‘Charlie’s Angels’: Kristen Stewart’s most gutsy roles to date

It’s been an entire decade since Catherine Hardwicke’s adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight was first released, causing scores of preadolescent girls to develop warm and fuzzies for sparkling vampires. Starring Bella Swan in the movie – and the many which followed – Kristen Stewart was basically tasked with being the human equivalent of a heart-eye emoji opposite her brooding undead love interest Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). They didn’t offer much of a role for Stewart to sink her teeth into. 

Both prior to and following the young-adult franchise, Stewart has actually managed to enjoy a career full of gutsy roles – ones that thankfully don’t require her to do little more than bite her lip with desire over a blood-guzzling beau. From Charlie’s Angels to Personal Shopper, Kristen Stewart has done it all. Here’s a ranking of ten of Stewart’s most gutsy roles to date that prove she’s actually one of the finest young actors in the industry.

10. On the Road (2012)

Released towards the end of the Twilight saga’s tight grip on the hearts & minds of teenage girls (and grown-ass women) everywhere, On the Road saw Stewart delivering a transformative performance. Playing free-spirited Marylou in Walter Salles’s adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s revered beat classic, Stewart gleefully danced off the shackles of mainstream Hollywood.

9. Panic Room (2002)

Only the gutsiest 12-year-olds have the opportunity to work with David Fincher (Zodiac) for a lead role, which is exactly what Stewart did as the daughter of Jodie Foster’s Meg in Panic Room. She’s tough, resilient, and daring, squaring up to the men who have broken into her home (Jared Leto & Forest Whitaker) with all the confidence of someone twice her age.

8. Certain Women (2016)

Alongside Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World) and Laura Dern (The Tale), the movie tells the story of three trailblazing women whose lives intersect in a small-town. Though her role isn’t as major in the movie, Stewart is sweet and restrained as a lawyer struggling with the demands of her job.

7. Camp X-Ray (2014)

G.I. Jane aside, it’s rare to see portrayals of female soldiers in a lead role. As Cole – a soldier assigned to Guantanamo Bay who befriends a man imprisoned there – she offers a magnificent blend of strength & vulnerability, proving women can also throw on Army fatigues and display as much corporal tenacity as the dudes (as if anyone ever had any doubt!)

6. American Ultra (2015)

After showing off her credentials in numerous dramatic roles, Stewart let loose a little in American Ultra as a stoner striving to protect her government agent boyfriend who has been marked for extermination. Her performance is the most playful of her career to date, and an absolute hoot to watch.

5. Charlie’s Angels (2019)

Kristen Stewart plays the badass Sabine in this modern reboot of the classic action franchise Charlie’s Angels. We get to see Stewart play an out and proud LGBTQ+ character who also fights the enemy? It’s a win-win! The actress shares, “We were all able to bring a really truthful presence. We’re not playing huge departed characters,” she continued. “The movie feels really modern, and there’s a sort of ambiguity. You never know what Sabina’s going to do.”

4. The Runaways (2010)

The musical biopic marked a departure for Stewart from mainstream teen idol to a rebel with range. Starring opposite Dakota Fanning (War of the Worlds) & Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water), Stewart sported a messy mullet to play rock icon Joan Jett and delivered a performance full of swagger and unkempt, sapphic desire.

3. Clouds of Sils Maria (2014)

It’s no surprise Stewart’s most critically-acclaimed performance was in Olivier Assayas’s story of a film star (Juliette Binoche) coming face-to-face with an uncomfortable reflection of herself. The actor collaborates well with the director and in Clouds of Sils Maria, Stewart holds her own against powerful performances from Binoche and Chloë Grace Moretz (I Love You, Daddy) by maintaining a measured intensity throughout.

2. Welcome to the Rileys (2010)

If you’re going to step into the acting ring against James Gandolfini (The Sopranos), you’ve got to have some big moves to keep up with him. Playing a troubled stripper named Mallory, Stewart showcased her capabilities as an actor who – at the time – was unfairly ridiculed for her apparent lack of range. Stewart stepped up to her criticisms in the role, showcasing serious range alongside some truly unnerving restless energy.

1. Personal Shopper (2016)

Assayas’s mournful horror balances emotional, pensive drama with unnerving, supernatural exploration. At the heart of the story is Stewart, who juggles all of these thematic swords with effortless finesse as Maureen – a young woman desperate to make contact with her recently deceased twin brother.