Laura Dern is one of the most versatile actresses in modern cinema, with a career spanning from blockbusters to deep independent dramas. She turns 59 on February 10th — and we're looking back at five of her iconic roles.
Laura Dern
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“Blue Velvet” (1986)
Working with David Lynch cemented Laura Dern's status as the queen of intellectual and auteur cinema. She starred in several of his films, and this collaboration began with the cult “Blue Velvet”. Lynch saw in 19-year-old Laura the perfect embodiment of American sincerity, which encounters darkness. Dern got the role of young Sandy Williams, a kind of next door girl, who became a true symbol of purity and hope in the gloomy world of the film. “Blue Velvet” – a radical, provocative and surreal film – instantly transferred her to the league of serious dramatic actresses, ready for experiments.
“Blue Velvet”
“Jurassic Park” (1993)
The role of Ellie Settler in Jurassic Park made Laura Dern a world-famous actress. She managed to convey the image of a strong and intelligent female scientist who is not just “waiting for salvation”, but acts on an equal footing with men. Dern's character has become an icon for many generations of viewers.
“Jurassic Park”
“Citizen Ruth” (1996)
Citizen Ruth is a 1996 American satirical black comedy film directed by Alexander Payne. Laura Dern plays a pregnant woman with a drug addiction who becomes a pawn in a political struggle. This is one of her most daring and “uncomfortable” roles, where she is not afraid to let her character be grotesque.
“Citizen Ruth”
“Big Little Lies” (2017-2019)
The role of Renata Klein in the miniseries “Big Little Lies” brought the actress an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Laura Dern masterfully showed the transformation of the heroine from a powerful businesswoman who is hated by everyone to a woman who is impossible not to sympathize with.
“Big Little Lie”
“Marriage Story” (2019)
The actress won her first Oscar for her role as lawyer Nora Fanshawe in Marriage Story. Her monologue about society's unequal demands on mothers and fathers (about the Virgin Mary) became one of the most talked-about scenes of the year. Marriage Story is about a difficult divorce, when two people have stopped hearing each other. “I have a real connection to the material … , I was also in a period of my life when a lot of my friends were getting divorced. I saw it as an opportunity to do something more candid, so I did a lot of research. I interviewed a lot of my friends and friends of friends, and then lawyers, judges, mediators,” said director Noah Baumack about Marriage Story.
“Marriage Story”