Linda Cardellinihas been working for more than 25 years in movies and TV. Most people first saw her as Lindsey Weir in the cult classicFreaks and Geeks, or as Velma in theScooby-Doolive-action adaptation,but she’s done many more interesting projects. Here are Linda Cardellini’s best performances, ranked.
7Scooby-Doo (2002)
A live-action adaptation of the children’s cartoon,Scooby-Dootells the story of The Mystery Inc. gang after they have broken up and gone their separate ways. They are all invited, separately, to Spooky Island. Only together can they solve the mystery of what is happening there. Although at the time the movie was called a career-killer for all the actors involved, the film has aged quite well. Cardellini plays Velma and imbues her with the same intellectual prowess as in the cartoon, while adding some pathos and comedic timing, making the actress one of the best interpretations the character has ever had. Cardellini is also happy thatVelma is finally canonically lesbian, as it’s something she fought for in her version that was lost during production.
6Legally Blonde (2001)
Legally Blondeis the movie that made Reese Witherspoon a star, as Elle Woods is as charismatic a character as they come inone of the best female comedies ever. The film tells the story of how Elle, a fashion merchandising student and sorority girl, goes to Harvard Law, following her boyfriend. When he breaks up with her, she keeps studying the law and becomes a great lawyer in training. Cardellini plays the funny-named Chutney Windham. Although her role is a small one, it’s essential to the plot, as her character is (SPOILER) the killer. Elle wins the trial by discovering Windham is the murderer, combining her legal expertise with her hair knowledge, and destroying Cardellini’s character’s alibi in the process.
Related:Legally Blonde: Where the Cast Is Today
5Return (2011)
Cardellini usually plays supporting roles, andReturnproved she could be a leading woman. This indie drama is about Kelli (Cardellini), a reservist coming back from the Middle East and struggling to get back to how everything was before she left. She’s out of sync with her husband, her kids, and herself. The actress gives a raw, dramatic performance that helps the audience understand what her character is going through, while she’s falling into the psychological abyss.Returnalso talks about something that isn’t usually shown in movies: how women in the military adapt to coming back from the war.
4Bloodline (2015-2017)
Family black sheep Danny Rayburn (Ben Mendelsohn) goes back to the Rayburn’s seaside hotel, where he finds his three siblings, and some family secrets start to spill out, as nobody wants Danny there.Bloodlinewas one of the first Netflix original TV shows success stories, with an incredible cast that included Cardellini, Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One), and Chloë Sevigny (We Are Who We Are). Cardellini played Meg, the youngest of the siblings, and the glue-gal that kept the family together. It was a departure for the actress, as this role was much more dramatic and dark than the ones she usually played, but she showed she could hold her own against incredible talents like Chandler and Mendelsohn. About the evolution of her character, Cardellini toldDeadline: “I think she changes the most from the first season to the second. She drinks a lot more and gets a little more out of control—those scenes werereallyfun to play.”
Related:ER: Where the Cast is Today
3ER (2004-2009)
ERwas a TV show about what happened in an Emergency Room in Chicago. The show was a success and lasted for 15 seasons, with many of its cast members becoming stars on their own (especially George Clooney). Cardellini played nurse Samantha Taggart from season 10 until the show’s end. The actress’ character was a single mom with a family of alcoholics, who had to take care of her parents since she was young; an interesting dynamic to play. Like anyone on the show that stayed for long, Cardellini had all kinds of dramatic situations happen to her, but she always managed them with her no-nonsense attitude and with her kid being her absolute number one priority.
Dead to Metells the story of Judy Hale (Cardellini) and Jen Hardy (Christina Applegate) meeting when Jen loses her husband in a hit-and-run accident, and she goes to a grief support group. It’s later discovered that it was no coincidence that Judy wanted to become friends with Jen. Cardellini’s Judy is a fun woman, able to smile her way through anything. The chemistry between the two actresses is what makes the show a great watch, as they’re a perfect Yin and Yang. The show gets more dramatic with every season, but these two are each other’s rocks. Both actresses have been nominated for Emmy Awards for their roles, and it’s more than deserved. The show ended after three seasonswith a bittersweet finale.
1Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000)
Freaks and Geekswasone of the best shows about teenagers. Cardellini played Lindsay Weir, the lead in the show, and one of the freaks in a Michigan school in the ’80s. Her character has the best arc in the whole show, as she starts as a mathlete, who starts hanging out with the slackers. The actress nailed the complicated feelings any teenager has, trying to discover herself while also wanting to be part of her tribe, and deciding what kind of person she wants to be. Cardellini played all those notes perfectly, creating one of the most realistic portrayals of a teenage girl on TV ever. The show is still a cult classic and is better known because it was the first role of many known actors that would become Judd Apatow players (he was one of the producers): Cardellini, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Busy Phillipps, James Franco, and Martin Starr.
About her role,Cardellini told Rolling Stone: “I read the script and I just thought it was so beautiful. It was so different. A lot of the girls that I was seeing on screen… I related to them as somebody I knew in high school, but not somebody that was like me. I felt that Lindsay represented the struggle that I had, that she wanted to be grown up in some ways but was still a kid.”
