It wasn't always the case but Vanessa Kirby is someone who most audience recognize these days. That's thanks to roles in Netflix's Hobbs & Shaw.
Those movies grossed $791.1 million and $759.9 million, respectively. Their popularity helped make it so Vanessa Kirby became something of a household name. That makes it worth going back and looking at the talented lady's filmography to find out other movies that she appeared in. You might've seen them and not even realized she was part of them.
Me Before You
Long before her days in the aforementioned blockbusters, Vanessa Kirby did appear in a film that did very well at the box office. Me Before You surprised many by raking in the big bucks and grossing $208.3 million. It may have been helped by its leading lady.
Emilia Clarke was the star during the height of Game of Thrones' popularity. The 2016 film, based on a 2012 novel of the same name, follows a woman who forms a bond with a paralyzed man named Will who she's taking care of. Kirby is part of the cast as Alicia, the ex-girlfriend of Will.
The Rise
If you're going to look at the career of Vanessa Kirby, it's best to go all the way back to one of her first notable roles. That came in The Rise, which was released in 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. While it's not well-known, it does boast a strong cast.
Kirby, who plays Nicola, is ed by the likes of Iwan Rheon (Ramsay Bolton from Game of Thrones), Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter), and Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom). Originally titled Wasteland, this follows a man fresh out of jail who plans to rob the drug kingpin who got him arrested.
Charlie Countryman
One actor who Vaness Kirby has worked with on multiple occasions is Shia LaBeouf. Their first film together is Charlie Countryman, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013. Alas, her role in this movie as Felicity isn't all that big or important.
That being said, she again got to share a movie with talented stars. Along with LaBeouf, this features Evan Rachel Wood, Mads Mikkelsen, and Aubrey Plaza. Charlie Countryman tells the story of a man who falls in love with a Romanian woman while traveling abroad.
Queen & Country
In 2014, Vanessa Kirby scored one of her first key roles. That came in Queen & Country, which was first shown as part of the Cannes Film Festival. The movie is actually a sequel, working as a follow-up to Hope and Glory even though that movie came out over two decades prior in 1987.
Only one actor from the original returned due to the age of time. Queen & Country centers on Bill Rohan and his buddy Percy's exploits after they're drafted to the Army. Kirby has a role as Dawn, the renegade sister of Bill who has a relationship with Percy.
Mr. Jones
One of the most recent entries on this list, Mr. Jones originally screened at the Berlin International Film Festival where it was up for the Golden Bear award. It eventually got a wider release around the United Kingdom in early 2020.
Mr. Jones tells the true tale of Gareth Jones, a journalist from the 1930s who heads to the Soviet Union and uncovers what caused the man-made famine in Ukraine known as the Holodomor. Kirby has one of the leading roles as Ada Brooks, while James Norton plays Mr. Jones.
Everest
Another one of Vanessa Kirby's films to make a substantial amount of money was Everest. Released in 2015, it grossed an impressive $203.4 million at the box office. The film is based on the real events of the infamous 1996 Mount Everest disaster where several climbers were trapped due to a blizzard.
It featured a strong ensemble cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clarke, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, and more. Kirby portrays Sandy Hill, who survived the events, became the 34th woman to climb Everest, and was only the second American female to climb all Seven Summits.
Genius
Based on an acclaimed 1978 book Max Perkins: Editor of a Genius, this film is another on the list that was up for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Released in 2016, Genius chronicles Perkins' tenure as an editor at Scribner.
This is notable because while working there, Perkins got to edit pieces by legendary writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Speaking of Fitzgerald, Kirby played his wife Zelda. However, the film was led by Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, and Jude Law.
About Time
Among the most famous films to have featured Vanessa Kirby is this 2013 romantic comedy-drama that also has a dash of sci-fi blended in. About Time centers on a man who can travel through time to change his own life. An attempt to do so sees him trying to get a girlfriend.
Domhnall Gleeson and Rachel McAdams play the film's beloved lead couple. Meanwhile, fans got an early look at Kirby a character named Joanna. About Time also marked one of the first appearances by future star Margot Robbie, who played Charlotte.
Jupiter Ascending
This movie was supposed to be a pretty big hit in 2015. Directed by The Wachowskis, famous for The Matrix, and featuring a talented cast led by young stars in Mila Kunis (Jupiter Jones) and Channing Tatum, it was a recipe for success. It sees a seemingly ordinary woman find out that she's destined to protect Earth during an intergalactic battle.
Unfortunately, this ultimately flopped. On a $200 million budget, it only brought in $183.9 million and received unfavorable reviews from critics and audiences. Kirby, who played Jupiter's friend Katharine, ed a ing cast that included Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne.
Pieces Of A Woman
Now that Vanessa Kirby is known to so many, they can look forward to her future. While she is set to appear in Mission: Impossible entries, her next film is Pieces of a Woman. It actually premiered in September 2020 at the Venice International Film Festival, where Kirby was awarded the Volpi Cup for Best Actress.
Past winners she s include Tilda Swinton, Rose Byrne, Emma Stone, and Helen Miren, among others. The film re-teams her with Shia LaBeouf as they play a couple struggling with the loss of their baby during a home birth gone wrong. It hits theaters to close out 2020 and will be on Netflix in January of 2021.
