Amy’s Favorite 100 Actresses
6. Tabu (IN, ’71)
I’ve wondered whether Tabu is a product of the time she’s lived in. She’s got quite an unconventional film selection that goes from very draining films in the middle of her career, to very silly (yet popular) work early on, eyebrow-rising movies, to lighter fare later on. Her evolution has been quite outstanding, despite some of the cultural constrains that the roles that are available to her within India.
I wonder if she were younger and had started her career later on, would she have carved the same path in film as someone like Vidya is doing? Or maybe she would’ve gone completely off course from film. Or she’ll be the person that she is through and through and followed a similar career history to the one she’s on now.
5. Maggie Cheung (HK, ’64)
I see… a LOT of similarities between Maggie Cheung and Tabu, career-wise. Both started their careers with entertainers- Maggie did so with Hong Kong action flicks. She’s been cute, funny, sorta… butt-kicking, dramatic, fierce, heart-breaking, seductive, mysterious and mad complex in a career that expands two or three decades.
Hollywood fame isn’t alluring to her, not because she looks down on it… but she’s just not offered roles that she’s interested in playing, because she doesn’t want to repeat herself and she doesn’t want to cheat us with her film choices. There’s a lot to be admired. It’s been nearly ten years since her last proper role. Somebody please write an amazing role to get her out of that self-imposed movie break.
Why Isn’t Maggie Cheung a Hollywood Star? is still the best article on her.
4. Gong Li (CN, ’65)
After Hollywood, Gong Li took a break… but she’s back on that horse. Gong’s career is the inverse of Cheung! She started out with very serious stuff that may or may have not gotten her in some trouble alongside Zhang Yimou, and has started working on some more commercial flare because not everything has to be a Hong Kong action flick…
After playing peasants, she’s allowed to be regal and glamorous~
Also! Gong Li is back with Zhang Yimou and that just trumps all.
great list! You even included more than a few I had forgotten to suggest!
@Diandra Rodriguez, and more names started popping up after I settled for the photos. Namely… Anna Kendrick xD and Vera Farmiga.
Well, #1 is a surprise that comes from nowhere.
@Ghost Writer, I was a little surprised myself.