12 Actresses Who Sacrificed Their Beauty to Play Strong, Bold Characters

In the cinematographic world there are many classic types of female characters: ”ugly duckling”, naive girl, fatal seductress, trusted companion. But a very common type is the tomboy girl, the one who has no interest in traditional women’s activities and clothing and, therefore, according to the laws of cinema, is not happy. So everyone around her tries to change her appearance and gives her lots of advice. And, thanks to that, the character finally manages to enjoy the much-desired ”female happiness”.

We, from awesome.club, we have already seen many films and we would like to highlight some in which the characters are not after femininity in opposition to their own principles. And, thanks to them, the world has known strong and persistent women, who manage to shine without the help of red lipstick and high heels.

Arya, the second daughter of the family, is determined and persistent, and people find this strange, as in Westeros young women tend to be more subordinate. Unlike her sister Sansa, Arya Stark doesn’t cater to gender stereotypes: she fights and explores rather than dances and sews.

Throughout the narrative, Arya’s impulsiveness and youthful sass, played by Maisie Williams, transform into a trait known as psychological resilience. The girl fights for justice, trying to defeat evil, and she’s really good at it.

Jo is distinguished from her sisters by her temperament considered typical of a boy and disdains all traditional girl activities. Instead of sewing and embroidering, she writes plays and invents pranks.

The girl sees Theodore as just a friend and has no intention of getting married. However, Saoirse Ronan’s character is a sensitive friend, a caring daughter and a caring sister. It is worth remembering the episode where she sells her long hair to help her parents.

Unlike many other Disney characters, Mulan is not a princess. This brave girl tries her best to save her father. Mulan does not live up to the demands of the times: despite her natural beauty, she is clumsy and very independent. The girl’s encounter with the matchmaker is disastrous because at that moment, the character, played by Liu Yifei, is trying to look like someone else.

Their courage, determination and intelligence help the army to defeat enemies and preserve the honor of the country and family.

In all three books and four films, Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, focuses on survival. She is the only breadwinner for the family and since childhood she has had to take care of her mother and little sister. Years of hardship strengthened her character. Tough and determined, she works hard to achieve her goal. Katniss can be described as calculating, because in the arena she only thinks about survival and not love. However, the character is quite strong and struggles to protect her loved ones while neglecting herself.

Anne Hathaway’s character’s appearance, her character and her determination amaze viewers. She is ready to go into space to save humanity, even though she doesn’t know if she will be able to return home.

In the film’s final scenes, we see the brave astronaut setting up base on the proper planet, not knowing if she’ll ever see humans again. This girl’s strength is incredible!

The pain and loss suffered by the girl made her cold and calculating. She has her enemies list and sticks to her plan. It is clear that Uma Thurman’s character has vulnerabilities, but nothing in her appearance or her behavior indicates that she is a weak person. She doesn’t take advantage of her beauty and works hard to get what she wants.

One of the main characters in the film, based on the homonymous trilogy, looks like a punk: she wears black clothes and likes piercings. Since the age of 12, Lisbeth, played by Rooney Mara, took care of herself, as she couldn’t trust anyone. She has taken responsibility for her life and is doing everything she can to survive and get revenge. Lisbeth has a photographic memory and a phenomenal ability to search for information, so her skills come in handy at work.

Lisbeth shows her courage by rescuing Mikael. And later, she gets valuable information that determines the fate of the protagonists.

Furiosa is Immortan Joe’s army commander. At one point, the girl rebels against her sovereign to save his wives. Furiosa is a virtuoso with weapons and very intelligent, and thanks to her, Max is able to overthrow Joe and bring peace to the world. The character is not a classic beauty and it is difficult to recognize her as the elegant Charlize Theron.

Lieutenant Jordan O’Neil, an Olympic Games participant, is the only woman in a US Navy crew. She is a strong person and endures all the hardships of military service and even the teasing of her instructors. At a certain point, it looks like the girl is going to give up, but she proves once again that she is capable of achieving her goal and has the right to fight equal to men.

For this role, Demi Moore had to drastically change her look. And, apparently, it wasn’t for nothing.

Gracie is an FBI agent who needs to participate in a beauty contest. Accustomed to a different life, she can’t imagine wearing high heels, especially on stage, but she is determined and instead of blindly following her superior’s orders, she thinks on her own.

In the film, Sandra Bullock’s character needs to delve into the unknown female world, in which she feels uncomfortable. However, during the mission, Gracie learns to accept other girls and even makes friends. But she is still herself.

In the feature film Ma Ma, the famous Hollywood beauty presents an unusual look. She portrayed a woman with an incurable disease who struggles to stay upbeat and not pass her fears on to her son. To play Magda, Penelope shaved her head and also refused to wear makeup.

South Korean beauty Jung Ho-Yeon, rated by Models.com as one of the top 50 models in the world, made her debut with one of the lead roles in the series Round 6. Her character is a pickpocket with a hard life. For this role, Jung was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards (the Actors Union award).

In your opinion, which other female characters deserve our recognition? Tell us in the comments!