Ten Actresses that Should Move to Cable

It’s always been tough to be a working actress on the big screen. As you turn a little older, offers often seem to be linked to “being someone else’s mother.” But cable television seems to be becoming more and more attractive to not only writers – because they get to write more challenging stories and skip censors – but also to women who were movie actresses and have found new complex roles to take on.

Actresses like Mary-Louise Parker (two Golden Globes), Edie Falco (two Golden Globes), Toni Collette (one Oscar nomination), Glenn Close (five Oscar nominations), Anna Paquin (one Oscar), and Holly Hunter (one Oscar) can now be seen regularly on Showtime’s Weeds, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara, as well as FX’s Damages, HBO’s True Blood or TNT’s Saving Grace.

Add to this list of remarkable women Laura Linney (three Oscar nominations) for her newly picked-up comedy The Big C, which will be airing on Showtime this year.

Here’s 10 actresses from around the world that should get a show on cable – preferably, Showtime. Come on! Make it happen!

1. Maggie Cheung

Because I’ve done so many different roles, I don’t want to repeat myself. It’s getting harder and harder to find something interesting.” That’s what Maggie Cheung stated in an interview. So what could be better than to give her the reigns of a cable show to do as she pleases – especially if she could do it with Wong Kar-Wai at the helm.

Cheung has over 70 films under her belt, but she’s been out of the business since she became the first Chinese actress to win Best Actress at Cannes Film Festival for her role on Clean (2004). Give this woman a show on cable already, and people won’t be disappointed. Believe me, fans are dying to see her back.

2. Julianne Moore

Granted, Moore seems to be pretty busy with her children’s book, as well as the release of The Kids Are Alright and a couple more projects that are in production. However, it would be a great idea to give this four-time Oscar nominee her own cable show.

3. Juliette Binoche

After winning an Oscar for The English Patient in 1996, starring on Haneke’s Caché in 2005, and participating in over 40 films during her career, La Binoche has more than proved she’s a great actress. So imagine if she were given the chance to lead a cable series full of complex characters and situations.

If she can leave you wanting more after a 2-hour film, imagine watching her on what you could call 13 very intense hours of really great television.

4. Monica Bellucci

Bellucci’s got a few projects that are about to get released and that have just been announced. However, after such films as Irreversible, I could picture this Italian actress giving very intense performances on a show for HBO.

5. Kou Shibasaki

After playing insane Mitsuko on the cult hit Battle Royale (a favorite of Tarantino), Shibasaki has shown a broad range of talent throughout different genres. Give her a challenging role on a cable TV show, and you’ll see flocks of J-Film lovers lining up to get a subscription.

The rest of our list?

6. Laura Dern
7. Maribel Verdú
8. Gong Li
9. Miki Nakatani
10. Cecilia Roth

6 Responses

  1. I would watch more tv if Maggie Cheung, Gong Li and Monica Bellucci were on it.

  2. TOTALLY agree about Kou Shibasaki. I first saw her in Battle Royale. I LOVED her in Chakushin Ari/One Missed Call which, by the way, is my all time favorite film trilogy to date! Loved to see her in more~

    • yam magazine says:

      @MissNomelette, Shibasaki has the intensity to have a high-tension drama. Want to watch that now… the possibility of seeing her work once a week for 13 weeks is just too much awesome.

  3. amy says:

    Hmm, I wonder if Maggie Cheung is even interested in producing/directing her own stuff. She seems to be an actress through and through.

    With the resurgence of Nicole Kidman as a producer, I think she’d be a good choice for one of these things.

  1. August 27, 2013

    […] ago, YAM Magazine wanted to see Laura Dern moving to cable… and HBO provides that with Enlightened, a female-driven dramedy show that can easily hang […]

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