People of 2009: Actresses

26 December 2009

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Ok so yesterday we took a look at some of the best performances by actors on the big screen over the last twelve months and today it's the turn of the ladies.

Yes there have been a string of outstanding performances for some of Hollywood's biggest names, and it's nice to see the British in there mixing it with the American talent.

Kate Winslet

It may have taken her six attempts but with The Reader Kate Winslet finally got her hands on the Oscar that has eluded her for so long.

Of course it was for her performance in The Reader back at the beginning of the year in which she took on the role of Hanna Schmitz, a woman who has an affair with Michael Berg, a 15-year-old boy in 1950s Germany.

They spend their brief romance alternately making love and focusing on literature, with Michael reading everything from Chekov to Homer to his lover. Soon, Hanna abruptly disappears, and Michael returns to his normal life.

Almost a decade later, Michael is studying law, when he sees Hanna again; she is on trial for her crimes as an S.S. guard during the war. Michael is torn between a desire for justice and his knowledge of a secret that may save Hanna

The Reader was a thoughtful and engaging movie that drew you in without, at any point, telling us what to think.

And Winslet turns in an excellent performance as Hanna who finds herself doing things during a time of war that she wouldn't have expected herself doing. The Reader is a perfect, yet not in your face, look at actions done during the war.

Winslet's performance was a sure fire Oscar nomination and she had a great award's season picking up gongs at the Bafta's, Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild before taking home the big prize of the Oscar.

Also this year the actress reunited with Leonardo DiCaprio for Sam Mendes' movie Revolutionary Road.

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams' star has been rising over the last couple of years and 2009 has been a very busy and very successful year for the actress.

She returned to the big screen earlier this year with the big screen adaptation of hit BBC drama State of Play.

She joined Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren and Ben Affleck in the political thriller that topped the American box office.

Cal McCaffrey is an old-school-style journalist working for the Washington Globe. He begins to investigate the death of a young woman who was the research assistant and mistress of his friend Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), an ambitious congressman whose career is likely ruined when his affair is revealed.

Joined by young political blogger Della Frye (McAdams), Cal races against time and deadlines to solve the murder, which may be only a small part of a much larger crime.

You have only got to read the cast list and see who is behind the camera to realise that this is going to be a classy film with twists, turns and intrigue of the highest order.

And it really doesn't disappoint as the director's ability, great cast and brilliantly written script all come together to produce one of the best thrillers of 2009.

There was a change of pace for the actress next as she took on The Time Traveler's Wife in the role of Clare Abshire.

And it's yet another genre change for her new movie Sherlock Holmes, which sees her team up with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.

Rachel McAdams stars as Irene Adler, the only woman ever to have bested Holmes and who has maintained a tempestuous relationship with the detective.

Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt is another British actress who's 2009 has gone incredibly well. Building on her roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Charlie Wilson's War the actress landed her first lead role in The Young Victoria.

The Young Victoria focuses on the early, and often turbulent years, of Victoria’s rule from fighting off her family’s desire to halt her right to the throne to be crowned at the tender age of eighteen.

Those early years sees the young Queen learn her role as monarch and what is expected of her as well as her legendary relationship with Albert.

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