Jennifer Connelly – Top Ten Films
In Stuck in Love, Jennifer Connelly plays divorcee Erica; a woman whose reckless behaviour has estranged her from her ex-husband and children. Once again Connelly proves that she is – and always has been – a dependable screen presence. Here we take a look back at Jennifer Connelly’s most memorable roles…
Labyrinth (1986)
You’d be mistaken for forgetting that the teenage lead in Jim Henson’s cult fantasy musical is Jennifer Connelly. (It’s not her debut – that was two years previous in Sergio Leone’s epic Once Upon a Time in America.) Starring alongside the all-singing, all-dancing David Bowie, the plot follows Connelly’s Sarah who must reach the centre of a maze to rescue her infant brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, The Goblin King.
Requiem for a Dream (2000) (Main Picture)
Darren Aronofsky’s difficult film depicts different forms of addiction plaguing the lives of inter-connected characters. Connelly – in what many hailed as her breakthrough performance – plays Marion, a heroin addict who enters the drug trade in and around Coney Island alongside boyfriend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans).
Pollock (2000)
In Ed Harris’ biographical film about artist Jackson Pollock, Connelly appears as Ruth Kligman, a fellow artist, muse and mistress of the man himself. With several well-known performances under her belt by this stage, the actress proved she could stand her own against revered actor Ed Harris and actress Marcia Gay Harden.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Ron Howard’s 2001 Oscar-winner A Beautiful Mind is a biographical drama based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics with paranoid schizophrenia. Whilst Russell Crowe steals all the scenes as Nash, Jennifer Connelly proves herself a worthy female lead as Alicia Larde, Nash’s eventual wife and mother of his son – and won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her efforts.
Hulk (2003)
Proving she can star in critically-mauled films and escape unscathed, Connelly starred in Ang Lee’s ill-fated interpretation of the Incredible Hulk in 2002’s Hulk, alongside Eric Bana. She plays Betty Ross, a scientist and former girlfriend of Bruce Banner. She stated she initially became interested in the role due to Writer Stan Lee’s philosophical perspective of the Marvel universe.
House of Sand And Fog (2003)
Next was House of Sand and Fog, a drama in which she played Kathy Nicolo, an abandoned wife whose home is sold at an auction to a former Iranian colonel (Ben Kingsley). The film – and its lead performances – received international acclaim with the actress herself stating she loved how there was no good or bad guy, and that both characters perform morally questionable actions.
Dark Water (2005)
A two-year absence from the film scene followed before Connelly’s return in psychological-horror Dark Water, based on a Japanese film of the same name. She played Dahlia, a woman traumatised by her past who is plagued with paranormal activity when she moves to an apartment in New York City with her daughter. Many praised Connelly’s performance in a genre usually filled with female characters you struggle to care about.
Little Children (2006)
The actress played Kathy Adamson in Little Children, the adaptation of Tom Perotta’s novel. Focusing on the relationship of the two lead characters played by Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson – Jennifer held her own in a memorable supporting role as Wilson’s wife.
Blood Diamond (2006)
One of Connelly’s most memorable roles came opposite Leonard DiCaprio in Blood Diamond as journalist Maddy Bowen who is working on exposing the real story behind blood diamonds (diamonds mined in war zones). As ever, the actress’ performance was highlighted as one of the films many positives.
Stuck In Love is out now on Digital Platforms and released on Blu-ray and DVD on 18th November 2013 from Koch Media.
