Kate Mara has been working as an actress in TV and movies since she was a teenager. Both her sister (Rooney Mara) and she have had interesting careers. Kate’s always been a pretty memorable presence; someone you don’t forget easily, who used to be great as a supporting player in all kinds of roles (daughter, love interest, co-worker). In the last few years, finally, she’s started to lead some movies and shows, proving all her talent at showing complex characters. Here are Kate Mara’s best performances, ranked:
8 Fantastic Four (2015)
Four young scientists teleport to another dimension which alters their physical form and gives them powers. The last iteration of Fantastic Four was a disaster, and Marvel is already preparing a new film with their first family. Even with all the chaos of the production, Mara played Sue Storm with vulnerability, empathy, and smarts that made her the team's heart. It was her first time trying to be part of a franchise, and the absolute failure of the movie, although not her fault, made her look for more unique and independent roles that would satisfy her artistically.
7 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Two male cowboys, Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis (Heath Ledger, RIP) fall in love at a time when such a thing isn’t allowed. Ledger’s and Gyllenhaal’s performances still resonate all these years later in one of the best Ang Lee films ever (we still can’t believe the film didn’t win the Oscar for the best movie). In Brokeback Mountain, Mara plays Alma Jr, Ennis (Ledger) and Alma’s (Michelle Williams) daughter at 19 years old. She appears in the final minutes of the film. It’s a small but essential role, as she’s with his father Ennis, when he sees Jack’s shirt, crying at the site of something from the love of his life. Mara plays the relationship with his father perfectly; she wants him to be happy for her, while also showing some concern for him as she feels he’s still lost. That relationship helps get that cathartic reaction from Ennis at the heartbreaking end.
6 Happythankyoumoreplease (2011)
Sam (Josh Radnor) and his group of friends, Annie (Malin Akerman), Mary-Catherine (Zoe Kazan), and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber), are at different crossroads in life when Sam meets a young kid that makes him change his ways. Happythankyoumoreplease was written and directed by Ted Mosby himself, Josh Radnor. The movie looks at relationships in all their phases of commitment. Mara plays Mississippi, a no-nonsense singer-bartender that might be everything Radnor’s character always wanted. Although the role is not the biggest, Mara makes a real person of Mississippi with her dreams and own hang-ups, creating a character we, like Sam, fall in love with pretty easily.
5 The Martian (2015)
Mark Watney (Matt Damon) gets left behind alone on Mars when his crew thinks he has died in a sand storm. He has to survive alone on the red planet only by his wits and whatever was left behind by NASA. The Martian is Damon’s movie through-and-through. Mara plays one of the crew members: Beth Johanssen, the team’s system operator. Mara transmits her character’s brilliance and loyalty in her scenes, and she has great chemistry with the stacked cast of Jessica Chastain, Miguel Peña, and Sebastian Stan in one of the most scientifically accurate sci-fi movies.
4 Transsiberian (2008)
An American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) are on a Transsiberian train journey that becomes much more than what they have asked for. Transsiberian is a crime thriller by Brad Bird and confirmed Mara could hang with great actors, as she loved acting with Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer and stood her own against them. It was one of the first films where she was one of the main characters, and this critical darling film opened her to many new opportunities.
3 A Teacher (2020)
Claire Wilson (Mara) is a high school teacher in a predatory relationship with one of her students. Mara not only has the lead role in A Teacher but was one of the producers. She gives her character many nuances with her performance. We know what she’s doing is horrible, but she makes us see that the character is lost in her life. Mara gives Claire many layers and makes her a real person, with all the contradictions that entail, making us almost understand why she’s doing this heinous thing. About the character, Mara told W Magazine: “It was a joy to play somebody so complex and so layered and flawed. It definitely makes you have to dive a little bit deeper and explore a little bit harder, and really, really think about why she might be doing what she’s doing and where she’s coming from so that people don’t just hate her the whole way through.”
2 Megan Leavey (2017)
Megan Leavey was based on the true story of a young Marine and her relationship with her military combat dog. Together, they saved many lives. Acting with animals is never easy, and Mara does it great, while conveying Leavey’s experience in Iraq. It’s a genuinely moving portrayal where she plays many emotions: strong, vulnerable, scared, stoic, compassionate, and resolute, showing all her acting talent in one of her first leading roles ever.
1 House of Cards
A congressman wants more power and will do anything in his hands to get it. Even if that means ruining many lives. House of Cards was one of Netflix’s first success stories, and Mara was a big part of that. Her role as Zoe Barnes, the cunning, ambitious, steely, sexy, unsympathetic blogger was one of the biggest reasons the first season was so electric. Mara’s performance here was so different from what she had done till then, showing a great range as an actress in this almost-femme fatale that would do anything to advance in her career. About the role, Mara told Vulture: “Obviously, I do not agree with a lot of the sh*t that she does. The stuff that I connected with was the human, emotional stuff. Her ambition.”