There’s just something about the adrenaline rush of a good action movie. In a genre often dominated by male actors, not only are parts scarce for females, but sometimes lacking in a compelling storyline; leading to box office flops and the justification for film studios to not support making action movies with female leads. After all, it is all about the all mighty dollar, right?
Thank goodness for the few, brave and the beautiful actresses who do manage to deliver compelling and consistent performances in action movies, or else movie goers wouldn’t get the opportunity to see any female representation in the genre. What brave few am I referring to; Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Blunt and Zoe Saldana, or the personally dubbed fantastic foursome, of course.
Angelina Jolie
Where would present day female action stars be right now if it weren’t for the reigning queen of action flicks, Angelina Jolie? Though the eldest of the fantastic foursome has focused more on dramatic roles and directing as of late, with a resume of notable action films like hers, Angelina Jolie is still the quintessential female action star. A path that seemingly was intentional on her part.
From her first role in the movie Cyborg 2, to her first leading role in the movie Hackers, it was clear that Jolie was intent on not playing the stereotypical damsel in distress. However, it wasn’t until her starring role in the Lara Croft movies that she cemented herself as a bona fide action star; winning industry praise and a badass status for performing her own stunts. After that, more action roles ensued such as Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Wanted and Salt, which also featured a more compelling dramatic storyline than the Lara Croft movies. We now know that Jolie was setting the stage to eventually transition into more dramatic roles and directing. Although, it is apparent she may never completely abandon her roots in action as evidenced in her latest role as the title character in the movie Maleficent, where Jolie portrayed a re-imagined version of the classic Disney villain.
Scarlett Johansson
Despite jumping into the action genre relatively recently, Scarlett Johansson has seemingly proven herself to be a worthy contender. After making her film debut in the comedy North as a child actor, Scarlett Johansson’s career was then propelled into a host of dramatic performances like Manny & Lo and The Horse Whisperer. Not long after her transition into more adult film roles, she made her action film debut in Iron Man 2 as the Marvel character Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff; a role that she would later reprise in the Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the upcoming movie Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Most recently, Johansson took her action movie stardom to a whole new level when she played the title character in the movie Lucy. Reminiscent of her predecessor and fellow fantastic foursome member Angelina Jolie, in the movie Lucy Johansson not only struts around and handles herself well in the few fight scenes she does have, but also manages to successfully carry the weight of the dramatic/sci-fi storyline without skipping a beat. I have a feeling we have yet to see what Johansson can do in the action genre.
Emily Blunt
Although Emily Blunt has spent much of her career playing roles that push the boundaries of what is considered an action film, her recent foray into more hardcore action films has undoubtedly earned her a seat at the table of female action stars and a member of the fantastic foursome. Specifically, it was her work in Looper and The Edge of Tomorrow that has put Blunt on the short list for several upcoming projects featuring a female action star.
True, it is too soon to tell what direction Emily Blunt’s career will go, but according to fans and Hollywood producers and directors there is much potential there. In fact, Blunt has turned down several action roles—such as Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2 and the lead female role in Captain America: The First Avenger—due to scheduling conflicts, that would have undeniably put her on our radar as an action star sooner. Recently there have also been talks that Blunt is being tapped to play Carol Danvers, the new Captain Marvel, in a film. Whatever comes of that, it is safe to say that Emily Blunt hasn’t played her last action role.
Zoe Saldana
Unlike other actresses in Hollywood, a look at the types of roles that Zoe Saldana has played would reveal a consistent level of physicality in many of her acting roles. Going all the way back to her first role in the movie Center Stage, in which she played a ballet dancer—which wasn’t a stretch given her previous dancing background—all the way to her most recent role in the Guardians of the Galaxy, Zoe Saldana was clearly on a path to becoming an action star.
In addition, and like other members of the fantastic foursome, Saldana has ventured into sci-fi as a result of dabbling in the action genre. Aside from her roles in movies like Takers and Colombiana, very few roles exist for females within the action genre and as a result, she has naturally taken on more sci-fi roles such as the ones she played in Avatar and the reboot Star Trek series of movies. Not that this is a bad thing, with the way her filmography continues to unfold, she is fast becoming not only one of the top female action stars, but also one of the more diversified actresses as well.