Summary
- Early role in Accepted set the stage for Blake Lively’s career with her likable presence and genuine compassion on screen.
- Blake Lively shined in Savages, carrying the film with her voiceover narration and compelling portrayal of a woman abducted by a Mexican cartel.
- Through her powerful performance in The Age of Adeline, Lively explored deep themes of immortality and human connection in a unique storyline.
As one of the most popular actresses working today, Blake Lively has had an acclaimed career across film and television. While primarily known as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, there was far more to the Los Angeles star than just that, as she’s excelled in action, comedy, drama, horror, and even fantasy movies. With a likable presence and passion for her roles, Lively has forged an impressive character, making her one of the most sought-after Hollywood stars.
From her breakout film role in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to more recent successes like A Simple Favor, Lively has pushed the boundaries of her range and given some exceptional performances. With the impending release of Lively’s latest film It Ends with Us, there’s never been a better time to reflect on Lively’s career and impressive contribution to film and television. As a true star known for her incredible beauty and fantastic charisma, Blake Lively’s best movies and TV shows were both interesting and varied.
10 Accepted (2006)
Blake Lively as Monica Moreland
Accepted (2006)
Accepted follows Bartleby Gaines, a high school graduate who, after facing multiple college rejection letters, creates a fake university to gain parental approval. Without anticipating the consequences, Bartleby ends up managing a populated campus with a diverse group of students who were also rejected from traditional colleges, leading to unexpected challenges and adventures. Starring Justin Long, the film delves into themes of alternative education and individuality.
- Director
- Steve Pink
- Release Date
- August 18, 2006
- Cast
- Justin Long , Jonah Hill , Blake Lively , Adam Herschman , Columbus Short
- Runtime
- 93 Minutes
One of Blake Lively’s earliest roles came in the college comedy Accepted, where she played the kind-hearted love interest Monica Moreland. As Bartleby’s (Justin Long) high school crush who was dating the fraternity bro Hoyt (Travis Van Winkle), there was very little that set Monica apart from the average unattainable teen movie stunning bombshell beauty. However, Lively played that role with such genuine compassion and had such a likable presence that it’s easy to see why she got her big break on Gossip Girl the very next year.
Accepted told the story of a high school slacker who, after being rejected by countless colleges, decided to set up his own institution instead. With plenty of laughs and a lot of heart, Accepted was a touching comedy about the bonds forged in college and the importance of being true to oneself. While Lively did not have a massive role in Accepted, she was an integral part of an impressive ensemble cast that also included a pre-Superbad Jonah Hill.
9 Savages (2012)
Blake Lively as Ophelia “O” Sage
Savages
Savages is a 2012 Oliver Stone-directed film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, and John Travolta. Taylor-Johnson and Taylor Kitsch play Ben and Chon, pot growers who get on the wrong side of the Mexican drug cartel who have kidnapped their shared girlfriend (Blake Lively).
- Director
- Oliver Stone
- Release Date
- September 27, 2012
- Studio(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Universal Pictures
- Writers
- Oliver Stone
- Runtime
- 143minutes
- Budget
- $45 million
Oliver Stone’s Savages may not be the most polished action-thriller ever made, but with a strong cast that included Blake Lively, John Travolta, and Salma Hayek, it felt like a dark return to form for the acclaimed director. Lively played Ophelia Sage, a woman who was openly in romantic relationships with the weed growers Chon (Taylor Kitsch) and Ben (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), creating interesting relationship dynamics. After Ophelia was abducted by the Mexican cartel, Chon and Ben were forced into a showdown to save the woman they both loved.
Lively’s role in Savages was significant as she carried the movie through her voiceover narration, and the quest to save her from peril instigated the film’s entire plot. As suspenseful as it was sexual, Savages lacked the cohesion of the very greatest action thrillers. Lively worked well as a needy damsel in distress, but when it came down to it, Savages was more style than substance, although it more than does the job for those looking for a flashy action flick.
8 Café Society (2016)
Blake Lively as Veronica Hayes
Café Society was a minor entry in the latter part of Woody Allen’s career that offered some lightweight fun and his signature witty dialogue but was predictable and lacked the depth of Allen’s very best work. Lively was joined by a star-studded cast that included Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, and Kristen Stewart just a few short years before Hollywood began to shut the door on the semi-cancelled Allen. As Veronica Hayes, Lively was a 1930s secretary who met and married Eisenberg’s character, Bobby.
As a romantic comedy set in 1930s Hollywood, Café Society followed, like almost all Allen’s films do, a neurotic intellectual’s misadventures in love. Lively was a compelling love interest who illuminated grace and beauty every time she appeared on the screen and worked incredibly well in this type of role. Among an impressive ensemble cast, Lively stood out as the true star of the show, although her chemistry with Eisenberg felt slightly off, which stood in the way of this being among her very greatest parts.
7 The Age Of Adeline (2015)
Blake Lively as Adeline Marie Bowman
The Age of Adaline
The Age of Adaline tells the story of Adaline Bowman, who stops aging and becomes a recluse after suffering a car accident, but sees her world turn upside down when she meets a charming man. Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, and Harrison Ford star in the 2015 romance.
- Director
- Lee Toland Krieger
- Release Date
- April 24, 2015
- Studio(s)
- Lionsgate
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
- Writers
- Lee Toland Krieger
- Runtime
- 112minutes
- Budget
- $25 million
Blake Lively gave a powerful and committed performance in The Age of Adeline, a story about a 29-year-old woman who, after an accident, stopped aging. The consequences of this supernatural turn of events raised deep psychological questions about mortality and the importance of ongoing human connection throughout a lifetime. With a strong supporting performance from Harrison Ford, The Age of Adeline started with the birth of Adeline Bowman in 1908 and took viewers from then to the present day.
As Adeline sought to avoid government experimentation, she was forced to live a life on the run, leave the people she loved, and take on new identities with each passing generation. While this led to an extraordinary life, it was also a deeply lonely existence, as Adeline left her children and was forced to reckon with them growing older than she would ever be. Lively excelled in her role, but although The Age of Adeline was compelling, the potential of its unique storyline was never fully exploited.
6 The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee (2009)
Blake Lively as Young Pippa
As a complex, multi-layered life story about a woman’s tumultuous past and difficult future, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee was a powerfully intense drama, heartwarming comedy, and sharp satire. Blake Lively played the young Pippa, while Robin Wright was the contemporary version of the character who moved to a suburban retirement community with her much older husband (Alan Arkin.) Through flashbacks, Pippa’s littered history was unveiled as her period of reflection brought her ever closer to a mental breakdown.
While Wright’s performance stood out in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, Lively gave a convincing turn as audiences witnessed the adverse effects of her difficult life as a young adult. This included a Bohemian lifestyle as a dancer, drug taking, and dealing with her neurotic mother’s obsessive fixation on her looks. With a formidable cast and a strong script by writer and director Rebecca Miller, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee was an engrossing, satirical family drama.
5 The Shallows (2016)
Blake Lively as Nancy Adams
The Shallows
The Shallows follows Nancy Adams, a young surfer who’s attacked by a great white shark after getting stranded 200 yards from the shore while surfing alone at a secluded beach in Mexico. Blake Lively stars in the 2016 survival thriller, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra.
- Director
- Jaume Collet-Serra
- Release Date
- June 24, 2016
- Distributor(s)
- Columbia Pictures , Sony
- Writers
- Anthony Jaswinski
- Cast
- Brett Cullen , Blake Lively , Oscar Jaenada , Sedona Legge
- Runtime
- 86minutes
- Budget
- $17 million
As the best killer shark movie that’s not Jaws,The Shallows was a truly streamlined horror thriller that elevated itself above other movies of its type with a strong performance from Blake Lively and effective filmmaking. Lively played Nancy Adams, a medical student grieving the death of her mother who sought resolution on a secluded beach. Sadly, Nancy’s therapeutic vacation was cut short by a deadly great white shark, and following this, The Shadows was packed with shocking scares and incredible violence.
The killer shark genre has always been difficult to get right, as without a strong foundation, it tended to play out like a Jaws parody. Thankfully, this was not the case with The Shallows, as Lively more than carried the film as it overcame countless tired shark-attack tropes. The Shallows was full of enjoyable B-movie horror fun and provided an updated killer shark story for the millennial generation.
4 The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants (2005)
Blake Lively as Bridget Vreeland
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a franchise about a group of women who, in order to stay connected as they part ways in life, pass around a pair of used jeans that fit all of them. The movies are based on the book series by Ann Brashares. The first film was directed by Ken Kwapis and the second by Sanaa Hamri.
- Created by
- Ann Brashares
- Cast
- Amber Tamblyn , America Ferrera , Blake Lively , Alexis Bledel , Bradley Whitford , Nancy Travis , Rachel Ticotin , Jenna Boyd , Rachel Nichols , Shohreh Aghdashloo , Blythe Danner
As an adaptation of the beloved novel by Ann Brashares, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was an enjoyable coming-of-age comedy-drama that told a heartwarming tale of friendship and young adulthood. Blake Lively was among the ensemble cast, which included Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, and America Ferrera as best friends encountering the challenges of growing up. With real sincerity and great performances, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants highlighted the importance of maintaining friendships even as life’s path continually sent friends in different directions.
Lively played Bridget Vreeland, a young woman who attended soccer camp in Baja, California, and suffered emotional distress after a brief forbidden romance with her soccer coach. For all the troubles the young women in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants faced, the thing that connected them was their love and support for one another. With so much animosity in the world, it was refreshing to watch the genuine love letter to female friendship that was The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
3 A Simple Favor (2018)
Blake Lively as Emily Nelson
A Simple Favor
Based on the novel by Darcey Bell, A Simple Favor stars Anna Kendrick as Stephanie, a widowed mother and vlogger who becomes friends with the wealthy mother of one of her son’s classmates, a woman named Emily. When Emily suddenly and inexplicably disappears, Stephaine begins to search for her and in doing so uncovers a series of dark secrets about Emily’s past. Blake Lively and Henry Golding also star.
- Director
- Paul Feig
- Release Date
- August 29, 2018
- Studio(s)
- Lionsgate
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
- Writers
- Jessica Sharzer , Darcey Bell
- Cast
- Eric Johnson , Linda Cardellini , Joshua Satine , Jean Smart , Henry Golding , Anna Kendrick , Blake Lively
- Runtime
- 119minutes
- Budget
- $20 million
The twisted domestic noir A Simple Favor featured Blake Lively in a uniquely spellbinding role that proved there were sides to her never seen in her previous roles. A Simple Favor told the story of an upper-class woman named Emily Nelson (Lively), who went missing, and her new friend Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), who got embroiled in a quest to investigate the disappearance. Full of misdirection, part of the joy of A Simple Favor was guessing where it was leading and continually being wrong about everything.
With a fantastic script, the performances of Lively and Kendrick more than did justice to the excellent material they had to work with. A domestic tale highlighting the darker side of suburban life, A Simple Favor left no loose ends in its conclusion and made for a truly riveting movie-watching experience that left audiences wanting more. Thankfully, A Simple Favor sequel has been greenlit, and Lively and Kendrick will be reprising their roles.
2 The Town (2010)
Blake Lively as Krista Coughlin
The Town
Directed by and starring Ben Affleck, The Town is a crime thriller detailing a robber developing romantic feelings for one of his victims after a robbery takes place. As these complicated feelings develop, the team makes plans to Rob Fenway Park. Aside from Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Blake Lively, and Jeremy Renner also star in the movie.
- Release Date
- September 17, 2010
- Studio(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
- Runtime
- 125 minutes
- Budget
- $37 million
Ben Affleck proved the success of his directional debut, Good Baby Gone, was no fluke when he followed it up with The Town, a truly excellent crime thriller. The Town was full of psychological intrigue as it told a story about four skilled thieves holding a woman (Rebecca Hall) hostage while robbing a bank, only for one of the thieves, Doug (Affleck), to fall in love with her. With incredible action sequences and sharply orchestrated shootouts, The Town had everyone involved firing on all cylinders.
The standout supporting performance in The Town was Blake Lively as Krista Coughlin, the sister of bank robber Jem (Jeremy Renner) and Doug’s ex-girlfriend, who tipped off the FBI as they surrounded the bank’s perimeter. The Town was an excellent Boston-based crime drama that stood up to other classics like The Departed and The Boondock Saints. The Town received acclaim from audiences and critics, with Renner even being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
1 Gossip Girl (2007 – 2012)
Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen
Gossip Girl (2007)
- Cast
- Blake Lively , Leighton Meester , Penn Badgley , Ed Westwick , Chace Crawford , Kelly Rutherford , Matthew Settle , Taylor Momsen
- Release Date
- September 19, 2007
- Seasons
- 6
- Creator(s)
- Stephanie Savage , Josh Schwartz
The role that most people associated Blake Lively with also happened to be her very best, and that was Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl. As one of the most popular teen drama series of all time, Gossip Girl told of the privileged lives of Upper East Side teenagers and all the intense drama, double-crossing, and relationship scandals that consistently found themselves in the midst of. Serena was the “it girl of Manhattan,” whose captivating beauty and charismatic personality made it appear like she always got what she wanted.
Throughout six seasons and 121 episodes, Serena was among the most likable Gossip Girl characters, whose complex friendship with Blair Waldorf helped set the show apart from other, more disposable teen dramas. While Serena had quite a dramatic history throughout Gossip Girl, she was always determined to make amends, and Lively gave a believable and beloved performance. As the role that laid the foundation for her entire character, Blake Lively was appropriately awarded Choice TV Breakout Star-Female at the Teen Choice Awards for her turn in Gossip Girl.