These Actresses Were Really Busy In 2015

We are basically conditioned to champion the hot streaks of our favorite performers. The phrase "having a moment" has become an omnipresent phenomenon in our pop culture lexicon. We live to observe the hot streaks of shining newcomers and cherished veterans, and the drive to do so has carried through the bulk of 2015. A great deal of beloved actresses have put out as many as three, four, or five movies this year, prompting celebration of their efforts. Even if some of this lot have rendered clunkers, I'm still duly excited to see such talented actresses getting all this work. And these top actresses with multiple movies to hit the screen in 2015 have certainly been working hard.

Looking back through the year once again, we've picked a handful of its busiest female stars. Greats like Cate Blanchett have lived up to reputation with several lauded dramatic turns; reliable backup players like Judy Greer have bounced around the cinematic spectrum to turn in gems and duds alike. And we have to admit surprise over the ubiquity of breakout stars like Alicia Vikander, and the universal grandeur of long unappreciated former favorites like Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Here's a quick look at how the year has treated these and other talented actresses, homing in on their efforts in 2015 cinema.

1. Cate Blanchett

All audiences got a taste of Blanchett’s talent this year (as per usual), as she wowed in both the fantastical family film Cinderella and the beautiful romantic drama Carol. The latter, which doesn’t hit theaters until November, is primed to rank among her most memorable performances to date — Blanchett and Rooney Mara’s onscreen chemistry is something to behold. She also appeared in the newly released drama Truth.

2. Judy Greer

If you’re thinking monetarily, there’s been no greater success this year than Jurassic World, in which Greer can be seen intermittently berating Bryce Dallas Howard on the phone. Greer has a similarly underwritten role in Ant-Man, a much better and still financially successful (though not to the degree of its Marvel brethren) movie. In addition, you can also see her in Tomorrowland, Addicted to Fresno, and the Entourage movie.

3. Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence’s 2015 has barely just begun, as two of her most anticipated films — The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 and the David O. Russell-directed Joy — have yet to release. Hopes are high for both, with Lawrence already pegged to land an Oscar nod for the latter. She also appeared alongside favorite blockbuster co-star Bradley Cooper in Serena.

4. Jennifer Jason Leigh

Like her fellow Jennifer, Leigh’s hotly anticipated films are still yet to hit theaters. Quentin Tarantino fans are duly excited for the Western The Hateful Eight, while Charlie Kaufman devotees cannot wait for the animated feature Anomalisa. The latter, which released the Telluride, Venice, and Toronto International Film Festivals, currently enjoys a 100 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, Leigh’s small black comedy Welcome to Me opened this year to primarily positive reception.

5. Rooney Mara

We return again to Carol, whose grandeur can be owed just as much to the demure Mara as it can to seasoned veteran Blanchett. Mara’s socioeconomically inclined dramedy Trash has also met with mostly positive reception, and her whimsical turn as Tiger Lily in Pan less so.

6. Rachel McAdams

On the horizon is McAdams’ Spotlight, lauded by festival goers as this generation’s All the Presidents’ Men. On top of that, she also added Aloha and Southpaw to her considerable resume this year.

7. Julianne Moore

Moore may have appeared in Seventh Son and Freeheld in 2015, but her perhaps most highly anticipated film is her reprisal of her role as President Coin in the epic conclusion to the Hunger Games franchise, Mockingjay — Part 2.

8. Amanda Seyfried

Seyfried co-stars in the second best Noah Baumbach movie of 2015: While We’re Young, in which she’s delightfully effervescent as a spirited, existentialist kook who calls envy from married couple Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts. She also appeared in Pan and Ted 2.

9. Kristen Wiig

Among the most prolific actors of 2015, Kristen Wiig shows off new dramatic chops in The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Welcome to Me, and Nasty Baby. To top it all off, her minuscule role in The Martian surely doesn’t hurt her record.

10. Alicia Vikander

Vikander is perhaps the paramount breakout star of 2015, showcasing no small sum of talent as an artificially intelligent robot in the sci-fi gem Ex Machina. Up next for her is The Danish Girl, which fosters polarizing but dominantly positive reception at this point. She also appeared in the action comedy The Man From U.N.C.L.E., arguably stealing the show from the likes of Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer — no mean feat for anyone.

These are far from the only actresses who have knocked it out of the park this year, but they do represent, in my opinion, the most prolific. While some of their films have yet to actually make it to the box office, the fact that they are ruling the silver screen is admirable — especially when that rule is being met with Oscar buzz and critical praise.