Michelle Monaghan's career in the entertainment industry began in college when she started modeling. She was originally studying journalism in Chicago, but with only one semester to complete before graduation, decided to move to New York City to pursue an acting career.
Shortly after arriving in New York City, Michelle Monaghan started auditioning and booking work on television shows like Young Americans and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Her big break came in 2002 when she was cast as a recurring character on the hit David E. Kelly drama, Boston Public. Monaghan has been starring on both the big screen and the small screen ever since and here, we're taking a look at some of her best work, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes.
The Best Of Me (12%)
In this Nicholas Sparks' romance film, Michelle Monaghan plays Amanda, who as a teenager, fell in love with a boy named Dawson. Dawson and Amanda came from very different families so ultimately, their young love couldn't survive all the challenges and outside forces they were facing.
When Amanda and Dawson reunite as adults, the love is still there and they spend time figuring out if they have a real chance to be together all those years later.
Made Of Honor (15%)
This romantic comedy stars Michelle Monaghan as Hannah and Patrick Dempsey as Tom, her best friend. These friends meet in college and, ten years later, still go to each other for everything.
When Hannah's work takes her to Scotland for a long period of time, Tom realizes his day-to-day life without Hannah isn't what he wants and he decides to tell Hannah he's in love with her. When Hannah returns, she's engaged and asks Tom to be her maid of honor.
Trucker (59%)
This dramatic independent feature film not only stars Michelle Monaghan, but she was also one of the producers on the project. The story is about Monaghan's character, Diane, who is a long-haul truck driver and spends most of her free time sleeping around and drinking.
Diane's world is flipped on its head when her ex-husband sends their son, Peter to live with her while the ex-husband recovers from cancer treatment.
True Detective (78%)
The first season of this HBO detective series was both critically acclaimed and widely embraced by all audiences. In the first season, Michelle Monaghan plays Maggie, Woody Harrelson's character, Marty's wife.
Maggie plays a central character in the series and represents one of the worlds Marty lives in. She is also the reason Marty and his partner Rust part ways. Monaghan's performance in this series is incredible and earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
Patriots Day (80%)
This action feature film starring Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, and Michelle Monaghan is based on the true events surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings and the manhunt that followed.
In the film, Michelle Monaghan plays Carol, wife to Tommy, played by Mark Wahlberg. Carol is a registered nurse at the time of the bombings and Tommy is a Sergeant at the Boston Police Department, so both characters are heavily affected by the tragedy.
The Bourne Supremacy (82%)
This action film is the second installment in the very popular Jason Bourne film series. This film picks up where the first film left off, with Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin suffering from amnesia, trying to figure out more of his past and escape CIA Deputy Director and Task Force Chief, Pamela Landy, played by Joan Allen.
In this film, Michelle Monaghan plays Kim, one of the agents most closely associated with Pamela Landy.
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (86%)
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is a dark comedy starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan. Robert Downey Jr. plays Harry, a man fleeing a botched burglary in New York City and finds himself in an audition.
Harry goes on a rant in front of a casting director, who believes he's method acting and sends him to Los Angeles for a screen test. While in LA, Harry is reunited with his childhood sweetheart, Harmony, played by Monaghan.
Source Code (92%)
Source Code is a 2011 science fiction action thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan. In this film, Jake Gyllenhaal plays a US Army pilot, Captain Colter Stevens. Stevens, through something called "Source Code" is transported to a train over and over again where his mission is to stop the train from exploding.
On this train, Stevens meets Christina Warren, played by Monaghan, and falls for her, making his mission that much more important.
Gone Baby Gone (94%)
This mystery thriller is directed by Ben Affleck and stars Ben's brother, Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan.
This film, based on Dennis Lehane's novel with the same name, is about two detectives, Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, played by Affleck and Monaghan respectively, who are investigating the disappearance of a young girl who was abducted from her mother's home in Dorchester, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.
Mission: Impossible - Fallout (97%)
Michelle Monaghan reprises her role as Julia Meade, doctor and ex-wife of Ethan Hunt in this hit action franchise. In this installment of the long-running film series, Ethan and his team must track down missing plutonium as they are being monitored by a CIA agent.
This film was released in 2018 RealD3D and in IMAX. The film grossed $791 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise and Tom Cruise's highest-grossing film to date.