In Character: Marcia Gay Harden

It’s no secret that, unfortunately, the film business is notoriously unkind toward women. But amongst all the horror stories and latent misogyny, it’s always very affirming when a talent like Marcia Gay Harden is able to brave through and keep her insanely impressive career going. Harden caught her first big break when she was 31, and her second, even bigger career launch, exactly 10 years later. Since then, she’s remained one of our finest working actresses. Her filmography is stacked with excellent characters, women who make whatever they’re in, that much better.

Five Essential Roles

Miller’s Crossing (1990)

Verna Bernbaum

Harden’s breakthrough role was as femme fatale Verna Bernbaum in the Coen brothers’ Miller’s Crossing. Verna is a Prohibition-era dame who is willing to do anything to protect her idiot brother, Bernie (John Turturro), from local mob bosses. This includes sleeping with one such boss, Leo O’Bannon (Albert Finney), while carrying on an affair with Leo’s right hand man, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne). Basically, Verna is a hot young babe making good on a hustle by playing every man of importance. It’s sexy, confident and fiercely good work. An announcement of a raw new talent who was looking to change the game.

Casa de los babys (2003)

Nan

Casa de los babys is about six white women waiting out their residency requirements in a South American country in order to adopt children. The women all come from various walks of life, but the most insufferable of the bunch is Nan, a bully who constantly asserts her aggressive opinions. Nan is Harden at her most emotionally vile; you won’t like her, but you’ll never be able to take your eyes off her. Most interestingly, toward the end of the film, our perception of Nan completely changes as two of the other women (played by Mary Steenburgen and Lili Taylor) talk shit behind Nan’s back. It’s a great conversation, written to perfection by writer/director John Sayles. Validation that you never really, fully, know someone else.

Mystic River (2003)

Celeste Boyle

I’ve often considered Celeste the most conflicted character of Mystic River. She’s initially a dedicated wife who helps her husband cover up a crime he committed. But soon enough, Celeste realizes she may have been too dedicated, and her suspicions slowly eat away at her. Most of the characters in this post are strong independent women who don’t tolerate shit from anyone, especially men. Celeste is different. She’s anxious and vulnerable and, above all, completely terrified. Terrified of her husband, terrified of her extended family, and terrified of what her fear will drive her to do.

The Mist (2007)

Mrs. Carmody

Shortly after a blinding mist, and the deadly creatures that lurk within in, descend on a small town, many of the townspeople are forced to hide in a small grocery store. One of the most loathsome characters in the store is Mrs. Carmody, who says that in order to survive, the group must sacrifice people. According to Mrs. Carmody, these sacrifices are the orders of God, or at least the God she believes in. Mrs. Carmody’s logic is clearly deranged, but the real horror is that, slowly but surely, Mrs. Carmody gains dozens of followers who are willing to kill for her. It’s a haunting and maddening performance, one of the most disturbing portrayals of a religious fanatic that I’ve ever seen.

The Newsroom (2013-2014)

Rebecca Halliday

It’s Harden’s cool delivery as ace litigator, Rebecca Halliday, that I was so taken with. She’s the type of character Aaron Sorkin loves to write: razor sharp, wildly articulate and impossibly sarcastic. Rebecca first appeared on The Newsroom in the Season 2 opener as a lawyer defending the ACN television network from various First Amendment cases. She was a reoccurring character on the show through the rest of its run, always defending the employees of ACN with controlled vigor and hyper intelligence. Rebecca Halliday was the type of character who made every scene she was in better. Whenever she appeared, you knew you were going to get something good.

The Best of the Best

Pollock (2000)

Lee Krasner

At the 2000 Oscars, Kate Hudson was a sure lock to win Best Supporting Actress for her whimsical performance in Almost Famous. But when Nicolas Cage called out Marcia Gay Harden’s name, a truly great Oscar moment was born. Harden had won virtually no major awards for her towering performance as Lee Krasner. Hell, she wasn’t even nominated for a Golden Globe or a Screen Actors Guild award. Pollock was literally the little movie that could at the Oscars, and Harden executed her role to glory.

Lee Krasner was Jackson Pollock’s long suffering wife; a woman who endured his genius, alcoholism, infidelity and wild temper all in the name of love. Krasner was an accomplished abstract painter in her own right but, as depicted in the film, she always stood in Pollock’s shadow. Watching Harden battle endlessly with Ed Harris’ Pollock is nothing short of mesmerizing. The film so expertly captures the pain and torment of Harden’s performance. It’s remarkable, star making work that was awarded justly.

Other Notable Roles

in Whip It

Late for Dinner (1991)

Crush (1992)

Sinatra (1992)

Safe Passage (1994)

The Daytrippers (1996)

Spy Hard (1996)

The Spitfire Grill (1996)

Flubber (1997)

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Desperate Measures (1998)

Space Cowboys (2000)

P.S. (2004)

Bad News Bears (2005)

American Gun (2005)

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2005-2013)

American Dreamz (2006)

The Hoax (2006)

The Dead Girl (2006)

Rails & Ties (2007)

Into the Wild (2007)

Whip It (2009)

Damages (2009)

Detachment (2011)

Parkland (2013)

Trophy Wife (2013-2014)

Magic in the Moonlight (2014)

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

How to Get Away with Murder (2015)

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