Hollywood is not new to Susan Sarandon. Sarandon has established quite a name for herself, with her earliest parts stretching back to the 1970s and her most recent appearance in the 2021 film Jolt. Her early roles as Janet Weiss, the lead character in the horror/comedy musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show, are some of her most illustrious performances.
After Rocky Horror, Sarandon continued to appear as a leading lady in a number of movies, with a new one coming out practically annually. She played roles in comedies like Bull Durham as well as fantasy and horror films like The Witches of Eastwick. The 1990s, which featured many of Sarandon’s best performances, were undoubtedly her best decade. She played Louise in Thelma & Louise in 1991, a movie that met the Bechdel test for introducing female-centric characters in Hollywood. She also played the lead in Louise May Alcott’s adaptation of the novel Little Women from 1994.
Some of her most recent performances include the villainous Queen Narissa in the hybrid live-action/animation movie Enchanted. In the next Blue Beetle film from DC Universe, Sarandon reportedly plans to play yet another villain—this time a heroic villain, a first for the actor. August 2023 is the projected release date for the movie. In her illustrious career, the actress has earned five Oscar nominations and one victory. Here is a list of some of Sarandon’s top films, ranked.
Atlantic City
Five Oscars were nominated for the 1980s crime drama Atlantic City, including one Susan Sarandon for Best Actress. People travel to Atlantic City to fulfil their aspirations. Sarandon’s character Sally Matthews will be able to realise her ambition of working in the casinos in Monte Carlo thanks to Atlantic City. Lou, another daydreamer, imagines himself to be a powerful mob boss despite actually being a small-town gangster. The dreams of both Sally and her estranged husband are in danger when he pays her a visit.
Blackbird
Sarandon portrays the terminally sick Lily in this 2019 movie. Lily gathers her family for one last time before she goes away with just a weekend to live. Like in every family, stress looms over the final weekend of memories. The cast of Sarandon’s family is tiny, but includes well-known actors like Sam Neil, Kate Winslet, Rainn Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, and Mia Wasikowska.
Bull Durham
In the sense of a baseball fan, Annie Savoy (Sarandon) selects one player each season and mentors them. The young pitcher who can’t take criticism and the 12-year veteran catcher who needs to work with the rookie pitcher are the two guys who have the best chance of helping her this year. As their connections develop, this unexpected trio is in for a season of growth, love, and maturity. Unlike her typical performances in crime drama movies, Sarandon’s lightheartedness is highlighted in Bill Durham.
Dead Man Walking
Writer and director of the criminal drama Dead Man Walking is Tim Robbins, who you may recognise as Andy from The Shawshank Redemption. For her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean, a nun who bonds with a murderer on death row, Sarandon won an Oscar. As the execution date approaches, Sister Helen experiences a dilemma as she becomes closer to the convicted criminal and simultaneously empathises with the families of the victims.
Enchanted
When Disney Enchanted debuted in 2007, it quickly became one of the studio’s most talked-about films. Sarandon portrays the villainous Queen Narissa in the movie, and she is the one who sends Amy Adams’ Giselle to New York. Giselle is exiled from her home in the musical, animated world of Andalasia and is forced to live in present-day Manhattan. She meets and falls in love with a divorce attorney (Patrick Dempsey) while there. When her Andalasian Prince Charming (James Marsden) arrives to save her and is closely followed by the evil queen herself, this connection becomes problematic.
Little Women (1994)
The 1994 film adaptation of the well-known book Little Women was a magnificent production with an all-star ensemble that maintained loyal to the narrative. The Hollywood Reporter claims that this movie, which is undoubtedly the greatest of the bunch, is the fifth version of the narrative to have been made at the time it was published. The narrative follows the March sisters as they grow up in Concord, Massachusetts during the Civil War with their mother, who is portrayed by Sarandon.
Stepmom
In Stepmom, Sarandon plays a mother who is terminally ill once more, following a scenario identical to that of Blackbird. This time, she is forced to rely on her children’s new stepmother to see to their needs after she is gone. Jackie, played by Sarandon, and her husband have been separated for enough time for him to locate Isabel, portrayed by Julia Roberts, as a new love interest. Isabel is kind and kind to the kids, but she doesn’t understand how much more she needs to be until Jackie is unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Sarandon portrays Janet Weiss, the lead character who gets stuck on the side of the road with her new fiance, Brad Majors, in this humorous horror musical. They eventually find themselves in Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his crew of eccentrics’ home. The couple’s lives will never be the same again after they enter the castle. Despite The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s box financial failure, its re-release as midnight screenings propelled the movie to the renowned cult stature it currently has.
Thelma & Louise
In the drama-crime movie Thelma & Louise from 1991, Pathé Sarandon portrays the title role of Louise. What begins as an adventure with Geena Davis as Thelma becomes a cat-and-mouse game with the police. After Louise kills in order to defend Thelma, their innocent adventure from daily life takes a turn for the worse. The two are being pursued by the police and Thelma’s bully of a husband as they attempt to flee to Mexico. For their roles, Sarandon and Davis were both nominated for Oscars.
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