There can be a general consensus that the '90s and 2000s were the Golden Era for romantic comedies. From classics like Notting Hill to modern favorites like Crazy, Stupid Love, this period served it all.
While the plot of ''boy meets girl, they can’t stand each other, and they can’t live without each other''is getting cliché and repetitive with time, these movies will still be the ones fans go back to. One major reason for this is probably the faces that come with these stories. Certain names, no matter how old, will always draw viewers to them just because of the legacy they built for themselves. Here are 10 actors and actresses (in no particular order) who can still star in rom-coms and ensure their success.
Ryan Gosling - 43 Years Old
While Ryan Gosling has seldom wandered in the rom-com genre, his few interactions with it were such major hits that the audience will watch him in anything at this point. Some of the actor’s notable works in the forte include The Notebook, Crazy Stupid Love, La La Land, and the latest global sensation, Barbie.
He has bagged several awards during his career, including theMTV Award for The Best Kiss and the Teen’s Choice Award for Choice Movie for The Notebook. The actor even won a Golden Globe Award For Best Actorfor his role in La La Land. If Gosling's romantic hero capabilities need justification, his infamous love confession to Allie, when he’s convincing her to choose him and leave her fiance in The Notebook,is all the clarity one needs. No one does steamy romance and puppy-dog-eyes better than the actor!
Emma Stone - 35 Years Old
Emma Stone is one of the most diverse actresses of her time. She has successfully starred in everything from The Amazing Spider-Man to historical fiction in Poor Things. While the actress can nail any role she is assigned to, some of her most laudable performances are in her rom-com features, including Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love, and a smaller role in Friends with Benefits.
For her acting prowess, Stone has won several awards, such as the Academy Award and the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance in La La Land, and an MTV Movie and TV Award for her work in Easy A. If her acting in the scene where she tells Jacob he looks photoshopped and that she’s R-rated sexy in Crazy, Stupid, Love is any indication, Stone will have no problem nailing another rom-com.
Jason Bateman - 54 Years Old
Jason Bateman is one of the most underrated actors today. Despite his age, the Ozark actor has an increasingly versatile portfolio under his belt. From his thrilling performances in Ozark and The Outsider to his heartfelt roles in This Is Where I Leave You and Juno, Bateman has accomplished it all. For his phenomenal performances, he won the Golden Globe Award for Arrested Development and the Primetime Emmy Award for Reparations.
His acting in comedies like Identity Thief and Horrible Bosses is a testament to his potential on that front. The actor has also ventured into the rom-com genre with his work in The Switch and The Change-Up, which more than prove his capabilities as a rom-com protagonist.
Bateman has this uncanny ability to create sparkling on-screen chemistry with any actress he is paired with. Like the scene in The Switch where he tells Cassey she is the most important person in the world for him and that he would do anything for her is just so heartwarming. The way he carried the whole monologue with the perfect mix of emotions, would make him the perfect candidate for a romantic number even today.
Rachel McAdams - 45 Years Old
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Rachel McAdams' acting portfolio is anything but repetitive or monotonous. She played the infamous Regina George in Mean Girls and then went on to ace her roles in The Notebook, The Vow, and About Time as the ultimate romance heroine. At the same time, her performances in Aloha, The Morning Glory, and The Wedding Crashers make her a strong contender for the title of rom-com queen.
Her rom-com excursions in The Wedding Crashers and The Family Stone even got her the Teen’s Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress. It would be unfair to reduce her eminence to one scene, but the one in Aloha where she tells Brian she really loved him and just needed him to show up was so stirring and well done because it conveys her emotions so perfectly in that moment. It is because of that ability, McAdams could star in yet another cliché rom-com and it would still top the charts.
Hugh Grant - 63 Years Old
Hugh Grant has often been titled the king of rom-coms, which isn’t all that surprising given his career of notable titles such as The Bridget Jones Series, Love Actually, and Four Weddings and A Funeral. According to The Number, Hugh Grant is the fourth-highest-paid actor in the rom-com genre. He has also bagged the Golden Globe and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor for his role in Four Weddings and A Funeral.
Grant has a way of making romance resonate deep within the viewer’s hearts while making them laugh. Such as his scene in Love Actually when he offers to have Natalie’s ex-boyfriend murdered for being awful to her; it is adorable and hilarious at the same time. It is also the reason why Grant’s name on the cast list alone will have an audience lining up to watch any rom-coms he stars in.
Paul Rudd - 54 Years Old
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There’s just something about Paul Rudd that is so inherently cozy, watching him on the screen will never be a bad thing. Maybe it’s his innocent boyish charm or his alluring half smile, the actor commands any scene he stars in without being too much. His role in the '90s hit Clueless proves just that. Especially the scene where he reassures Cher that she’s not to be blamed for her father’s case setback and then kisses her out of nowhere - he has such a minor role throughout the movie but just swoops up all the attention with that one scene.
Thanks to his talent, the Ant-Man actor has starred in some of the best rom-coms of his time, including Clueless, Object of My Affection, and This is 40. He has been nominated for the Critics Choice Awards twice for his roles in Living With Yourself and This is 40.
Jennifer Aniston - 54 Years Old
The Friends actress requires no introduction. From early in her career with Picture Perfect to recent hits like Murder Mystery 2, Jennifer Aniston has some of the best rom-coms to her name. Her pulling big box office numbers is not a mere claim, but a fact proved by Murder Mystery having an astonishing 30.8 million viewers! Aniston has a Golden Globe and A Primetime Emmy Award for her role in Friends.
Aniston stars in rom-com favorites such as Along Came Polly, The Bounty Hunter, Marley and Me, Bruce Almighty, The Breakup, and Just Go With It. She even bagged the Teens Choice Award for the latter two. Her ability to work alongside a variety of actors and create the same level of on-screen magic with each of them is one of the reasons why her career is timeless.
Her role in Along Came Polly encompasses everything great about her. The way she is her unapologetic self around Reuben, especially in that scene where she takes him to a dance class, and she’s performing a steamy number with the Cuban guy. When Reuben tells her he’s not into the whole dirty dancing thing, he shrugs him off and tells him it's just salsa!
Reese Witherspoon - 47 Years Old
There’s just something about Reese Witherspoon that says timeless. Her success in the very recent Your Place Or Mine is a testament to how she can still do rom-coms and make them work. The actress has always had this innocence and charisma that have made her a constant on screens ever since her mega-hit, Legally Blonde, came out. If her rom-com talents are in question, one visit to her scene in Legally Blonde where she asks her ex-fiance if getting into Harvard is hard, should clear it up.
Witherspoon has been a contender for rom-com queen with her contributions in Sweet Home Alabama, Home Again, How Do You Know, and, of course, Legally Blonde. She has since received the MTV TV and Movie Award For Best Comedic Actress for Legally Blonde and the Teen’s Choice Award for Choice Movie for Sweet Home Alabama, along with a Golden Globe, Critics' Choice, and Academy Award for Walk The Line.
Leonardo DiCaprio - 49 Years Old
An actor who does not need an introduction, Leonardo DiCaprio, is one of those names that can never be washed up or forgotten. Ever since playing Jack in Titanic, the actor has repeatedly consumed every single role that was assigned to him and owned every genre he worked in. With his stellar performances in The Wolf of Wall Street, Inception, Shutter Island, and The Great Gatsby, there is no denying that DiCaprio is one of the finest actors Hollywood has.
DiCaprio has two Golden Globes for The Revenant and The Aviator, and several other awards to his name. This is why, even though the actor doesn’t have a notable rom-com to his name, there is no doubt it will be a box-office sensation if he ever decides to change that. Especially if his role as Jay Gatsby is any indication.
Julia Roberts - 56 years Old
When speaking of the '90s as the era of exceptional rom-coms, Julia Roberts alone can be thanked for it. Her work in Pretty Woman, Mystic Pizza, Notting Hill, and My Best Friend’s Wedding is so perennial in the way it is still quoted when speaking of swoon-worthy romances.
Roberts has starred in so many successful rom-coms during her prime, that it has made her the star ingredient in the fool-proof recipe for winning movies in the genre. To add to that, she has proven her acting transcendence with her work in Erin Brockovich, Steel Magnolias, and Ocean’s Eleven. The actress has won several awards during her career, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA Award for her biographical drama, Erin Brockovich, along with a second Golden Globe for Pretty Woman.
Her diversity, elegance, and legacy will assure success in any rom-com she chooses to still be a part of. After all, she’s just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
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