Whatever may be said about gender equality in Hollywood, there is clearly no shortage of female roles for space princesses, alien hunters, and flying nannies. Here in this blog post, we are going to tell you Hollywood’s 20 favorite female characters, the list is really amazing.
For THR’s latest intra-industry poll, editors asked Hollywood professionals — actors, writers, directors, and more — to survey their favorite fictional female characters online. More than 1,800 people took part – twice as many women as men – but the results proved that there isn’t such a big gap between the genders, at least when it comes to the type of women we like to see on screen. By a comfortable majority, both genders chose certain Hogwarts as their number 1.
Chances are, there’s at least one character on these pages that you once fantasized about, especially if you’re female — and probably even when you’re not. After all, who hasn’t dreamed of slapping an alien, having a pet dragon, or traveling with an umbrella?
Here are Hollywood’s 20 Favourite Female Characters
-
Lorelai Gilmore, ‘Gilmore Girls’
She reinvented the TV mom with her fast-paced parenting and pop culture references. Most TV scripts average 45 pages; The script for Gilmore Girls was 70 pages. Kelly Bishop, who plays Lorelai’s mother — and who recently reprised her role alongside Graham and others in the Netflix revival — says the dialogue was a challenge: “It’s like double Dutch, where you have to Have to calculate. Where the ropes are going so you can position yourself there to start jumping.”
-
Prue, Phoebe and Piper, ‘Charmed’
The three witch sisters – Prue can move objects with her mind, Phoebe can see the future and Piper can freeze stuff – use their superpowers for good. What’s not to love? “I dread the day my sons see Charmed,” says Combs. “They’ll think it’s embarrassing. They’ll make fun of me a lot.”
-
Claire Underwood, ‘House of Cards’
Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood has his feet on the firm desk, but the real power of this White House is its first lady — a point not entirely lost on the actress who plays him. “I was looking at the stats, and Claire Underwood was more popular than Frank,” Wright recently revealed. “So, I took advantage of that. I was like, ‘You better pay me or I’m going public.
-
Olivia Pope, ‘Scandal’
On election night, as soon as it became clear that Donald Trump was going to win, her name trended on Twitter around the world. “Where’s Olivia Pope when you need her?” Singer Demi Lovato expressed her surprise. Pope, of course, plays the ultimate DC fixer — she rigged the election of Fitz, the sitting president, and her sometimes lover — but even her powers have limits. Washington tweeted, “Olivia Pope is trending, but Olivia Pope is not real.”
-
Arya Stark, ‘Game of Thrones’
Few characters have suffered as much as Arya Stark – the murder of a father, the slaughter of a family, and the scene taken over by the Faceless Men. Fans love her single-minded drive (she keeps a list of people she wants to kill), gender non-conformity (she dresses like a boy), and absolute loyalty. Williams seems to be single-minded. What he hopes his character does next in the series: “Kill more people.”
-
Felicity Smoak, ‘Arrow’
Felicity was considered a minor character, but her chemistry with Oliver Queen made her a fan favorite. For two seasons of The CW’s adaptation of the DC comic, she was a regular player. “Felicity has evolved over the course of the series,” says Rickards. “She’s from a regular world. She’s reliable, honest, and down to earth. But he’s not boring.”
-
Rey, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’
Ridley had no idea what she was getting into—none, really—when she hired J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars film. “I didn’t read the script very well before I was cast, so seeing Rey on the page for the first time was amazing,” the actress told THR. “She goes on such a wonderful trip!” Longtime Star Wars composer John Williams has cited Rey as his favorite character in the galaxy far, far away. The 84-year-old composer said that one of the main reasons he returned to score Episode VIII was that he didn’t want anyone else to write the music for Rey. “George Lucas created something incredible with Star Wars,” says Ridley. “The Force Awakens is a wonderful continuation of a much-loved piece of cinematic history.”
-
Katniss Everdeen, ‘The Hunger Games’
“Katniss’s decision to volunteer for her sister is one of the most memorable moments in any book I’ve ever read,” says producer Nina Jacobson, who acquired the film rights to Suzanne Collins’ YA trilogy in 2009.
Chloe Grace Moretz, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, and more than 30 other actresses were targeted to star as the arrow-wielding rebel, but according to Jacobson, Lawrence’s “frankness and honesty” earned her $3 billion. Provided leadership to franchisees. “She feels like a real girl while breaking almost every rule of what a girl should be onscreen.”
-
Ripley, ‘Alien’ Series
She was modern Hollywood’s first female franchise hero — but before she could kick E.T.’s butt, the filmmakers had to fix her wardrobe. “The first costume was a light blue Nostromo uniform,” Weaver told THR. “[Director] Ridley Scott took one look at me and said, ‘You look like Jackie Onassis in space.’ We got a flight suit from NASA, which was great.”
-
Phoebe Buffay, ‘Friends’
THR’s review of the 1994 premiere of Friends dismissed Phoebe as a “New Age flake”. When we are wrong, we are not ashamed to admit it. The character still has more staying power—12 years after the finale—than any of the other Amigos, with her “Smelly Cat” music video garnering more than 4 million views on YouTube, as a new generation of Netflix’s and hugging friends.
-
Mary Poppins, ‘Mary Poppins’
Recalling the production of Disney’s 1964 film, Dick Van Dyke said, “It seems that Julie and Mary Poppins, a proper Englishwoman, had a lot in common.” “The author of the book [PL Travers] wasn’t happy with her casting. She wanted someone middle-aged and dowdy. Julie wasn’t either.” The casting choice continues to reverberate within the industry. “Her vanity in the film is so interesting – the moment when they’re doing ‘Step in Time’ on the roof and she gets her nose in another suit, it’s so funny!” “She brings you into a world you don’t question, even if it’s just a sidewalk chalk drawing and a dance with animated animals,” says Laura Benanti.
-
Elle Woods, ‘Legally Blonde’
Witherspoon almost turned down the role of Elle, thinking the 2001 part was a “frivolous sorority girl”. Then she saw Gloria Steinem in a documentary praising Goldie Hawn’s turn in Private Benjamin. “She talked about how seeing a different side of feminism changed people’s ideas about what women could achieve.”
Witherspoon, who plays Woods in the sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, told THR that fans around the world still come up to her to say that her performance inspired them to go to law school. were Feminist characters, “a magical girl who values her femininity and her strength.”
Read More | 20 Top Sci-Fi Movies of All Time
-
Daenerys Targaryen, ‘Game of Thrones’
Five characters from the fantasy series—HBO’s most successful shows in history—made the list. But none of the others have their own dragon. Clarke’s inspirations: Cate Blanchett’s Elizabeth and her own “strong mum,” who had a “naive and beautiful” belief that men and women were equals.
-
Leslie Knope, ‘Parks and Recreation’
If only more politicians were like Knope: honest, dedicated, and cheerful. “She was regularly knocked down, but she maintained a sense of hope,” says co-executive producer Aisha Muharrar. “You wouldn’t call her cynical, but she’s not all puppies and rainbows. She sure loves puppies and rainbows though.”
-
Liz Lemon, ’30 Rock’
Her fear of sex and love of things of the night still resonate with fans. “She’s a woman who exists in the real world,” says Fey, who based the character on her days as a writer on SNL. “Also, she’s an outspoken, if often misguided, feminist,” says a typical Fay she shares. “I refused to wear a pushup bra after the first season. Watch Fall on Netflix!”
-
Dana Scully, ‘The X-Files’
The part of the skeptical FBI agent was almost lost when Anderson became pregnant during the first season in 1993. “A network executive wanted to replace him,” recalls producer Chris Carter. “But the writers planned to kidnap her, and that choice changed the direction of the show — for the better.”
-
Miranda Priestly, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’
Streep enjoyed playing the domineering fashion magazine editor so much that she stayed in character during the 2005 shoot. “She felt it was necessary,” says Wendy Finerman, the film’s producer. “She couldn’t happily walk around because she would lose the magic, all the magic around her.” The actress also chose to wear a gray wig inspired by Carmen Dell’Orefice and retained that deadpan whisper, recalling screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna. “She had a great understanding of what her behavior would be: the calm in the center of a storm, someone who speaks so slowly that others flinch. Meryl understands the power of silence, and how people can help others. Can, how can you use your temper to cause trouble.”
-
Buffy Summers, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’
“Buffy balanced the horrors of adolescence with the ferocity of the Hellmouth, which made her very relatable,” says Gellar, who spent her teenage years portraying the high school superhero from 1997 to 2003. “We’re all haunted by demons, but with Buffy, it was literal. The demons literally followed her.”
-
Princess Leia, ‘Star Wars’ Series
Both male and female poll-takers ranked Leia in the top 10 — No. 2 for women, No. 6 for men — for Fisher’s character. “I was something that women and men could agree on,” she writes in her just-published memoir, The Princess Diarist. “They didn’t like me the same way, but they liked me with the same intensity, and we were just fine with the opposite-sex liking me too. Isn’t that weird?”
-
Hermione Granger, ‘Harry Potter’ Series
Without this clever, muggle-born little witch, Harry and Ron would still be pulling their wands by their noses. “Her compassion, her sense of integrity, her decency and tenacity in fighting for justice and fairness — even when her honesty made him an easy target for ridicule — are all irreplaceable,” said Most of the character. A big fan, Watson, who THR reports have played Hermione in films that have grossed $7.7 billion.
During the lengthy audition process for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Watson was asked if there was anyone else in the series that she would be interested in playing. “There was never a question in my mind: I loved Hermione,” says Watson, who began playing the whip-smart witch at age 11.
Charitra, J.K. Rowling was not only very smart, but also sympathetic and, often, the voice of reason in the trio of best friends. “She’s all head and heart,” says Watson.
A change Watson fought for? She was determined to “get out of those ridiculous tartan skirts in the first two films”, which she accomplished by the third film in the seven-film franchise.
“Hermione made it okay for girls to be the smartest in the room. To be a leader, with a plan,” says Watson. “She is not just a role for me, she is an icon. I am very proud to play her.”
