Mount Rushmore has long stood as an American symbol, celebrating the achievements of four of the nation’s most important presidents during its first 150 years. In recent decades, though, people have reimagined the monument to honor their own “Mount Rushmores” — their top four figures in any given field. Now, it’s my turn. I present to you: Mount Actress of the 2000s!
At first, I wasn’t sure whose faces deserved to be up there. All I knew was that they had to be powerhouses — actresses with multiple performances that made waves across the awards circuit: Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, SAGs, even Emmys. But to my surprise, the perfect quartet came to me in just a few minutes. What I thought would take ages to decide turned out to be an easy, natural choice.
Meryl Streep
The first face on Mount Actress is none other than the Queen of the Oscars herself: Meryl Streep. She was the very first choice to represent the 2000s. In that decade alone, Meryl received:
– 4 Oscar nominations: Adaptation (Supporting), The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, and Julie & Julia (all Lead)
– 6 BAFTA nominations: Adaptation and The Manchurian Candidate (both Supporting), The Hours, Prada, Doubt, and Julie & Julia (all lead)
– 9 Golden Globe nominations: Angels in America (WINNER – Best Actress in a Miniseries), Adaptation (WINNER) and The Manchurian Candidate (both Supporting), The Hours and Doubt (both Lead in Drama), The Devil Wears Prada (WINNER), Julie & Julia (WINNER), plus Mamma Mia and It’s Complicated (all Lead in Comedy/Musical)
– 4 SAG nominations: Angels in America (WINNER – Lead Actress in a Miniseries), The Devil Wears Prada, Doubt (WINNER), and Julie & Julia (all Lead)
– 1 Emmy nomination: Angels in America (WINNER – Lead Actress in a Miniseries)
Clearly, Meryl had one of the most decorated decades imaginable.
To me, Meryl represents the very best of acting—EVER. My first year following Oscar contenders was 2008, and I still believe she should have won her long-awaited third Oscar for Doubt. That film was my first introduction to her, and I was hooked instantly. It was also the first time I saw Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, and Viola Davis. I had no idea who any of them were—including Meryl. But when Meryl stepped out of that pew, confronted those children, and unleashed her stern, ruthless authority as the strict nun and principal of a Bronx Catholic school in the 1960s—I knew I was watching a master.
While Doubt may have been her best performance of the decade, her other roles are equally unforgettable. Her 2002 double punch of The Hours and Adaptation showed her gift for portraying women in complicated, messy relationships. Then, of course, there’s the iconic Miranda Priestly—I still quote her regularly: “By all means, move at a glacial pace, you know how that thrills me” and “That’s all.” I was floored to discover she could sing in Mamma Mia! and delighted by her comedic charm opposite Steve Martin in It’s Complicated. And who could forget her uncanny transformation into Julia Child in Julie & Julia?
Meryl more than earned her spot on my Mountain, and honestly, she’ll remain there for every decade until we reach the ’70s. She’s a star, an icon, the undisputed Queen of the Oscars—and of my mountain.
Kate Winslet
Next on Mount Actress of the 2000s is none other than Kate Winslet. In that decade she received:
– 4 Oscar nominations: Iris (Supporting), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Little Children, and The Reader (all three Lead, WINNER for The Reader)
– 6 BAFTA nominations: Iris (Supporting), Eternal Sunshine, Finding Neverland, Little Children, The Reader (WINNER), Revolutionary Road (all Lead)
– 5 Golden Globe nominations: Iris and The Reader (both Supporting – WINNER for The Reader), Eternal Sunshine (Lead in a Comedy), Little Children and Revolutionary Road (both Lead in Drama – WINNER for Revolutionary Road)
– 5 SAG nominations: Quills and The Reader (both Supporting – WINNER for The Reader), Eternal Sunshine, Little Children, Revolutionary Road (all Lead)
– 1 Emmy nomination: Extras (Guest Actress in a Comedy)
Kate the Great. Does anyone else remember the Awards Daily poster Watermelons? I swear no one loved Kate Winslet more than Watermelons—every single year, no matter what she starred in, they predicted her to win the Oscar. Without fail. So, Watermelons, if you’re out there, I hope this makes you proud!
Now, yes, I just raved about Meryl in 2008 for Doubt, but that same year Kate won for The Reader. And while I’ll always feel Meryl should have taken it, Kate’s win was worthy—it was simply her time. She made herself undeniable in 2008, with both The Reader and Revolutionary Road. I’ve never seen someone win two acting Golden Globes for film in one night before, but Kate did, setting the tone for a wild awards season. The category placements were chaotic—SAG and Globe had her Supporting for The Reader, while BAFTA bumped her to Lead, where she also won. But the message was clear: no matter where she landed, she was taking home trophies.
Before then, I had really only seen her in Titanic, the performance that shot her to global fame. Later, I discovered her perfect turn in Sense and Sensibility (but more on that when we hit the ’90s). She kicked off the 2000s with Quills—a strange, slightly uncomfortable film, but she was strong in it. Then came Iris, playing the younger version of another legend on my Mountain.
2004 brought two gems: Finding Neverland and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Both wowed me. What she and Jim Carrey pull off in Eternal Sunshine is remarkable—balancing romance, humor, wit, and raw emotion. Honestly, it amazes me they both didn’t win Oscars for it. At least Kate was nominated; poor Jim was snubbed again. In Finding Neverland, she was wonderful, though of course the spotlight leaned toward Depp.
Little Children is a film I’ll likely never revisit, but again, Kate was excellent. Still, the performance I can’t shake from that movie is Jackie Earle Haley’s chilling, Oscar-nominated turn. And then there’s The Holiday—a cozy Christmas staple in my house. Few romcom holiday movies truly work, but The Holiday absolutely does. Highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it yet, especially as the season approaches.
Kate Winslet is always great, and she more than earned her place on my Mountain.
Cate Blanchett
Taking the third spot on Mount Actress is another “Cate the Great”—Cate Blanchett. In the 2000s she racked up:
– 4 Oscar nominations: The Aviator (WINNER – Supporting), Notes on a Scandal (Supporting), I’m Not There (Supporting), and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Lead)
– 3 BAFTA nominations: The Aviator (WINNER Supporting), I’m Not There (Supporting), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Lead)
– 6 Golden Globe nominations: The Aviator, Notes on a Scandal, I’m Not There (all Supporting – WINNER for I’m Not There ), Bandits (Lead in Comedy Lead), Veronica Guerin, Elizabeth: The Golden Age (both Drama Lead)
– 5 SAG nominations: Bandits, The Aviator (WINNER), Notes on a Scandal, I’m Not There (all Supporting), and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Lead)
Back in 2008, the same year I discovered Meryl in Doubt, I also discovered Cate through The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. To this day, I can’t believe she was completely shut out that year—it’s a rant I’ll save for later—but that performance cemented her in my brain forever. Cate, like Meryl and Kate Winslet, always knows the assignment and somehow delivers something otherworldly. Literally, in fact, as Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings. Though her screen time is brief, she radiates such authenticity that you feel like she is Galadriel, not just playing her.
And then she made history: the first and only actor to win an Oscar for portraying another Oscar winner—Katherine Hepburn—in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator. She nailed the voice, the mannerisms, every nuance. It was uncanny. A well-deserved Supporting Actress win.
In what should have been her second Oscar, Notes on a Scandal, Cate delivered electrifying work opposite another of my Mountain faces. It’s a dark, unsettling film, but her performance is unforgettable. Then came the curveball: if she could play Hepburn, why not Bob Dylan? In I’m Not There, she did just that—perfectly.
She reprised her role as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, joining the rare club of actors nominated twice for the same character. And let’s not forget Babel—a film where two other actresses got nominations, yet Cate was overlooked despite her powerful performance.
Not many people can do what Cate Blanchett does. Awards might not matter much to her, but I’d bet anything she’ll eventually join the elite club of three-time winners. With Cate, it feels inevitable.
Judi Dench
And finally, completing Mount Actress of the 2000s: Dame Judi Dench. In that decade she earned:
– 4 Oscar nominations: Chocolat (Supporting), Iris, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Notes on a Scandal (all Lead)
– 5 BAFTA nominations: Chocolat and The Shipping News (Supporting), Iris (WINNER), Mrs. Henderson Presents, Notes on a Scandal (all three Lead)
– 6 Golden Globe nominations: The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (WINNER) and Cranford (both Lead in a Miniseries), Chocolat (Supporting), Iris and Notes on a Scandal (Drama Lead), Mrs. Henderson Presents (Comedy Lead)
– 6 SAG nominations: The Last of the Blonde Bombshells (Lead in Miniseries), Chocolat (WINNER) and The Shipping News (both Supporting), Iris, Mrs. Henderson Presents, Notes on a Scandal (all 3 Lead)
– 2 Emmy nominations: The Last of the Blonde Bombshells and Cranford (both Lead in Miniseries)
I grew up on Dame Judi in the ’90s, when she took over as M in the James Bond franchise. My family loved those movies, and the first one I saw in theaters was Die Another Day, with Halle Berry blowing my young mind. Back then, I had no clue Judi was acting royalty—until I later discovered her through Iris (with Kate Winslet) and Notes on a Scandal (with Cate Blanchett). From there, I dove into her work from the ’80s and ’90s and realized: Dame Judi isn’t just a star, she’s a world treasure.
She has this uncanny ability to turn dialogue into daggers—delivering feisty, razor-sharp lines that cut down anyone in her way, even when the script doesn’t seem to call for it. And here’s the astonishing thing: all eight of her Oscar nominations came after the age of 63. No one else has pulled that off. Judi didn’t just maintain relevance—she became more in demand, more successful, and more legendary in the later half of her career.
Kicking off the 2000s, she charmed in Chocolat (an underrated film, in my opinion) and sank her teeth into the role beautifully. In Iris, opposite Kate, she portrayed the devastating realities of Alzheimer’s with haunting realism. Then came a fiery supporting turn in Pride & Prejudice. That film is an annual rewatch for me, and I always look forward to Judi’s scene where she absolutely unloads on Keira Knightley—stealing the moment, even as Keira holds her ground.
Mrs. Henderson Presents was another reminder of her range, and in Notes on a Scandal, she delivered what I believe should have finally won her the Best Actress Oscar. But alas, she lost to another Dame—Helen Mirren—for portraying the greatest monarch of all, Queen Elizabeth II.
She closed the decade with a few more Bond outings and Nine, a misfire that promised more than it delivered. Still, by the end of the 2000s, Dame Judi’s legacy was cemented. Fierce, funny, sharp as a blade, and unforgettable—she absolutely deserves her place on my Mountain.
If you weren’t keeping track, here’s the tally: between these four extraordinary women—Meryl, Kate, Cate, and Judi—the 2000s alone brought 16 Oscar nominations, 20 BAFTA nominations, 26 Golden Globe nominations, 20 SAG nominations, and 4 Emmy nominations. Out of those, they collected 18 wins.
Each of them took on roles that showcased their talents in ways no one expected, proving their chameleon-like ability to completely transform into different characters. They demonstrated true staying power—whether scorching the screen in small supporting roles or commanding the spotlight in leading ones that many actresses their age only dream of tackling.
What I also love is that all four of these women seem genuinely grounded. None of them come off as arrogant or “snooty celebrities.” They strike me as people you’d actually want to meet, talk with, maybe even laugh with over coffee. Their 2000s were remarkable, and they continued to thrive well into the 2010s with even more nominations and wins. They can’t be tamed—and why would anyone want them to be?
I hope for many more years of them on the big screen, especially Dame Judi, who’s now 90. However many films she has left to give, I’ll treasure them. Queen Meryl, our mighty Kates (Winslet and Blanchett), and Dame Judi—together they make the perfect Mount Actress of the 2000s. I have no doubt about it. Long may they reign!
Now it’s your turn, my friends: choose your four actresses. Who stole your heart? Who proved their staying power? Who deserves a place on your “Actress Mount Rushmore” of the 2000s? Thanks for reading, and as always—Let’s Talk Cinema!
