Top 10 Female Protagonists in Film

Figuring out my top 10 favourite female protagonists of all time was beyond hard work. There seems to be a very fine line between amazing, complex, inspiring, intriguing female characters and namby-pamby love interests bending over car bonnets. But I’m not about to go on a huge feminist rant. Hollywood is Hollywood, and all we can do is try and bend the rules.

Below, you will find 10 such films featuring female protagonists that can really hold their own. Not to mention, the films themselves are pretty awesome too. In some cases, it could be argued that the lady in question is not the protagonist, but we will get to that later. These characters have really inspired me, as a female screenwriter, to create more. My research has brought to light that there is a serious lack of good, female protagonists, and as we move forward, I fear that this will only get worse. But it’s not all bad. It means there’s plenty of room for improvement!

10. Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

Lisbeth Salander is one of the best female protagonists I’ve come across in modern literature, but not necessarily in cinema. Noomi Rapace exceeded my expectations of how Salander would be represented, and I’m very excited to see what Rooney will do with the role in Fincher’s remake. Lisbeth Salander is a great protagonist because so much is given to us in the books, and those who have read them will take this with them into the theatre. It won’t be the same, but I’m sure those who haven’t read the books will be equally impressed with her. She’s a very complex and unconventional character that isn’t simply lumped into the Goth category. She’s got bits of everything: tough, vulnerable, clever, naïve, even bisexual. The film’s representation was also a great take on this modern type of woman.

9. Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby (2004)

It’s not often you come across a memorable female protagonist in a film that so heavily focuses on sports, not to mention the fact that that sport is boxing! Margaret Fitzgerald is an inspirational and memorable character, and it was no surprise when wonder Hilary Swank (quite rightly) nabbed a Best Actress Oscar for the role. And of course, her character wouldn’t have near as enough impact without her co-star Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood). Sometimes it does take a second character to really bring out the full potential of an excellent protagonist, but luckily Maggie is not totally dependant on him. Like so many of the other women on this list, she’s only human, but it’s in how that humanity is shown to us – in her desire to live and die – that is truly inspiring.

8. Aileen Wuornos in Monster (2003)

A serial killer? Reaaaaally? There’s always room for an anti-hero. Monster is the real life story of Aileen Wuornos, a former prostitute who killed six men and was eventually executed in 2002. Most praise for the film was directed at Charlize Theron’s preparation for the role and the performance itself, which earned her seventeen awards including the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress. Ebert called Theron’s performance “one of the greatest […] in the history of the cinema.” I cannot argue; and that certainly helped to cement Aileen’s place on my list. Nowhere else can you find a character so shocking and yet so human and treated with such sincerity.

7. Juno MacGuff in Juno (2007)

Mention the name Diablo Cody and you’ll have many screenwriters seeing red, but I personally think Juno is a great film. Again read: personally. I could watch it over and over again, mostly because I love its simplicity. Secondly, because I love Juno! Ellen Page brought quite a lot of improvisation to the role, and I found that that was invaluable to the development of Juno’s character. No one teenager is the same and in a quirky little comedy like this, you’re not going to fail by going a bit “out there” with your performance. Everything right down to the slang and sarky tone of her voice was spot on. Juno reminds us that, no matter what people say about the absolute apocalyptic demise of the youth of today, every kid, no matter the front, is capable of being a little scared sometimes. Juno is the righteous little madam and the vulnerable child inside. And she’s also a mother. Scary, huh?

6. Thelma Dickinson and Louise Sawyer in Thelma & Louise (1991)

If I had to choose, my heart would belong to Louise, but for this list I just had to include them both. I had always thought that protagonists were the characters that you rooted for, that you really liked and wanted to win. Yet I sometimes felt myself thinking “Oh for the love of god, Louise, just push that bitch out of the car.” By the end of the film, I realised that my love/hate relationship with these two was just a reflection of the superb job that Callie Khouri did on creating two very human characters. It’s the excellent use of ordinary-taken-into-the-extraordinary that makes Thelma & Louise one of the newest additions to my favourite films, and it would not have succeeded without two of the most intriguing and endearing female protagonists ever written.

5. Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939)

I whine and moan when faced with a long film. And oh my, is GWTW a long film! Fortunately, I was forced to watch it in a class. I say “forced,” but to my surprise, I loved it! The invention of Scarlett O’Hara made those 224 minutes a complete pleasure. I was actually sad when the film finished, mostly because I wanted more! Scarlett O’Hara is just one of those characters that holds your attention for every frame. You love her, hate her and want to be her best friend and confidante (also thanks to Vivien Leigh’s enchanting performance.) She’s the spoilt brat, the temptress, the Southern Belle, and the born survivor. And you’re taken in by every bit of it. I’ve never come across a character that I disliked so much, yet I so wanted to see succeed!

4. Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich (2000)

Erin Brockovich was born to have her life and amazing accomplishments made into a film. It’s real Hollywood fodder. She’s a struggling single mum who takes on the Big Corporation and wins, not just for herself but for the little guys! You can’t not like her, even if Julia Roberts’ incredible body brings out the green-eyed monster in all us ladies! I think the film itself also handles the story very well, utilising drama, romance and comedy at just the right moment. But then this just demonstrates the modern woman to us as well. She’s a lover, a fighter, and pretty darn funny too! In all seriousness, I’m glad that this film gave Erin Brockovich (and Julia Roberts by way of a Best Actress Oscar) the recognition that she so deserved.

3. Sarah Connor in The Terminator (1984) and Terminator 2 (1991)

Again, yes, it is called The Terminator, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Arnie runs the show. Sarah Connor is the main character, and it is her whom we sympathise and identify with. And in the second film she becomes pretty bad-ass too. She’s the Mother of The Resistance, after all. Even though it’s the 80's, she’s not toooooo campy (only by a whisker) or too macho either. Just the right amount of warrior and woman. Given the extreme circumstances, she appears very human and is easy to relate to – maybe because she’s an everyday woman turned legend and saviour of the human race.  

2. Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

I know what you’re thinking. Surely The Silence of the Lambs is al about Hannibal? Well, when I researched what a protagonist actually is, it is the person “around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify” (whether or not In Wikipedia We Trust is another issue). I don’t know if any of you identify with Hannibal (God help you if you do), but I certainly find myself more inclined towards the wonderful Clarice Starling, played by the even more wonderful Jodie Foster, who won the Oscar for the role. AFI voted her the 6^thgreatest protagonist in film history and this makes her the highest-ranking heroine on the top 100 list. Well deserved. She’s got smarts, true grit, and inspiring determination. If only she were real…

1. Ellen Ripley in the "Alien" franchise (1979-1997)


It was a tough battle, but there can only be one winner in the Connor vs. Ripley face-off. For me, the Queen of sci-fi will always be Ripley. Her role is a lot more serious and, beyond everybody’s expectations at the time, you end up buying every single bit of it. Her character also grows so well over the four films, better than any other female protagonist in a series, which was acknowledged when Sigourney Weaver earned the Oscar nomination for Aliens. It was also this factor that placed her above Clarice Starling. On the whole mother-warrior scale of things, she is indeed close to Sarah Connor and yet a million miles ahead. She changed science fiction and the perception of gender roles forever. Women can be bad-ass without being campy, clad in lycra or appearing to go beyond the laws of physics. Fox, don’t even TRY to remake these bad boys. You’ll never ever come close to doing Ripley the way Weaver did.