Widows, directed by Academy Award- winning director Steve McQueen, tells the story of four wives who are left to deal with their husbands’ criminal pasts.
This thriller has a star-studded cast including Veronica (Viola Davis), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), and Michelle (Cynthia Erivo). Let’s meet the four main female powerhouses that make this film an absolute must-see for all gritty thriller fans.
Viola Davis
Academy Award winner Viola Davis, has long reigned our big-screens and is most commonly known for her roles in Fences and The Help. In Widows, Davis plays a retired teacher Veronica who is married to Harry Rawlings (Liam Neeson); a flawless and unfathomable leading performance from Davis. Unbeknown to many, Davis started her career on the stage after graduating Juilliard School in 1993. A few years later in 1999 she landed the ultimate stage role as Ruby McCollum in Everybody’s Ruby, winning herself an Obie Award.
Since then, Davis’ went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards (The Help and Doubt) and later won her first Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Fences; a film about a working-class African-American father trying to raise his family in the 1950s, alongside Denzel Washington. She also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for her performance in the same film.
Regarded and respected as one of the greatest actresses of our generation, Widows may just be her most memorable role yet.
Michelle Rodriguez
Known best around the world for her role in the Fast and Furious saga, Michelle Rodriguez stars in Widows as Linda; one of the wifes determined to make a stand against the criminals involved in her late husband’s death. Rodriguez has always shined in ‘tough girl’ roles, with her debut performance in Girlfight (2000) winning her multiple awards including a Gotham Award for Best Debut Performance, when she was just 22 years old. Since then, her memorable performances in Lost, along with the Fast and Furious and Resident Evil franchises, has made Rodriguez a household name and every film studio’s go-to on-screen bad-ass.
Elizabeth Debicki
Following an initial interest in ballet, inspired by ballet dancing parents, Australian actress, Elizabeth Debicki made her way into acting. Her first key role on the big screen was in The Great Gatsby, where she played the beautiful but self-centred Jordan Baker. Elizabeth got the role, after Director Baz Lurhman saw her audition tape and flew her over to audition in Los Angeles.
Elizabeth has also made it big on the small screen in the popular 2016 BBC crime drama, The Night Manager, where she starred alongsideTom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie and Olivia Coleman. Since then, she has returned to the big screen this year with the Sundance hit The Tale, alongside voicing Mopsy in animated family film Peter Rabbit. Elizabeth’s latest role is in Widows, where she plays Alice, who rebuilds her life taking on bravery, independence and strength.
Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo has had a glowing career in Broadway to date, taking the leading role in Broadway’s iconic The Color Purple, which won her both a Grammy and Tony. Erivo has moved over to the silver screen in recent years, most recently starring in the smart and stylish, Bad Times at the El Royale, where she plays Darlene Sweet. Next up in Widows, Cynthia plays Belle, a feisty hairdresser who transforms into the getaway driver, supporting the three key widows who are repaying their husbands’ debt.
Widows is out in UK cinemas now.