The 1990s saw the emergence of meta slasher flicks in Scream, the beginning of the superhero movie blockbuster in Blade, and a landslide of romantic comedies beginning with Pretty Woman. While a lot of movie genres owe a debt to the exploration of cinema in the '90s, it's especially true that rom coms flourished. The actresses most associated with the rom coms of the decade paved the way for many of the iconic female-led comedies of the 2000s.
All of the actresses most associated with '90s rom coms have gone on to have hugely diverse bodies of work since. None of them have been pigeonholed by their string of romantic comedies in the decade, but they all are truly iconic.
Drew Barrymore
There's an entire generation of movie fans who re Drew Barrymore as the little girl who played dress-up with E.T. With some horror movies under her belt as a young adult, and the shocking opening of Scream, the '90s later became her romantic comedy era.
Barrymore charmed audiences in The Wedding Singer with Adam Sandler (which would go on to be a great on-screen partnership for her in the next decade) and in Never Been Kissed with Michael Vartan. Barrymore's best movie of the era, however, is a little more dramatic: Ever After, a retelling of Cinderella.
Julia Stiles
Most of Julia Stiles' work in romance is actually in the early 2000s. That being said, she is often ed as a leading lady for '90s romance because of one juggernaut in teen movies: 10 Things I Hate About You.
The movie really catapulted Stiles, as well as her costar Heath Ledger, into the spotlight. It's one of the most beloved teen Shakespeare adaptations as well, as it remakes The Taming Of The Shrew for a modern audience. With iconic moments like Stiles' Kat flashing a teacher to get Ledger's Patrick out of detention, and Patrick serenading Kat on a soccer field, it's no wonder Stiles became such a big part of the collective audience memory with just one movie.
Jennifer Aniston
TV fans know Jennifer Aniston for her long-running role as Rachel Green in Friends. Though she's been in a lot of comedies in the last decade, particularly with frequent collaborator Adam Sandler, Aniston actually broke into the rom com world of movies in the 90s.
Her movies aren't necessarily some of the huge ones that audiences like Pretty Woman, but they are a hallmark of the time. Movies like Picture Perfect and The Object Of My Affection demonstrated that Aniston could carry the weight of a film as easily as she could blend into an ensemble. Her turn as a waitress in Office Space is also one of the most memorable characters in the entire movie.
Alicia Silverstone
These days Alicia Silverstone is playing mom to teenagers in The Baby-Sitters Club, but any '90s movie fan will know her as the charming social butterfly Cher Horowitz in Clueless. That might just be one of the most iconic teen rom coms of all time. It also wasn't Silverstone's only '90s rom com.
Silverstone also appeared opposite Brendan Fraser in Blast From The Past, about a man raised in a bomb shelter, and even tried to break out of the comedy world with action flicks like Excess Baggage. She made her original mark with Clueless though.
Gabrielle Union
Like Julia Stiles, Union's career in comedies is actually more present in the early 2000s with roles in movies like Bring It On. She has two major '90s teen rom coms though that means she's forever imprinted in people's minds as one of the queens of the decade.
Union played the best friend to one of the main characters in both She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. Despite being the friend of the popular girl, her two characters also couldn't be more different. In the former, she became a er of the less popular kids, someone kind that Lainey could connect with. In the latter, she went full mean girl and went to the prom with the guy her friend was crushing on. Union has gone on to lead plenty of projects since then.
Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan's best-known romantic comedy might have been released in 1989 (When Harry Met Sally), but she also had a slew of romcoms in the '90s that solidify her place as one of the iconic queens of the genre.
Joe Versus The Volcano, Sleepless in Seattle, and You've Got Mail were all made with Tom Hanks as her scene partner. Beyond that popular trio of films, however, Ryan also appeared in I.Q. and Addicted to Love during the decade. They might have been lesser-known, but five rom coms in a decade is an impressive feat for Meg Ryan.
Racheal Leigh Cook
Racheal Leigh Cook got her start in family films like The Baby-Sitters Club in which her character still had a romantic storyline. When she transitioned to teen movies like Strike!, teen rom coms weren't far behind.
Cook is probably best known amongst rom com fans for one of the best '90s teen rom coms: She's All That. A makeover movie and romantic comedy that hits all of the tropes of '90s teen flicks, the movie is fondly ed, and even earned a remake from Netflix.
Sandra Bullock
The '90s are responsible for bringing Sandra Bullock to the silver screen. While Bullock has done a great job at diversifying her movie portfolio, she certainly appeared in plenty of romances in the '90s.
Among those are the trio of Love Potion No. 9, While You Were Sleeping, and Forces Of Nature. Because so many of Bullock's other movies, like Speed and Hope Floats also included romance, even if they weren't comedies, her name is firmly associated with the genre.
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz made her big-screen debut in the action-comedy The Mask. Her charisma on screen made her a natural fit for comedies, so rom coms naturally followed. Diaz shared the screen with Aniston in She's The One before landing roles in two rom coms that practically defined the '90s.
Diaz starred as the bride in My Best Friend's Wedding and managed to steal her scenes with America's sweetheart Julia Roberts. She also played the titular character in There's Something About Mary, solidifying her spot as a rom com icon.
Julia Roberts
Meg Ryan's five rom coms in the decade is a large number to beat, but Julia Roberts does it. Beginning with the first iconic rom com of the decade opposite Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, there is no bigger actress for the decade than Roberts.
Roberts followed up Pretty Woman with I Love Trouble, Something to Talk About, Everyone Says I Love You, My Best Friend's Wedding, and Notting Hill. She also ended the decade in the same way she started it - starring in a rom com opposite Richard Gere. Runaway Bride bookended what began with Pretty Woman.
