Kristen Stewart Biopic Performances Ranked

Kristen Stewart took on a chance to play the complicated, but beloved French New Wave actress Jean Seberg in "Seberg." Best known for appearing in Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless," Seberg solidified herself as one of the most memorable international stars of the '60s. While cinephiles remember the star for her stellar roles, history buffs know Seberg as an activist who openly voiced her support for the Black Panthers (via the Los Angeles Times).  

What notably made Stewart stand out was how she portrayed Seberg in a naturalistic and honorific way, which, in turn, led to a subtle performance. However, that subtlety certainly had its drawbacks. At times, it's difficult to discern how involved or interested Stewart's Seberg is in her activism. This led to a performance that was low on emotion and passion, which makes it difficult for audience members to understand Seberg's motivations and love for her cause. During a key scene where she first voices her support for the Black Panther Army by raising her fist, Stewart appears emotionless, failing to exude excitement for the cause or anxiety that she's now become a target of scrutiny from white individuals.

This direction isn't surprising, considering Stewart made it clear she had no interest in nailing the late starlet's mannerisms or actions. In an interview with Telegram, she said, "You take a cumulative impression and then fiercely try to protect her ... Then it was just kind of forgetting that those details were sometimes impossible to nail." While Stewart authentically brings Seberg's glamor and persona to the big screen, she doesn't strike too well in terms of conveying Seberg's emotion, enthusiasm, or passion. We understand how Seberg wants to create a better world but Stewart's performance doesn't tell us why. 

Lizzie Borden is a name any true crime fanatic knows. In 1892, Borden was charged with murdering her wealthy, prolific father and stepmother in Massachusetts. She was eventually acquitted in 1893, though her story had already swept America, making her infamous (via Rolling Stone). In recent years, the mysterious circumstances surrounding Borden and her family's murder have become a fascination in several pieces of media, including "Lizzie," which provided audiences with one of Kristen Stewart's most compelling roles to date.

In 2018, Stewart starred in "Lizzie" alongside indie darling Chloë Sevigny, who played the titular murderer. The film opened to mostly positive reviews for recontextualizing the mythical and conspiratorial murders as a feminist story (via San Francisco Chronicle). Despite the reinterpretation of the true, muddled events, the film operates as a traditional, restrained biopic. However, the film's greatest strength is its captivating and engaging performances. Stewart appears as Bridget "Maggie" Sullivan, Lizzie's lesser-known accomplice. Maggie was a live-in maid for the Borden family and eventually struck up a romance with Lizzie.

The film is engrossing when it features Stewart on screen as the charismatic, but tortured Maggie. Opposite the veteran Sevigny, it's hard to deny the duo's chemistry as lovers-turned-murderers. Stewart starts anxiously restrained with her performance but slowly opens up to anger and joy as she gains confidence from Sevigny's character. By the end of the film, it's shocking how much the character has grown, and how passionate Maggie has become. When compared to her other biopic roles, Stewart was given an opportunity to portray someone who remains a lesser-known figure, which allowed her to fully step into the role of Maggie without any baggage or expectations. This led to a quiet, beautiful, and complicated performance that compliments one of America's most fascinating true-crime stories.

In 2010, Kristen Stewart appeared as singer-guitarist Joan Jett in "The Runaways," a biopic that told the story of the all-female rock band of the same name. The film was partly based on lead singer Cherie Currie's autobiography "Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway." While the biopic, which shows the band forming and eventually breaking up, doesn't reinvent the wheel, it allowed Stewart to step into an assured and empowering role early into her career.

In a recent SiriusXM Q&A, Jett openly praised Stewart for stepping into her shoes, telling her "I was very impressed with your work ethic, how into me you were trying to get," she said. "It's the little things that other people might not notice but Kristen picked up on," the musician continued, addressing the panel. Stewart responded to the accomplished rock star's comments by saying that being able to star as Jett was an important experience as an actress.

During the film's musical sequences, it's invigorating to see how much spunk and bravado Stewart exudes as Jett. While Stewart matches Jett's energy on stage, she stands out during her most intimate moments with Currie (Dakota Fanning). Like "JT LeRoy," Stewart managed to play two different versions of her character, both on and off the stage. She effortlessly glides between a confident and vulnerable Jett as she effectively portrays one of the most compelling and vulnerable musicians to be put on screen.

 "The Runaways" marked a pivotal moment in Stewart's career. The star could have easily gone down the road of being typecast in roles similar to Bella Swan but instead opted to take the daring and challenging character of Jett. Appearing as the rock star is one of the few roles in Stewart's CV that sees her playing someone unreserved and assertive, which is why it's one of her best portrayals to date.