Curated playlist

English film actresses

Keira KnightleyKeira Knightley stood on a plank for two days and refused a stunt double.
Kate WinsletKate Winslet pleaded for the part of Rose in James Cameron's Titanic while he still preferred Claire Danes and Gwyneth Paltrow. She told the director that she was Rose, and she could not see why he was seeing anyone else. The plea worked.…
Elizabeth TaylorAfter Rock Hudson said he was dying of AIDS, Elizabeth Taylor helped found a research foundation in 1985.
Rachel WeiszRachel Weisz first made headlines in 1984 by saying no. She was a teenage model who had started working at the age of 14, and she turned down an offer to star in King David opposite Richard Gere. The British actress, born on the 7th of…
Olivia ColmanOlivia Colman was born Sarah Caroline Colman, and she had to give up that first name before her career properly began. The actors' union Equity already had a Sarah Colman on its books, so the newcomer needed another. She took the name of a…
Julie ChristieJulie Christie turned down roles that won other actresses Oscar nominations. She also retreated to a farm in Wales.
Emma WatsonEmma Watson was nine years old when she attended the first of eight auditions for the role of Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. Her only acting experience came from school plays, and she had no experience in front of a film…
Charli XCXCharli XCX once drew about 37,000 RSVPs to a single club set in Brooklyn, and only 400 of those people were allowed inside. The set was called PARTYGIRL, and it took place on the 22nd of February 2024. It was her second Boiler Room set…
Judi DenchJudi Dench won an Oscar for a role that lasted about eight minutes. She played Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love.
Rosamund PikeRosamund Pike, the English actress and producer, was turned down by every stage school she applied to. She went on to win a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress. Between those two points lies a career built on women who are hard to…
Julie AndrewsJulie Andrews sang on a beer crate as a child. She needed it to reach the microphone in wartime variety shows.
Florence PughFlorence Pugh insisted on jumping from the top of Merdeka 118 herself, with no stunt double, while making Thunderbolts in 2025. Marvel Studios was reluctant at first because of insurance concerns. Pugh kept pressing, and after…
Anya Taylor-JoyAnya Taylor-Joy was born in Miami on the 16th of April 1996, in a city her parents were only visiting on vacation. She calls her birth there a "fluke". That accident gave her American citizenship. She nevertheless grew up in Buenos Aires…
Helen MirrenDame Helen Mirren was born Ilyena Lydia Mironoff on the 26th of July 1945, at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in the Hammersmith district of London. Neither the first name nor the surname on that record would last. The woman who…
Petula ClarkPetula Clark's photo was plastered on British Army tanks as a good-luck charm. She was a child singer during the Blitz.
Helena Bonham CarterHelena Bonham Carter applied to King's College, Cambridge, and the college said no. She was rejected "because officials were afraid that she would leave mid-term to pursue an acting career." The fear was well founded. Born in 1966, she…
Lily AllenIn the months before her debut album, almost nobody outside her record label's A&R department knew who Lily Allen was. Even so, 500 limited edition 7-inch vinyl copies of her song "LDN" were rush-released, and they resold for as much as…
Emily BluntEmily Blunt is a British actress who earned an extraordinary compliment from Meryl Streep after the two worked together. Streep called her "the best young actress I've worked with in some time, perhaps ever". Praise like that can weigh…
Millie Bobby BrownIn 2018, Time magazine placed Millie Bobby Brown on its list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Nobody younger had ever appeared on it. That same year she became the youngest person ever appointed a UNICEF Goodwill…
Daisy RidleyDaisy Ridley was pulling pints at London pubs before she became Rey in Star Wars. She had been a total unknown.
Mia GothMia Goth played two roles in the 2022 slasher film X, including an elderly killer. The makeup chair took about 10 hours.
Emilia ClarkeEmilia Clarke could not say her own name in February 2011. A ruptured brain aneurysm had left her with aphasia.
Cynthia ErivoCynthia Erivo, whose surname is pronounced uh-REE-voh, belongs to a very small group. She has been nominated for an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. She has won every one of them except the Oscar. That set of four honors is known…