3. Vera Farmiga
She’s instantly recognizable and seems to pop up in almost everything, but Vera Farmiga still manages to be underrated. She may have been nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress (for 2009’s Up in the Air), but lack of critical acclaim clearly isn’t what landed her on this list. Of course, Farmiga has enjoyed a number of colossal successes (and will almost certainly continue that trend), but she’s still repeatedly overlooked as one of the most talented and dependable actors in Hollywood.
Perhaps Farmiga’s biggest role is that of Lorraine Warren in the Conjuring franchise, but that’s just one example of her remarkable acting ability. She has appeared in acclaimed films such as The Departed, Higher Ground, and The Manchurian Candidate, as well as a supporting role in the MCU and a starring role in Bates Motel. This has seen Farmiga work alongside countless Hollywood legends, consistently holding her own and proving just how incredibly talented she is.
Even just looking at one of her most memorable performances in The Conjuring, Farmiga has it all. She’s capable of conveying a depth and range of emotion that many actors cannot, and she appears to do so with an effortless grace that makes her particularly compelling. She has also proved that she’s capable of playing villains, using an entirely different skillset in the process and further proving her impressive range. There’s very little that can be criticized in Vera Farmiga’s career, but somehow, she always seems to be left out of the discussion about Hollywood’s best performers, making her subtly underrated in comparison to many of her peers.