In Character: Maria Bello

Fearless. That’s Maria Bello. In the majority of her finest performances, Bello naturally commands her characters with fearless vigor. There’s no material too shocking, no character too repulsive – Bello is an actress undaunted by the dark sides of human nature. Not only does she embrace the dread, she utterly thrives on it. Which is precisely why she’s one of my favorite actresses working today.

Five Essential Roles

The Cooler (2003)

Natalie Belisario

Who better to play an actual Lady Luck than Maria Bello? William H. Macy’s Bernie Lootz is paid to cool people’s luck. Bernie is such an unlucky guy, he actually alters the fortunes of those around him. So when Vegas cocktail waitress Natalie takes an unexpected interest in Bernie, thereby reversing his misfortune, both are thrown for a whimsical loop. Perhaps the most uninhibited romantic character Bello has ever played, Natalie is a free spirit with a fearless heart, and I simply adore her.

Thank You for Smoking (2006)

Polly Bailey

One aspect of Bello’s craft that doesn’t get mentioned enough is how damn funny she can be. As alcohol lobbyist and self appointed Merchant of Death, Polly Bailey, most of Bello’s scenes in Thank You For Smoking take place at a small restaurant table. But that’s more than enough room for her to fully flex her comedic skills. Razor sharp wit, lacerating sarcasm and unexpected sympathy all play into Polly’s charm. Certainly not the most substantial role Bello has played, but an endlessly amusing one no doubt.

The Sisters (2006)

Marcia Prior Glass

Arthur Allan Seidelman’s The Sisters is a tough film to take. The movie, which is inspired by Chekhov’s Three Sisters, is a verbose examination of a handful of impossibly dreadful people. Every character in this film bitches and moans about everything, ceaselessly, articulately. The final result is a very taxing experience, but one benefited greatly by tremendous acting.

Bello has played her fair share of loathsome women, but Marcia must be the absolute worst. She picks fights for the sake of fighting, cheats on her husband openly, mocks, berates, and degrades all those around her for no reason other than Why Not. Again, The Sisters isn’t necessarily a good film, but you’ve never seen Bello play a character remotely like this one. Horrible and astounding at the exact same time.

Downloading Nancy (2008)

Nancy

In scouting out Bello’s best work, I picked up on a trend rather quickly. Maria Bello does great work in grim movies. You may not fully enjoy the often dark material she is drawn toward, but it’s damn hard to not appreciate her efforts. I mention this because Downloading Nancy is one of the most gruelingly devastating films I’ve ever seen. The movie features depressive housewife, Nancy, who attempts to find someone who will torture her to death. And I don’t mean physical torture in one sitting. I mean physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually torture over the course of weeks until she dies.

Upon its release, Downloading Nancy was described by critics as morbid, sadomasochistic; an all around downer. Hard to disagree. But value the film or not, there’s no denying Bello’s fearlessness. Nancy is a woman so far removed – from herself, her husband, her life – that death appears to be the only answer. An extremely unsettling film, anchored by as courageous a performance as Bello has ever given.

Beautiful Boy (2010)

Kate Carroll

The entirety of the power, hopelessness and affliction of Beautiful Boy can be found in one extended argument. Long after unhappy married couple Bill (Michael Sheen) and Kate Carroll have discovered that their only son has gone on a shooting rampage at his college, Bill and Kate finally have it out in a shitty motel room. They scream and shout about why their beautiful boy did this. Bill blames Kate’s tedious and constant criticizing of their son’s behavior, while Kate blames Bill’s frequent job-related absences. The brutal argument ends with Bill admitting that he wishes their son was never born, which forces Kate to leave the room.

This is a hell of a scene, one of the single finest sequences Bello and Sheen have ever been involved in. And it’s just one scene from a universally exhausting film.

The Best of the Best

A History of Violence (2005)

Edie Stall

I remain stunned by the lack of awards attention bestowed to David Cronenberg’s masterful A History of Violence. Yes, William Hurt deservedly nabbed an Oscar nomination (as did Josh Olson’s script), but the heart of this film rests on Viggo Mortensen and, to a greater extent, Maria Bello. In fact, I think Bello’s work as Edie Stall was the finest female performance of 2005. In the film’s first act, Bello perfectly plays Edie as a quintessential small town gal. Happy wife, proud mother, career-driven lawyer – Edie takes pleasure in the small things, and Bello sells it beautifully.

But after her husband is the victim (and ultimate hero) of a horrible crime, Edie’s suspicions start to mount, resulting in a conflicted performance fueled by love, hate, pride and fear. Everything Bello conveys in this film is done with audacity. Whether she’s telling a hardened thug to fuck himself, lying convincingly to the town Sherriff, exercising her carnal desire on a set of wooden stairs, or sitting aguishly at a dinner table, everything about Edie Stall simply works.

In a career made and remembered for playing fearless characters, Edie Stall is without a doubt the best, most fully realized of them all. Bello’s final scene in this movie expresses a type of remarkable torment that can very well define a career. And she does it without saying a word. Which is fine – Maria Bello has always been capable of letting her eyes do the talking.

Other Notable Roles

In World Trade Center

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1996-1997)

ER (1997-1998)

Permanent Midnight (1998)

Payback (1999)

Coyote Ugly (2000)

Duets (2000)

Auto Focus (2002)

Silver City (2004)

Secret Window (2004)

Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)

Flicka (2006)

World Trade Center (2006)

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007)

Towelhead (2007)

The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)

The Company Men (2010)

Prime Suspect (2011-2012)

Touch (2012-2013)