. She is hopeful, talented, and recognized; although even the interns have more influence than she does. In Goon, she's somewhere between the comedically bipolar Kim and realistic-but-stressed Maggie. Kind and friendly, but also very aware of her own weaknesses and failures.

No matter what Miss Pill is in, I always love her. Whether her true talent lies in comedy or drama, deadpan or outrageous emotion; she has a lot to bring to the table in any movie fortunate enough to have her.

Here's someone who made quite an entrance into the comic book movie scene. Within 10 seconds of glimpsing her in the trailers for The Wolverine, I distrusted her. Within 10 minutes of meeting her in The Wolverine, I began praying to the comic book Gods we would get to see more of her.

She plays a character who is remarkably well-rounded for a comic book character, particularly given her comic-counterpart isn't a very essential character in any version of the series. She's young and energetic, with a deep sense of honor and tradition that she can tap into when the situation calls for it. Her car is messy and she likes to wear boots and "Where's Waldo" striped shirts, and she hangs on to Wolverine like a doting but independent little sister.

It's hard not to fall in love a character like that. And for an actress so young with so little experience before this film; she certainly made an impression on me. I have high hopes for Miss Fukushima. Except now that Days of Future Past has happened, The Wolverine has never happened, and we may never see her again. God friggin' damn it.

I'm going to admit my sins here and now and say that Pacific Rim was the first film of hers I saw. I know now she is an Academy-Award nominated actress, the first asian actress to be nominated in 50 years, and was nominated for a role that featured almost no dialogue (not just no english dialogue; no dialogue *period*). She is clearly a phenomenally talented actress, and I should be ashamed at only knowing her for a Giant Monster/Giant Robot blockbuster film.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let my individual praise begin. In an IMAX film that featured giant kaiju monsters duking it out with 2,500 ton mechs, as well as two of my favorite actors (Charlie Day and Ron Perlman); I could not take my eyes off this amazing woman the moment she came on screen. Every second she's on camera she just grabs you, you can't look away and you don't want to.

As that Oscar nomination shows, she can dominate a scene even when she isn't the main focus of attention. Subtlety in her expressions and reactions, and a fantastic understanding of herself; I have a lot to learn about this wonderful performer, but I am eager to start trying.