18 Rachel Weisz Movies That Prove She's An Underrated Treasure
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Some actors have the ability to elevate any project they're in, and Rachel Weisz has found success in Hollywood because she's one of those people. Whether she's cast as the lead or a supporting character, as she always delivers, creating unique characters with many layers and emotions. Weisz’s career spans more than thirty years. She started in horror and sci-fi movies before becoming a staple of dramas, rom-coms, comedies, and prestige movies. She won an Academy Award for her supporting performance in The Constant Gardener. Even after such a long career, the last few years might’ve been her best, as she's turned out more hit films and even played twins in the acclaimed miniseries Dead Ringers.
What kind of Rachel Weisz movies do you love most? Are you all about her collaborations with Yorgos Lanthimos in films like The Favourite? Love her layered performances in award-winning dramas like The Constant Gardener? Or should she go back to rom-coms and play more romantic interests like in About a Boy? Vote below on which Rachel Weisz performances prove that she's even more of a star than her reputation suggests.
- 113 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Weisz's Role: Evelyn “Evie” Carnahan
The Plot: Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) is an adventurer with a box and a map to Hamunaptra, where there might be a Mummy who, if it came alive, would destroy everything. By his side, is Evelyn (Weisz), a librarian he hates (at first); they grow closer over the course of the film as they eventually save the world by stopping Imhotep from gaining full power. They fill the thrilling adventure with opposites-attract style of chemistry.
How It Proves Her Worth: For many people, The Mummy may be their first exposure to Weisz, as this was her breakout role. The actress plays Evie as a clumsy, smart, bookish librarian who is nevertheless skilled under pressure, becoming an action hero in her own right. Weisz delivers the smarts, the action, and the romantic tension to hoist the film to blockbuster success, and her chemistry with Fraser is so good that it inspired a sequel, The Mummy Returns.
- 210 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Weisz's Role: Summer Hartley
The Plot: Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds) is getting a divorce, when his 10-year-old daughter, Maya (Abigail Breslin), asks him how he met her mother. Will tells her the story of the three biggest relationships in his life - with the names changed - and lets her (and the audience) guess which one of them is her mother. As he tells it, three women are called April (Isla Fisher), Summer (Weisz), and Emily (Elizabeth Banks).
How It Proves Her Worth: In this movie, Weisz must be lovable, have chemistry with Reynolds, and show a unique character that could be Maya’s mother, and she succeeds in all three accounts. Her character might be the most ambitious and career-driven of the three women, yet it's easy to believe she’s in love with Will, making her scenes spice up the movie and add to the tension over which love interest might be Maya's mother.
- 37 VOTES
Weisz's Role: Melina Vostokoff
The Plot: Before Thanos kills half of the living beings in the universe, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), aka Black Widow, goes on a mission of her own. She must close the loop on her dark past and rekindle her relationship with her “family” of trained assassins: her “father” Alexei (David Harbour), her “mother” Melina (Weisz), and her “sister” Yelena (Florence Pugh).
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz is a supporting character here, as the mother figure in Natasha’s childhood, a smart Russian scientist, and someone who helped create the Red Room every Black Widow must train in. She nails every task that asked of her, whether it's delivering some exposition about Natasha's past, engaging in fights, or portraying a pragmatic woman who puts country over family (until she doesn't). Weisz was well-received by MCU fans, and she's set to reprise the role in the 2025 film Thunderbolts*.
- 412 VOTESPhoto: Paramount Pictures
Weisz's Role: Tania Chernova
The Plot: Vassili Zaitsev (Jude Law) is one of the greatest snipers in the Soviet army, so much so that his exploits and legend raise the troops' morale. The Germans want to change all that, so they send Major Erwin König (Ed Harris), their own best sniper, to kill him. The intense conflict between them defines the Battle of Stalingrad, as there can only be one sniper left at the end of the war.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz plays a supporting role as a Soviet soldier who is the romantic interest to both Zaitsev and König. Tania is a Jewish woman who decided to enlist after her parents were killed by the Nazis; Weisz makes her brave, intelligent, and idealist character shine in her scenes. She also sells how quickly her character falls in love with Vassili, making audiences believe they’re soulmates.
- 511 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros. Pictures
Weisz's Role: Angela Dobson and Isabel Dobson
The Plot: Adapted from the DC comics stories of the same name, this 2005 action flick follows John Constantine (Keanu Reeves), a demon exorcist and magic detective who deals in the occult. When LAPD detective Angela Dobson asks for his help to understand what happened to her twin sister Isabel, they discover a conspiracy that would bring Lucifer's son to Earth and kill every human.
How It Proves Her Worth: In a surprising twist, Weisz plays identical twin sisters here (as she later did, once again brilliantly, in the 2023 TV series Dead Ringers). Even though one of them dies early in the movie, she makes the sisters very distinct in their mannerisms and way of communicating with the world. If that isn't enough, Weisz even plays a third character - Mammon, Lucifer’s son, who possesses Angela's body. The actress gives a tour de force performance here, making each character feel alive and wildly different.
- 65 VOTESPhoto: 20th Century Fox
Weisz's Role: Marlee
The Plot: Based on the John Grisham novel of the same name, The Runaway Jury centers on a trial where a gun manufacturer might be indicted. Lawyer Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman) comes up against a jury consultant (Gene Hackman), who is looking to select a jury that might help his cause and win the trial for the corporation. One of the jury members is Nicholas Easter (John Cusack), a con man who might try to sell the jury’s verdict with the help of his girlfriend, Marlee.
How It Proves Her Worth: Before superhero films dominated the box office, John Grisham's novels were some of the biggest IP around, so appearing in one of his adaptations was a great career move. That’s what Weisz did here, creating an enigmatic character whose real intentions are one of the final twists of the film. Her Marlee looks a bit over her head during some phases of the story, and Weisz delivers, creating an engaging performance that proves much more moral than it first appears.
- 75 VOTESPhoto: A24
Weisz's Role: Short Sighted Woman
The Plot: In a bizarro future, single people are sent to a hotel with other singles, where they have 45 days to find a romantic partner and start a relationship, or they’ll be transformed into the animal of their choice and sent into the woods. David (Colin Farrell) tries his best at this task, but he keeps failing. He is ready to admit defeat and accept his future life as a lobster, until he meets the Short-Sighted Woman.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz's character is quirky, sweet, and curious, set up as a perfect match for David. The actress plays her with a great sincerity that allows her to own her own weirdness while also serving as a grounded character reacting to the absurdity around her. The actress is adept at both the comedy and the pathos in the script, selling both. She also has great chemistry with Farrell, making audiences care about their relationship, even in this surreal world with the strangest rules. Evidently, Weisz must've had a good experience working with director Yorgos Lanthimos here, since she worked with him once again a few years later on The Favourite.
- 84 VOTES
Disobedience
Photo: Bleecker StreetWeisz's Role: Ronit Krushka
The Plot: Ronit (Weisz) is a successful photographer, and when her father dies, she goes back to the Orthodox Jewish community in London where she grew up. There, she spends time with Esti (Rachel McAdams), a friend and lover she had in her youth. While Esti has married a man and kept living in the community, Ronit now isn't afraid to show who she really is and who she lusts after. They rekindle their romance, though matters become even more complicated when Esti finds that she is pregnant.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz is at the film’s center, conveying the complicated emotions of returning home to a community she's left, while trying to bottle up all the anger she has for them. At the same time, she's seized with sadness, fury, and confusion from the death of her estranged father. Add that to her chemistry with Esti, as lustful and passionate as it comes, for someone who doesn’t care about the consequences anymore, and Ronit proves to be one of the most dynamic characters Weisz has ever played. Unsurprisingly, the actress proves she’s up for the challenge, hitting it out of the park.
- 96 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Weisz's Role: Rachel
The Plot: Will (Hugh Grant), who describes himself as living on an island, free from other people's problems. He remains content living a life free of responsibility or significant relationships, until he meets Marcus (a youngNicholas Hoult in his first movie role ever), a 12-year-old boy who is is need of a role model and friend. While Marcus's mother, Fiona (Toni Collette) is in a difficult emotional place, Will takes on a pseudo-parental role in Marcus's life. That’s when Will meets Rachel, a single mom who believes he's Marcus's real father.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz only appears in the movie's second half as the carrot for Will to keep improving himself and becoming someone worth loving. Although it’s not the most layered of roles, Weisz sells the character, making it pretty easy for the audience to fall in love with her character in a short time. Her Rachel is magnetic, ambitious, and knows what she wants, encouraging Will to mature and evolve if he wants to have a relationship with her.
- 101 VOTES
The Whistleblower
Photo: Samuel Goldwyn FilmsWeisz's Role: Kathryn Bolkovac
The Plot: This bigraphical drama is based on the real-life story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska police officer who, when working for the United Nations on an assignment in Bosnia, discovers a security contractor they're aligned with is involved in a human trafficking conspiracy. No one believes her, and she even loses her job when she attempts to call attention to the situation, but she doesn't let that stop her. She does everything in her power to sound the alarm and save the innocent people being harmed while international authorities turn a blind eye.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz is always great at playing idealistic, tough characters who look for the greater good and will put their lives at risk to do it. Just as she did in The Constant Gardener, she once again portrays a woman with a moral code who decides to do the right thing. The character could look like a saint or a superhero, yet Weisz also shows some of her imperfections and misgivings, making her a more fully-realized person.
- 111 VOTESPhoto: Artificial Eye
Weisz's Role: Hester Collyer
The Plot: In the 1950s, Hester Collyer has a fulfilling, loving marriage with a High Court judge, even if their sex life is not great. She starts up an affair with Freddie (Tom Hiddleston), an RAF pilot with PTSD, who awakens her sexual side. Once the affair is discovered, Hester moves with Freddie and learns firsthand that he's too volatile to be a stable long-term partner, leaving her lost and confused about what she should do.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz's character has a meaty arc as Hester must decide what she wants in her life: money, stability, and love, or good sex, adventure, and a most frugal life. Though much of this conflict is internal, Weisz manages to convey it in great detail, as audiences can tell how she feels about each man by how she moves, looks, and speaks. All of the character's layers are on display, even at the lowest points, when Hester's contemplating suicide.
- 121 VOTESPhoto: StudioCanal
Weisz's Role: Clare Crowhurst
The Plot: Based on the real-life story of amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst (Colin Firth), who decides to run in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race - a one-man, around-the-world yacht competition. He is absolutely unprepared for such a task, and as his journey encounters more and more trouble, he starts lying in his transmissions, exaggerating his progress - so much so that if his tales were true, he would win the race. When he understands this, after months of hiding on the sea and trying not to be seen by any other participant, he takes extreme measures.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz plays Crowhurst's wife, Clare, who has her own plot as the audience sees how she’s handling the family and everything else on land, while he’s off “winning” the race. Although it’s not the biggest of roles, archetype, the actress makes the stress, worry, and strain of the character believable, as her husband’s exploits put more pressure and attention on her and her family, making Clare the one who has to keep everything together.
- 132 VOTESPhoto: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Weisz's Role: Lady Sarah
The Plot: This genre-busting story is about Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) of England, who is sick and delegates all the decisions about the country to her favorite person and lover, Lady Sarah (Weisz). That is, until Abigail (Emma Stone) comes along to steal Sarah's thunder, angling to become the Queen's new favorite (with all the power and influence that position entails). Thus ensues a a darkly comedic battle of wills, as both women will do anything and everything in their power to sabotage each other and secure the Queen's attention.
How It Proves Her Worth: Weisz shows the many sides of her character, as Lady Sarah wants to have all the power, but also cares about the Queen; she also is cruel to Abigail, even while understanding what she's going through, as Sarah herself once was in a similar position. Director Yorgos Lanthimos and writer Tony McNamara find very unique rhythm and humor, and for her part, Weisz nails every joke, dig, and observation to perfection. It's no surprise that she received a good deal of awards attention for this performance.
- 142 VOTESPhoto: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Weisz's Role: Rachel
The Plot: In the 19th century, Philip (Sam Claflin) believes his cousin has been killed by his wife Rachel, who is also a distant cousin of his. He wants revenge, until he meets her and starts falling in love with her. The more he gifts her, the more she accepts his advances. When he gets sick, though, he starts wondering if she’s poisoning him, just as he believes she did to his deceased cousin. He becomes tormented by his suspicions with no way to prove them right or wrong.
How It Proves Her Worth: This film shows Weisz at her best, tantalizing the audience just as she tantalizes Philip, as it's never clear what her real motives are. That ambivalence makes this character and story so great, as the actress has moments that look cold and calculated mixed with others of warmth and love, leaving audiences as confused as Claflin's character. Is she a murderous schemer, or an innocent lovig wife? Rachel is either an open book or an enigma, depending on the moment, which makes her absolutely riveting.
- 150 VOTESPhoto: StudioCanal
Weisz's Role: Lena Ballinger
The Plot: Fred (Michael Caine) and Mick (Harvey Keitel) are two old friends who decide to escape their lives for a few days by going to a luxurious spa resort in the Swiss Alps; while there, each one acknowledges his life, past misgivings, mistakes, and what’s next. Lena, Fred’s daughter, joins him on the trip, attempting to bond, though they've never been close.
How It Proves Her Worth: Although Caine and Keitel are the leads, Weisz steals the show as Lena, a woman still reeling from her husband cheating on her with a pop star and her cold relationship with her father. Lena's best moment comes in a monologue when she’s finally alone with her father, showing all the anger, disdain, and coldness she feels towards him. It's captured in a remarkable two-minute close-up shot of her face while she cries, insults him, and asserts how he never understood her mother. Few actors can pull off a feat of pure emotion like this, but Weisz is one of them.
- 160 VOTES
Denial
Photo: Bleecker StreetWeisz's Role: Deborah Lipstadt
The Plot: Based on the book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier, the film Denial dramatizes the real-life trial between Deborah Lipstadt and David Irving (Rafe Spall). Lipstadt, an author and academic, wrote that Irving was a Holocaust denier in one of her books, and he filed a lawsuit against her for libel. In court, she must prove that Irving has knowingly lied about the truth of the Holocaust, while he tries to discredit her with every trick in the legal book.
How It Proves Her Worth: The actress is mesmerizing as Lipstadt, showing all her commitment to the cause, yet feeling out of her depth as an American in an English court, with its own rules and idiosyncrasies - including the fact that the burden of proof in libel cases lies with her as the defendant. Weisz holds the film together as its center of gravity, and she brings an incredible power to telling both Lipstadt's story and the history of the Holocaust itself.
- 170 VOTESPhoto: Universal Pictures
Weisz's Role: Tessa Quayle
The Plot: After his wife Tessa is killed in strange circumstances, British diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes) starts looking into what really happened to her - both to search for answers, but also as an outlet for his own grief. In the process, he discovers how a pharmaceutical company’s greed might be responsible for everything that happened to her.
How It Proves Her Worth: Although Weisz only appears in flashbacks, her character leaves a significant impression which looms large over all the present events of the film. It's clear that Tessa is idealistic, passionate, fierce, and strong. She's also deeply in love with Justin, which helps the audience understand why Fiennes's character will do everything possible to find out what really happened to her. This performance won Weisz an Academy Award, along with many other accolades.
- 180 VOTESPhoto: Summit Entertainment
Weisz's Role: Penelope
The Plot: Bloom Bloom (Adrien Brody) and Stephen Bloom (Mark Ruffalo) are brothers and the best con artists and grifters in the world. They want to do one last job before they retire (all movie fans know, that always goes well), and their last mark is Penelope, an eccentric heiress who might be much more than meets the eye. Especially for Bloom Bloom, who might fall in love with her.
How It Proves Her Worth: When Weisz took this role, she was mostly known for her dramatic performances and occasional supporting performances in rom-coms. Playing Penelope allowed her to show her impressive abilities in the realm of straight comedy, a talent that director Yorgos Lanthimos has taken advantage of ever since. Her character is charming and somewhat ridiculous; Weisz gives her a unique deadpan delivery, yet also keeps her just grounded enough to feel real. The actress even learned a host of special skills like juggling, skateboarding, and playing the banjo for the role.
