The 10 Most Iconic Movie Actresses Of The 2000s

The new millennium marked a shift in the way audiences experienced cinema. Blockbusters became increasingly popular, and franchises began dominating the box office. Fantasy and comic book movies became more popular than ever, while computer animation marked the ending for the hand-drawn films of the Disney renaissance.

Indeed, the 2000s were a time of change, and a prestigious group of beloved and acclaimed actresses took advantage of it, defining the decade with their undeniable talent. Thanks to their unforgettable performances in numerous movies, these gifted ladies became household names, cementing their place in Hollywood history.

Halle Berry

Few actresses had a stronger start of the decade than Halle Berry. The actress became an audience favorite with her role in 2000’s X-Men before rising to the A-list following her Oscar win for 2001’s Monster’s Ball; to this day, Berry remains the only Black actress to win an Oscar for a leading performance.

In 2002, Berry played Jynx, one of the most badass Bond Girls, in Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as 007, Die Another Day. She received further commercial success with X-Men‘s two sequels, X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, and the 2004 supernatural thriller Gothika.

Scarlett Johansson

Nowadays, Scarlett Johansson is best-known for playing Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow, in the MCU. However, the actress has a long and acclaimed resumé that began as far back as the mid-90s. Johansson’s breakthrough came in 2003, thanks mainly to Sofia Coppola’s Oscar-winning comedy-drama, Lost in Translation.

Johansson then became a sex symbol thanks to her roles in movies like Girl with a Pearl Earring, Match Point, and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. She also worked with acclaimed directors, including Brian de Palma in The Black Dahlia and Christopher Nolan in The Prestige. Johansson entered the 2010s with her role in Iron Man 2, and the rest is history.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon experienced several successes in the ’90s, including teen classics like Cruel Intentions and Election. However, 2001 would mark a turning point in her career, thanks to Legally Blonde. To many, Elle Woods will always be Witherspoon’s best role; indeed, it cemented her as an A-Lister and America’s new sweetheart. It also made her a rom-com leading lady in movies like Sweet Home Alabama and Just Like Heaven.

Witherspoon earned critical acclaim and a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line. She finished the decade with two box office hits in the 2008 holiday comedy Four Christmases and the 2009 animated film Monsters vs. Aliens.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman played numerous acclaimed roles in the ’90s, but her career really took off in the 2000s, cementing her place as acting royalty. Kidman entered the new millennium with two major successes in 2001, The Others and Baz Luhrmann’s best film to date, Moulin Rouge!, earning her first Oscar nomination for the latter.

The actress would win the coveted statuette the next year for playing Virginia Woolf in The Hours. She later starred in two cult classics, Lars von Trier’s Dogville and Jonathan Glazer’s Birth. And while later projects disappointed critically and commercially, Kidman persevered, entering the 2010s with another Oscar nomination and continued success in film and television.

Cate Blanchett

English actress Cate Blanchett rose to prominence with her 1998 Oscar-nominated performance in Elizabeth, marking the path for her success in the 2000s. Blanchett earned rave reviews for her supporting turn in 2001’s Bandits while also experiencing commercial success with her role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Her role in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress; she’d be nominated again for 2006’s Notes on a Scandal and twice in 2007, for her leading role in Elizabeth: The Golden Age and her supporting turn in the unconventional biopic I’m Not There. Blanchett had two hits in 2008, Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. 

Angelina Jolie

In 2000, Angelina Jolie won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, a good omen for her career going forward. Jolie became an action star with her role in the Tomb Raider film series and a sex symbol thanks to performances in Original Sin and Taking Lives.

After a period of uneven success, Jolie had a box office hit in 2005 with Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Much of Jolie’s persona during the second half of the decade is marked by her relationship with Brad Pitt. However, Jolie kept her career thriving, cementing her place as an action star with films like Wanted and earning an Oscar nomination for Clint Eastwood’s crime drama Changeling.

Renée Zellwegger

Renée Zelwegger owned the first half of the 2000s. She began the millennium by playing the quirky Nurse Betty in the film of the same name, garnering acclaim for her comedic turn. Zellweger then received her first Oscar nomination for her performance in Bridget Jones’s Diary. She earned her second consecutive nod for the now-iconic musical Chicago a year later.

Zellweger finally won the gold on her third try, in the Supporting category for Cold Mountain. Her career slowed down afterward, although she had minor hits with 2003’s Down with Love and 2004’s Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. And while her roles in the second half of the decade are seldom, her work during the 2000-2004 period is enough to make her an icon of the new millennium.

Keira Knightley

Following a meteoric rise to fame, Keira Knightley became the 2000s’ ultimate leading lady. Her breakthrough came in 2002 with Bend it Like Beckham, but she rose to international stardom by playing Elizabeth Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.

Knightley became an icon for millennials thanks to her take on Jane Austen’s classic heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, in 2005’s Pride & Prejudice, which earned her an Oscar nomination. Future critical success followed with movies like Atonement and The Duchess.

Kate Winslet

Kate Winslet made a splash in the ’90s, thanks mainly to Titanic. However, it was in the 2000s that she secured her place in the history books, cementing herself as an acclaimed actress and an audience favorite. Winslet received four Oscar nominations between 2002 and 2009 for her supporting work in Iris and her leading performances in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Children, and The Reader, finally winning for the latter.

In addition to her critical success, Winslet also had several commercial hits, including the 2004 biopic Finding Neverland, the romantic comedy The Holiday, and the animated film Flushed Away.

Meryl Streep

It’s a true testament to her absurd talent that Meryl Streep was iconic in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. However, there’s something unique about her filmography during the new millennium’s first decade. Streep experienced a period of uninterrupted commercial success mixed with overwhelming critical acclaim, cementing her as Hollywood’s best living actress.

The actress began the decade earning her thirteenth Oscar nomination for Adaptation. In 2006, Streep played what is arguably her best role, Miranda Priestly, in The Devil Wears Prada, earning another Oscar nod. Further nominations came for her work in 2008’s Doubt in 2009’s Julie & Julia. In 2008, Streep also starred in the biggest hit of her career, Mamma Mia!, cementing her as the decade’s undisputed queen.

About The Author

David Caballero
(798 Articles Published)

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David is a twenty-eight-year-old Mexican writer and reader. Having studied Marketing in school, he spent three years working a nine-to-five desk job before deciding to pursue a writing career. He now works as a Senior Writer in ScreenRant and does some more freelancing job, talking about the entertainment business he so loves. Currently, he’s also writing his second novel while actively working to get his first one published.

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