This list of actresses either played, or still play, some of the most epic roles in Hollywood to ensure our national security is intact. Sure, they are just movies, but we are grateful for their…err….service.
Above is Zoe Saldana who could be named for any of her roles, because she almost always plays a bonafide bad-ass. Colombiana, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Losers, Star Trek all come to mind.
Cruise through the list and tell us if we left anyone off. Enjoy!
Meg Ryan
Sure, Meg Ryan does not come to mind as an action star for most. And to be blunt, she isn’t one. Sorry, we still love you Meg.
Her roles in Top Gun as Goose’s wife, Sleepless in Seattle (don’t pretend you haven’t seen it), You’ve Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally all come to mind before any action-like films.
But there is at least one film that fits the mold. This blond bombshell takes on the role of a U.S. Army Captain, Karen Walden, in the film Courage Under Fire and gets her action on. While it is not necessarily equal to the others on this list (I would have rather have Jessica Biel on my team) it did earn her a spot on our list of fictional heroes.
Kate Beckinsdale
Sure, Kate’s role as a bad-ass vampire killer in the Underworld series doesn’t exactly qualify as playing a ‘first responder’ – unless you know something that we don’t – but her character Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson, a Navy nurse serving at Pearl Harbor in the film Pearl Harbor most certainly qualifies her as a champion in our books.
People often forget those who support our warfighters (to include families) and do not label them as heroes and for that, you are wrong. Our staff has more than 100 deployments abroad and we greatly respect those who serve around us in support roles. I also wouldn’t mind Kate giving me a shot.
She also is pretty bad ass in the remake of Total Recall, though we much prefer the original film.
Demi Moore
No! She does not age, we agree.
Demi has played a number of roles that get her on our list (trust us…you will see her again!), but the first is for her role as Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway in a A Few Good Men, which is an absolutely amazing film. If you haven’t seen it….go see it. If you did and did not like….get off our site.
While she is not technically an ‘action star’ in the film, her service to the country as a Navy JAG Corps officer and investigator is still remarkable and heroic. Her character, along with Tom Cruise (sorry ladies – he isn’t on here) defend two Marines who are facing court martial. Jack Nicholson is absolutely amazing in this film as well. Seriously, just go watch it.
Jessica Biel
I love you! Sorry… random synapse fire.
What we meant to say was Jessica’s character in Stealth, Lt. Kara Wade, was a supremely awesome pilot battling an artificial intelligence program. Yes, that was it.
Sure, the movie sucked, but we love Jessica, so she makes the list. While the film’s view of artificial intelligence is interesting, it isn’t delivered well, but we are no movie critics.
She could easily make the list for her roles in Total Recall, Blade: Trinity, The A-Team or Home of the Brave as well, but does it really matter? She is a bad ass and if you are good enough for Justin Timberlake, you are good enough for us (once again, sorry ladies – he isn’t on here either).
Eva Green
Like Demi, you will get another glimpse of this French actress and model because she always plays awesome roles, well…and she is gorgeous.
As we said, Eva has played some outstanding roles in her career and the first to get her on our list is her character Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale. She did her country proud…well, until she didn’t at the end. But still, we like her and so did James Bond.
The film was, in our opinion (again – we are no movie critics), the best of the new era of Bond films. The interpretation of MI-6 (Bond’s employer) and CIA in the film are quite different than real life officers experience, but it is entertaining still and Eva Green is in it…so who cares.
Rihanna
Funny, I wore that same outfit the other day!
Okay, we hear ya…Rihanna is not known for her acting, and probably for good reason, but that doesn’t mean that she isn’t willing to suit up as a US service member on the big screen.
Rihanna takes on the character of U.S. Navy sailor Petty Officer Cora “Weps” Raikes in Battleship and does her country proud. Of course the film sucked, but what can you expect from a board game turned action film? It does have some great talent in it, such as Liam Neeson, but we have to sink it in terms of ratings. May it lie at the bottom of the ocean and never be syndicated on TBS or TNT.
Charlize Theron
True, not all pictures are created equal. Some are sultry, some are just eh, but this one is…
Okay, sorry. Back on track. Charlize Theron has performed in a number of roles that earn her a spot on the list. Her first that perhaps earns her that spot….Theron plays Detective Emily Sanders in The Valley of Elah and helps Tommy Lee Jones search for his son, an Iraq Veteran who has gone missing. A noble task indeed, welcome to the list.
Teamed up with such a great actor in Tommy Lee Jones, Theron starts to get her chops at this point in her career and the rest is of course history.
However, her more recent displays of bad-assery come in the form of her roles in Atomic Blonde and Mad Max: Fury Road and they are epic. Keep doing what you do Charlize.
