Actors & Actresses Rankdown 2.0 (Winner Posted)

[Steven_]

2. OLIVIA COLMAN

 

4

ANDY: 1

CHRIS: 2

TOM: 2

ALEX: 5

REI: 6

DEREK: 8

 

 

ANDY

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Olivia Colman is just the most delightful human and is such a refreshing presence in Hollywood. She definitely has a niche as a British actress working in a lot of British film and television, but she brings this darkly comedic energy to a lot of what she does that is just so fun to watch. My favorite performance from Olivia is most certainly Queen Anne in one of the best movies ever, The Favourite. That awards season was such a journey as I was convinced she wouldn’t win the Oscar but she did! She brought humor, depth, and a lot of empathy to her portrayal as the ailing queen and it’s one of my favorite performances ever. I also loved her in the miniseries The Night Manager as well as in Broadchurch opposite David Tennant. Both are very addicting shows and she is the best part of both. Her portrayal of the deliciously evil stepmother in Fleabag is noteworthy as well of course. I haven’t really seen The Crown but she won an Emmy for that so I’m sure she is incredible. Other things she slays include her Oscar nominated performances in The Father and The Lost Daughter, as well as performances in Hot Fuzz, The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos supremacy), and Murder on the Orient Express. Olivia is a delight and so much fun to watch, her awards speeches were always such a fun journey too. I just love her and since really breaking through into the mainstream she had made for herself a heck of a career. I can’t wait to see how it progresses even further. I’m almost certain she’ll be part of the two-plus Oscar winners circle one day in the future because she is that good.

 

 

CHRIS

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With all the accolades earned, Olivia Colman is truly one of the most beloved actress of the moment in the British entertainment circuit as well as Hollywood. With a lot of smaller and minor roles, her first major role came in 2011 alongside Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady where she portrayed Carol Thatcher - this role eventually led to her score roles in other movies such as Hyde Park on London, I Give It a Year, and Murder On The Orient Express. 

 

In 2014, she scored the role of DS Ellie Miller in Broadchurch, what is often referred as one of her best role - that scene in Episode 8 of the 1st series? That's high quality acting, right there. In 2018, she essentially scored the jackpot with the portrayal of Queen Anne in The Favourite which earned her the Academy Awards - she may not have been the one pegged to win at first, but I was super happy about her win as she certainly had my favourite portrayal of the year & I think everyone fell in love with Olivia during the award season due to her contagious personality.  Her Academy Award win truly opened her door where she has been praised for her roles in The Father & Lost Daughter, and of course, she went on to portray Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix's The Crown ; She's not at the same level of Claire Foy, in my opinion, but she was still excellent in the role & certainly deserved all the praise received with the role.  Most recently, she appeared in Heartstopper as Nick Nelson's mom which was a surprise - one that was very welcome - and certainly close to my heart. 

Olivia is finding herself at #2 as I think she's probably the best hope out of my top favourite to win - I imagine someone will tank her though, probably someone like Rei or Derek. But also, she has proven to be a versatile with every role that she took on, whether it is comedy or drama, and from Fleabag to Broadchurch to Heartstopper to The Favourite to The Crown to guest appearance on British comedic series.  On top of it all, I absolutely admire her as an individual and for all of her activism.

 

 

 

 

TOM

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I love Oscar winner Olivia Colman so much. After Olivia Colman slayed me in Broadchurch with her amazing performance as Ellie, whenever I hear that she is going to be in something that I'll find even remotely watchable (such as Great Expectations), I go inwardly: shut up and take my money. I loved her in everything I've seen her in, even if she does not have the most extensive list compared to some of the other actresses here. The Favourite, The Crown, Murder on the Orient Express, Les Miserables, Fleabag, The Night Manager, The Iron Lady, Midsomer Murders, even Empire of Light are just some of my favorite performances by her. To me she is the quintessentual older British actress who is not traditionally Holywood attractive but still found lots of success and I hope she does really well in this top 20.

 

 

ALEX

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Olivia Colman becoming a household name was so overdue, but so deserved. After The Favourite, she's really been in everything and I couldn't be happier for her. She's someone who has been working in the industry for such a long time and so consistently on British show after British show. I'm sure she was very happy there, but she always deserved a bigger career and I'm glad this is all happening for her. I remember when she got cut in the OG Actors Rankdown right around the time The Favourite was happening and she was called Wholivia and an unknown. Who's laughing now?! Wholivia's a household name and the cutter is nowhere to be seen around these parts .

 

Like I mentioned, Olivia was first known for her various roles across British television. I can't say I'm familiar with most of them, but amongst the ones I am familiar with are Peep Show, Flowers, Fleabag, The Night Manager, and Broadchurch, the latter of which is truly one of the best performances given on television (mainly on S1, I quit halfway through S2 because it wasn't giving anymore lol). And while Olivia is a bonafide Film Star now, she still remembers her roots and is still hanging around on tv. Most notably she won an Emmy for her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth on The Crown. She was no Claire Foy, but I still enjoyed her! She was also great on Landscapers which I think like five people watched, but it's her & David Thewlis and directed by Will Sharpe, Aubrey Plaza's hot husband on The White Lotus!

 

But like I said, she's not just a tv girl. She had her iconic breakout Oscar winning role on The Favourite in 2018, but she had great film roles before then, most notably in Hot Fuzz and Tyrannosaur. But since The Favourite, she has given us The Father, The Mitchells vs. the Machines, The Lost Daughter, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. Does she have any time to sleep?! I don't want Olivia Colman to sleep though. I just want her in every movie, every tv show. She's so talented. And she just seems so humble and charming and funny. Her interviews and award speeches are just hysterical and sometimes I just watch them for fun. It's easy for celebrities to put up a phony public persona, but I truly believe this is who she is. I don't form parasocial relationships with celebrities but if I found out Olivia Colman was a terrible person I would be devastated.

 

 

 

REI

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I've only seen Olivia in the following movies and films: The Favourite, The Lost Daughter, Fleabag and Heartstoppers. Only seeing her in those few roles, I can say she is one of the greatest actors of this era. The Favourite is always iconic and she deservedly so won the Oscar for her performance in that. Her performance in Fleabag is also brilliant and she had the talent of making a very unlikable character, one of the highlights of the series. While short, her stuff on Heartstoppers I found it pretty strong. The Lost Daughter is also underrated and was definitely a nice watch. Love her and look forward to watch more stuff with her.

 

 

DEREK

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Another one that makes sense to see on this list but I'm not super passionate about her. Boosted her up a bit because I think she gets overlooked sometimes, but obviously she doesn't need that much help since she slid into the Top 20 with pretty much zero issues lol. Best Actress for The Favourite over Glenn Close and Lady Gaga is iconic tho lololol. Also got deserved recognition for The Father. Got her nice shiny Emmy for The Crown which apparently I need to watch. I feel like I could become obsessed with her if I saw more of the performances she's done.

 

 

STEVEN

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Olivia Colman has had a great career thus far, but I've only seen her in a few projects: Broadchurch, Fleabag, Murder on the Orient Express, and The Favourite. Broadchurch would be my favorite role she's done from what I've seen. I've only watched the first season, but she was fantastic there. Her character on Fleabag is so unlikable, but there's no denying she does a great job there too. I know The Favourite is well-liked here, but I wasn't much of a fan of that film. Kudos to her on the Oscar for the role. She also has an Emmy for The Crown, but I haven't watched that show. Olivia Colman seems like a very nice and talented person, and well done to her and her fans here for Olivia ending the game as the runner-up. 

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Steven_

[Steven_]

1. VIOLA DAVIS

 

2.83

DEREK: 1

TOM: 1

ALEX: 2

CHRIS: 3

REI: 3

ANDY: 7

 

 

DEREK

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lol even if she wasn't the only woman of color, she would be my easy top choice from this group. I've seen a ton of her stuff, loved her in everything I've seen. I've seen her do funny, I've seen her do sad, seen her do angry, seen every possible emotion and she's committed and convincing in all of it. She's not afraid of TV roles, snatched trophies for those. Film? Sign her up, snatched trophies for those. Broadway? No problem, snatched some of those trophies as well. Now has a random Grammy which make her the newest EGOT confirming she will go down in history as one of the greats.

 

 

TOM

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Introducing my #1 actress, EGOT winner Viola Davis! I have to extend a thanks to Alex in that last Derek round for saving her, making my save choices easier! I had seen Viola in a few movies previously but she really entered my radar on How to Get Away With Murder. Regardless of how off the rails that show went at times, Viola's amazing acting was always the consistent factor that kept me watching. Fun fact, during the scene where Annelise finds out that Wes is dead, they had not decided who was under the sheet but Viola acted that scene to perfection anyway! Her many amazing classroom scenes never failed to captivate me either. Now let's get on to her many amazing movie performances: Fences, Doubt, Prisoners, The Help, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and I'll give an honorary mention to Law Abiding Citizen and Disturbia (lol). Fences is one of my favorie acting performances ever, made obvious by the fact I picked it in the Acting Challenge round. No one slays me in each acting role quite like Viola does. Wishing her all the best here!

 

 

ALEX

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The year is 2008. After a run of successful plays and theater work Viola Davis signs on to do a movie with Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams. She has just one scene in this movie and yet manages to steal the entire film from three of the greatest working actors at the time. That is the power of the legendary Viola Davis. When you think of Viola Davis, you think of one of the greatest living actresses because that's who she is. She just commands the screen. Whatever you give to her, she will demolish.

 

Viola Davis has four Academy Awards for her work in Doubt, The Help, Fences, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Other than Ma Rainey, she would've made an extremely deserving winner for the rest of her performances. Her performance in Fences won her the Oscar, and what a deserving win that was. Viola Davis plays a lot of badass characters, and I love some of the action choices she's made lately. Seeing her in movies like Widows and The Woman King. It's not the kind of movie you'd expect for someone with her illustrious career, but I love that she's showing off she can do it all.

 

On the tv side of things, she's most well known for her starring role in How to Get Away with Murder. I only watched the first season and that was solely for her lol. She took a Shondaland soap opera and made it look like a prestige drama. Only the best actors can take some of the crinigest writing and turn it into a masterclass of acting. She also was on a few episodes of United States of Tara before her big screen breakout in Doubt. Such a random guest starring role, but I love it! I didn't watch The First Lady but I saw the memes of her as Michelle Obama, and we don't need to talk about that lol.

 

Viola Davis has so much confidence in herself as an actress and I admire that so much. She's a dark-skinned black woman who doesn't get as many opportunities as her colleagues. She's not afraid to challenge the system because she knows what she's worth. Hell, she's the only WOC in this top 20! I have immense amount of respect for Davis as a performer and a human being and I really hope she does well in these rankings.

 

 

 

CHRIS

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Viola Davis is a legendary actress who is officially an EGOT after winning a Grammy for her audiobook - I was nervous that this was going to put a target on her back but luckily that wasn't the case, and now she's one of my winner's prediction.  For many of us, she is best known for her role in The Help which made her become a household name and earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Academy Award. This mainstream recognition led her to appear in How To Get Away With Murder, where she's always been a star throughout the entire series even when it was struggling to keep my attention ; She would later win an Emmy for this which was certainly well deserved - she became the first black actress to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama series.  Then, her Academy award win came with her role of Maxon in Fences - a role that she absolutely shined in which was not a surprise as she won the Tony Awards for the same role!

 

Outside of the roles being mentioned here, Viola Davis always know how to deliver and sell whichever roles she has been assigned. She's been in plenty of great roles that earned her praises and I've enjoyed her in, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Widows - not my typical film but she was great in it, Doubt, The Woman King - I've yet to seen it but it's on my list for the month, and she was certainly robbed of an Academy Award nomination and don't get me started on the ones that took her spot, and First Lady for her portrayal of Michelle Obama. 

What I admire even more about Viola Davis is certainly her activism for equality, which includes the creation of her production company, JuVee Productions which includes the following project: First Lady, The Woman King, Custoy, and Lila & Eve to name a few.   I always look forward to seeing what project or challenge Viola Davis tackle next, and I am always in awe & amaze by her as an actress.

 

 

 

REI

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One of the finest actors of all-time and I don't think anyone would disagree. She has this rare talent of being able to just deliver a few lines or small monologue and make you feel a huge amount of emotions. Doubt, The Help, Prisoners, Fences, How to Get Away With Murder, Widows, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and The Woman King are just some of the movies where Viola has been just perfection. I think if most of us would only take acting skills while doing our rankings, Viola would win by a landslide. I do fear that we might get some rankings for Viola to prevent an expected win. She deserves the win though and no one could refute that.

 

 

ANDY

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I think Viola is probably going to win and I adore her so obviously I’m happy with that. She is such an incredible actor and her versatility is proven by the fact that she is already an EGOT recipient! Winning her Oscar for Fences, she’s had a number of other incredibly strong roles including The Help, Woman King, and Doubt, the latter of which earned her an Oscar nom despite really only being in the movie for one or two scenes! Her Emmy winning work in How to Get Away With Murder is fabulous ofc, but one of my absolute favorite movies with her is Widows, she’s such a boss in that movie. Overall I’m a huge Viola stan and expect her to rank super high.

 

 

STEVEN

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I didn't calculate the scores until after the deadline in case anyone wanted to make any last minute changes in their ranking. But just by glancing at the rankings as they were coming in, it was clear Viola Davis was winning this game. And it's a well-deserved win. I first saw Viola Davis in The Help, and she was terrific in the role. I thought she was deserving of the Oscar that year, but understandable why it went to Meryl Streep. She would eventually win her Oscar for Fences, playing the role that previously won her a Tony. I haven't watched Fences in its entirety, and but I've seen clips online. Her "I've been standing with you" monologue is such an impressive acting showcase. And Viola Davis was able to stand out in one scene in Doubt to earn a nomination too. Additionally, I also saw Viola Davis in HTGAWM. She was excellent in the role. I only watched the first season of the show, but she really deserved that Emmy win as Annalise Keating. And Viola Davis recently won a Grammy for an audiobook, making her the newest EGOT. There's no question Viola Davis is one of the greatest acting talents working today, and she's definitely a deserving winner of this rankdown.

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Steven_

[Steven_]

#2 and #1 posted.

 

@Alex95 @#jeah @*Chris @FrogLenzen @.Rei @~Tom~

[jarmon]

MY WOMAN KING IKTR! 

[jarmon]

Viola Davis in "The Help" is one of my faves. 

Man, that movie was good.

 

And then obviously Annalise Keating can do NO WRONG!

[Alex95]

Lmao 2.83. Iconic.

[.Rei]

queen!!!!

[#jeah]

I almost ranked her in my top 3 but wanted to help others more who I thought needed it. She could have had an even higher average. Dominating queen!

[.Rei]

17 minutes ago, Steven_ said:

I imagine someone will tank her though, probably someone like Rei or Derek.

[FrogLenzen]

[.Rei]

I was certainly expecting some tanked rankings for Viola, so obviously I'm delightful that it didn't happen

[~Tom~]

Queen Viola winner.  Amazing ending to this rankdown!

 

Olivia would have been a great winner also! Love both so much.

[FrogLenzen]

Olivia ranking this high is not something I expected, but then again I'm playing with big fans of The Crown and The Favourite so it makes perfect sense

[~Tom~]

5 minutes ago, FrogLenzen said:

Olivia ranking this high is not something I expected, but then again I'm playing with big fans of The Crown and The Favourite so it makes perfect sense

Tbh I expected you to tank her due to your Claire Foy cut.  

[.Rei]

thanks @Steven_ for doing an incredible job as a host and putting up with all of us drama queens!  

[*Chris]

31 minutes ago, .Rei said:

Because she didn't scream Rei's favourite, and for the entirety of the rankdown, you targeted my favourite so I assume you'd do it all the way to the end  

[*Chris]

11 minutes ago, .Rei said:

thanks @Steven_ for doing an incredible job as a host and putting up with all of us drama queens!  

Drama? After putting up with the previous group of rankers, Steven is able to put up with any of us! 

[~Tom~]

Thanks @Steven_ for running this! Hopefully it was a little less dramatic than the first.  

[Alex95]

Another perfectly hosted rankdown @Steven_!

[#jeah]

I only had one freak out this time so I’d call that a win . Thanks Steven for all the time you put into this!  

[FrogLenzen]

 

 

just in case anyone wants to experience chills and crying again on this fine Wednesday morning

[#jeah]

On 2/24/2023 at 7:49 AM, FrogLenzen said:

Charlize Theron

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Rachel Weisz

Natalie Portman

Saoirse Ronan

Kate Winslet

Viola Davis

Friendly reminder

[FrogLenzen]

1 minute ago, #jeah said:

Friendly reminder

it do take nerve 

[Steven_]

Thank you to all the rankers! @Alex95 @#jeah @*Chris @FrogLenzen @.Rei @~Tom~
 

I wasn’t sure if I would have enough players when this started, so I appreciate you guys for participating and staying with it until the end. I hope you all had fun. Thanks again!  

[FrogLenzen]