There are very few performers working in Hollywood today that get us into the cinema on the strength of their name alone; but Julianne Moore is definitely one of them. Looking through her CV, she has undoubtedly been in her fair share of turkeys (Hannibal, Nine Months, Gus Van Sant's Psycho) but even when the project isn't up to much, Moore always seems to come out of it intact. In the business they'd say she's a safe pair of hands.
As new film Chloe is released this week, we think it's high time we celebrated one of our favourite actresses. Let's look back at our top ten favourite Julianne Moore roles.
1. Boogie Nights
Top of our list is one of Moore's collaborations with acclaimed director P.T. Anderson; the "adult film" epic based around the San Fernando valley in the late 70's. Moore plays tart with a heart, Amber Waves who becomes a mother figure to Dirk Diggler, Roller Girl and all the other misfits working in the industry. Moore puts in a remarkable performance as a damaged, fragile woman stuck in a cycle of drugs and bad decisions.
2. Blindness
Blindness takes its cue from the old saying "In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is king." Moore plays a woman who remains unaffected when a mysterious ailment causes everyone around her to lose their sight. As the infected are contained in run down hospitals, Moore tries to protect her now blind husband (Mark Ruffalo) from the increasingly anarchic inmates, including a brilliantly evil Gael Garcia Bernal.
3. The Big Lebowski
Not usually known for her comedic roles, Moore plays it straight but is brilliantly funny as preposterous modern artist Maude in the Coen brothers' classic. When The Dude (Jeff Bridges) encounters Maude it's fair to say that they don't exactly hit it off - Maude thinks The Dude is more than a little uncouth...even though she's the one who spends her working day flying naked through the air attached to a harness.
4. Far From Heaven
Moore has carved out quite a niche for herself playing women from the 50's and 60's; she looks great in the clothes! She is particularly luminous in Todd Haynes beautiful Far From Heaven. Moore is Cathy Whitaker, the perfect 50's housewife whose life falls apart when her perfect husband (Dennis Quaid) is revealed to be gay. Cathy finds comfort in a scandalous friendship with the black son of her late gardener. A beautiful tale of 50's scandal.
5. Magnolia
The second P.T. Anderson film to make our list is the star-studded tale of coincidence and fate, Magnolia. It's not a barrel of laughs but its a remarkable piece of work. Moore is particularly brilliant as Linda Partridge; a woman dealing with the incredible stress of having her husband slowly deteriorate under a terminal illness. This really gives her the chance to flex her dramatic muscles as she veers from anger to guilt and back again.