As a TV show and movie fanatic, I have been lucky to witness some of the most empowering women there could possibly be. Not only have their characters shown strength and intelligence, but the actresses themselves have brought this same strength and intelligence off camera as well. The following actresses mentioned in the article are only 3 out of hundreds of other actresses that, in my opinion, show female empowerment on and off screen. These don’t even include those women behind the cameras or the writers of the scripts that these actresses have said.
Angela Bassett started her acting career in the mid-1980s and has not stopped acting since. She is known for her role as the queen in the Black Panther franchise, as well as playing Sergeant Athena Grant on one of ABC’s number-one shows, 911. She has also played the Director of Secret Service in Olympus Has Fallen, where her character helped rescue the President during an attack on the White House. Those are just some of her intrepid and inspiring characters. Off camera, Angela Bassett is just as inspiring, starting off by going to Yale’s Drama School for college. She is also a top ambassador for the American Heart Association and has raised thousands of dollars for diabetes awareness and research. In addition, she was the first Black American to win a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy. Angela Bassett shows what it means to speak your truth on and off camera; she is one of my favorite actresses and has truly empowered me.
This next actress has been the main character for 24 seasons of her show, for 22 years she has empowered the millions of viewers who watch this show. It is the one and only Ellen Pompeo. For 24 seasons, she has graced the screen of the hit medical TV show Grey’s Anatomy as Meredith Grey. Through her character Meredith Grey, we have seen the true strength of women when her husband died in an unexpected car accident; she has also shown how women bounce back, hitting rock bottom multiple times. Her character has said some of the most inspiring and influential quotes, including “I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what you broke, ” and “Don’t let fear keep you quiet,” and “No matter how painful it is, it’s the only way we grow”. Off camera, however, Ellen Pompeo once said during an interview, “Stop trying to speak perfect, look perfect, act perfect… it’s ok to be the best version of yourself”. Off camera, Ellen has worked to get herself paid fairly for Grey’s Anatomy after they paid her less for starring beside Patrick Dempsey. Ellen Pompeo has not only fought for her patients on TV, but also for herself off camera for both a fair wage and for some behind-the-scenes power.
“I volunteer as tribute” is the iconic line of the next empowering actress, Jennifer Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence is mostly known as the Mockingjay in The Hunger Games, aka Katniss Everdeen. Her character volunteers herself for her sister for the 74th Hunger Games. She ended up outsmarting the Games and keeping both her District partner, Peeta, and herself alive. Off camera, Jennifer Lawrence is known for doing her stunts, rejecting Hollywood body standards, and starting her own foundation known as the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation to help support other charities. Jennifer Lawrence’s character stood up for what is right, and off camera she has continued to do the same thing.
We are in a time when women’s empowerment is both off camera and on, allowing little girls to have someone to look up to. The three discussed here are just a few examples. I encourage you to look further into more actresses, both on camera and behind the scenes.