In Celebration of International Women’s Day, I’m paying tribute to some of the most badass women characters. I grew up on a diet of strong women characters and I’ve always admired these characters and the actresses who portray them.
Eleven (Stranger Things)
Eleven is one hell of a character. She spent her childhood locked up and being experimented on in order to appease the government. But rather than treat everyone around her with hostility, she is incredibly kind and caring. She bonds quickly with Mike, Dustin and (eventually) Lucas and comes to regard them as the most important people in her life. In addition, she’s always a badass who will stop a bully before they can get too far and will go out of her way to save her friends from danger.
CJ Cregg (The West Wing)
In the Bartlett Administration, the face of the administration was White House Press Secretary CJ Cregg. CJ always led the press briefings with professionalism and quite a bit of wit; she often had several of the White House press laughing as she bluntly answered their questions. In the later seasons of The West Wing, CJ became one of the most powerful women in the world, as she became Bartlett’s Chief of Staff. Also, is there anything more iconic than CJ doing The Jackal?
Amanda Rollins (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Det. Rollins joined the squad room in 2011 to replace Elliot Stabler. Ever since then, she’s proved herself as a strong and capable detective who will always try to do the right thing. Rollins is shown as dedicated to her job, always willing to stay late and remain focused on every case she’s handled. In addition, she is shown as a single mom, raising (as of earlier this season) two daughters while also juggling a full-time, demanding job. She is headstrong and steadfast in her convictions, sometimes to a fault, but she is willing to hear other’s points of view.
Olivia Benson (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Ever since SVU’s inception in 1999, the face of the unit has been Detective, later sergeant and later lieutenant Olivia Benson. Benson is the ideal cop. She is dedicated to justice and for serving survivors. She is tough, empathetic and incredibly savvy when it comes to handling cases. Benson has led the squad since season 15, officially taking command early in season 17 (before it was just an interim position). Benson is also a survivor of sexual assault, having been attacked twice during the show’s run and putting away both men. In recent years, we’ve also seen Benson flourish as a mother, having become a foster parent to Noah Porter and later adopting him.
Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
The brains of the Harry Potter trio, Hermione is the brightest witch of her age. Though her intellect might have caused her to be sorted into Ravenclaw, the Sorting Hat decided her bravery merited her sorting into Gryffindor. She demonstrates both her bravery and her intellect throughout the series: taking on Death Eaters multiple times as a teenager and refusing to succumb while being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange in Deathly Hallows. By the time of the epilogue of the story and The Cursed Child¸ Hermione has become a public servant: serving as Minister of Magic. And honestly, who else would be right for that role?
Luna Lovegood (Harry Potter)
Luna is a character we should all aspire to be like. She is unapologetically herself, despite people seeing her as odd. She simply doesn’t care what other people think and she remains true to her beliefs and how she lives her life. Luna is fiercely loyal, as seen when she comforts Harry multiple times in the books, including at the end of the final battle where she distracts people so he can get away. In addition, Luna is incredibly brave, taking on Bellatrix Lestrange alongside Hermione and Ginny Weasley, managing to hold on with them until Voldemort himself intervened.
Elena de la Vega (The Mask of Zorro/The Legend of Zorro)
Elena is introduced as the daughter of antagonist Rafael Montero, but in reality, she is the daughter of Zorro, Diego de la Vega. Though her adoptive father expects her to behave traditionally, she defies this and is not afraid to speak her mind. Elena has also been trained in sword combat since the age of 4 and manages to old her own against her real father’s protégé, Alejandro Murrieta (later Alejandro de la Vega). In the second Zorro film, she goes undercover after being blackmailed by the government and plays her role so well, she is able to dupe her husband long enough to conduct her investigation.
Stef and Lena Adams Foster (The Fosters)
The moms of The Fosters can be everyone’s moms. Stef, a police officer and Lena, a vice principal, have been together for more than a decade and are raising a blended family of biological, foster and adopted children. Their family experiences many of the same hardships as other families, with the added bonus of having to navigate obstacles such as birth parents and a bad justice system. Through it all, they remain faithfully in love with each other and are committed to one another, even seeking help midway through the series to work on their communication skills. Above all, the moms teach us that DNA doesn’t make a family, love does.
Sidney Prescott (Scream)
Sidney is the main target of the Ghostface killer in the Scream series. Though many people have taken on the identity, they all have a main target in mind: Sidney. And yet, she always manages to outwit the killer and face them head-on. In every film, she is directly responsible for the death of at least one of the killers (though in Scream 3 she simply tells Dewey what to do to defeat the killer – shooting him in the head since he’s wearing a bulletproof vest). To that end, she’s not afraid to confront her attacks head on: in Scream 4 as soon as Ghostface appears, Sidney tackles him to the ground and immediately engages him in a fight.
Laurie Strode (Halloween)
Laurie Strode has taken on a variety of roles in the Halloween series, but this will focus on her roles in the first film and its 2018 sequel. Though clearly traumatized by the events in 1978, she does what she can to prepare for an inevitable reunion with Michael Myers. She knows she has to keep her family safe and though her family, namely her daughter, doesn’t understand, she remains committed to her cause. When Michael eventually comes for her, Laurie is ready to fight him. The story of the 2018 film isn’t about Michael’s rampage, it’s about Laurie’s survival and that’s what makes it so powerful.
Rey (Star Wars)
Rey grew up on a hostile planet and taught herself how to defend against adversaries of all sorts. That’s why she is able to hold her own against Kylo Ren, despite no Force training. In addition, she adjusts her fighting style as she goes, knowing that she doesn’t have her normal weapon and having the instinct to fight back. Above all, Rey always strives to do the right thing, whether it’s getting BB-8 to the Resistance base or preventing what she thought was an attack on the locals on Ahch-To (a deleted scene in The Last Jedi) to trying to save Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. Rey will return for Episode IX in December.
Padme Amidala (Star Wars)
At just 14 years old, Padme Amidala was elected the queen of her planet. And she was forced to liberate her planet from the clutches of the Trade Federation at the same age. Though Padme prefers diplomacy to solve problems, she’s not above getting into “aggressive negotiations” when the situation warrants it. She is devoted to the principals of the Republic and as revealed in deleted scenes in Revenge of the Sith, helped plant the seeds that would become the Alliance to restore the Republic, which both of her children would serve in. Padme is a true public servant and is someone we could all use in real life representing us.
Leia Organa (Star Wars)
Name another character who takes over her own rescue mission, making her rescuers look like chumps. I’ll wait. From the get-go, Leia is established as a character who won’t take anything from anyone: when Vader confronts her about the stolen Death Star plans, having moments ago watched her ship blast away with them on board, Leia is defiant and refuses to back down, even when her home planet is threatened (she lies to protect the Rebellion). Like her mother and adoptive parents before her, Leia is a dedicated civil servant, who wants to help all people, regardless of background and will always strive to do the right thing and make sure innocent lives aren’t hurt.
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