Consistently underrated,Carrie Coonhas steadily been one of the best actors working in movies and television, as she impressively portrays complex characters. Coon acted in small roles on several television shows before she had her breakthrough inThe Leftovers, one ofthe best HBO shows of all time. That same year, she made her film debut in David Fincher’sGone Girl. Coon is especially impressive with her television roles in shows likeThe Gilded Age,The Sinner, andFargo.
Though most of Coon’s best work is on television, she has had impressive showings in several prestige movies, likeThe Post,The Nest,His Three Daughters, and evenAvengers: Infinity War, where she played Proxima Midnight, a member of Thanos' Black Order. Coon’s 2025 got off to a great start as well, as she joined an impressivecast forThe White Lotusseason 3.
Lake George
Cast
Lake George follows a newly released white-collar criminal who is entangled in a dangerous task by his former boss. Tasked with silencing the boss’s girlfriend before she exposes their secrets, the film explores themes of crime, loyalty, and redemption.
Following two characters that go on a road trip to steal from a gangster after one was hired by him to kill the other,Lake Georgeis a solid crime thriller with some strong central performances from Carrie Coon and Shea Whigham. Despite the genre, the film often detours into more of a black comedy that works so well because of the chemistry on display. It does well to subvert audience expectations with several narrative turns that are completely unexpected.
Coon is incredible alongside Whigham as she plays Phyllis, the girlfriend of the gangster that hired Whigham’s Don to kill her. After Don can’t, the two of them team up to steal from her boyfriend.Coon doesn’t have a ton of leading roles in film, but she is really great inLake George, continuing to show she has what it takes to lead more Hollywood projects.
The Post
The Post is a dramatic thriller directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and tells the story of the unexpected partnership between The Washington Post’s Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and editor Ben Bradlee. The two will work tirelessly and race to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets spanning three decades.
There are few directors on the same level as Steven Spielberg, and even his weaker efforts are still pretty great. ForThe Post, the film sits firmly within the middle of his filmography, but still rises above most other political thrillers like it. It followsThe Washington Postin 1971 and the efforts of its journalists to publish thePentagon Papers, a set of documents detailing the 20-year involvement of the US government in the Vietnam War as well as French Indochina in the ’40s. Spielberg explores a moment in history that continues to feel timely to this day.
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Carrie Coon is brilliant in her supporting role as Meg Greenfield, an editorial writer forThe Washington Post. She doesn’t really have any standout moments, acting mostly within a larger ensemble, butshe fits right in with the rest of the talented cast, which was led by Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, some of cinema’s biggest legends.
Starring Jude Law and Carrie Coon,The Nestis a psychological drama that features an entrepreneur and his family beginning to unravel once they move into an old country manor in England in the 1980s. Bolstered by incredible performances,The Nestis often unsettling and tense in its depiction of family and ambition and the dark consequences that can come with having too much of it. Its adherence to its period setting is also a major highlight of the film.
The Nestis often unsettling and tense in its depiction of family and ambition.
Coon plays Allison O’Hara, wife of Law’s Rory. At odds with a lot of the decisions Rory makes, she eventually begins working as a farmhand to make additional income for the household.Coon is remarkable as the character as she navigates loss, and the strain her relationship with her kids and husbandgoes through over the course of the film. It’s an incredible, layered performance.
The Sinner
The Sinner is a crime anthology series created by Derek Simonds that ran for four seasons on the USA Network. Bill Pullman is the star in each season, which all examine a different crime committed by the unlikeliest of culprits. The series was originally supposed to be an eight-part mini-series, but the success of season 1 caused USA to continue it as an anthology.
Adapted from the Petra Hammesfahr novel of the same name,The Sinnerwas originally supposed to be a miniseries but ended up running for four seasons after its initial massive success. The series focuses on a new story and cast of characters in each season, with a few recurring characters, and is anchored by Bill Pullman’s Detective Harry Ambrose, who appears in all four. Season 2 sees Ambrose return to his hometown after a young boy confesses to poisoning a couple.The Sinneris fantastic for how it explores why a crime happened rather than who committed it.
Carrie Coon plays Vera Walker in season 2 ofThe Sinner, the mom of Julian Walker, who was the young boy who killed two people. Vera is rather mysterious throughout the season, and Coon plays into that aspect of the character extremely well,having audiences guess her true intentions every step of the way.
One ofDavid Fincher’s best movies,Gone Girlis a chilling story about a woman who goes missing, and her husband is accused of murdering her. Led by the magnetic Rosamund Pike as the deliciously twisted Amy Dunne,Gone Girltakes viewers on a complex, often surprising journey through married life and the lengths characters will go to get what they actually want. It’s an incredible film with some truly fantastic direction by David Fincher.
Gone Girlwas actually the film debut of Carrie Coon, who plays Margo Dunne, sister of Ben Affleck’s Nick, who is accused of killing his wife Amy. Coon isn’t in the film a ton, but she does impressive work with the time that she’s given,showing how brilliant her 2014 was in terms of her careerwith bothGone GirlandThe Leftovers. She stands toe-to-toe with Affleck in every scene, despite it being one of the best performances of his entire career.
The Gilded Age
The Gilded Age, set in 1882 during a time of economic prosperity, follows Marian Brook, an orphaned Southern general’s daughter, as she moves to New York City. She navigates society’s complexities with her aunts and Peggy Scott, an African-American masquerading as her maid, amidst the city’s opulent elite.
The Gilded Ageis another fantastic series for HBO. Running for two seasons and counting, the series focuses on the booming years of the 1880s in New York City, revolving around a young woman named Marian Brook who is entering the city’s rigid social scene while trying to navigate the conflicts between the new money Russell family and her own old money van Rhijn-Brook family. Operatic and having a lot to say about class and the power money grants people,The Gilded Ageis a very enjoyable series to watch.
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Carrie Coon leads the way inThe Gilded Ageas Bertha Russell, the matriarch of the Russell family who is determined by her new money and position to break into a polite society, which is often adverse to change. Bertha is often cunning but can be cold, as she desperately wants to be seen as equal among her old-money peers. However, she shows a soft, vulnerable side towards her husband as the two of them don’t stop trying to get the things they want.Coon portrays this delicate balance perfectly and is often the most engaging character in the entire show.
His Three Daughtersis a gentle, poignant look at three estranged sisters who come back together to take care of their ailing father. The film expertly explores the complex relationships between the sisters as well as with their father, which can be rather thorny at times. Despite that,His Three Daughtersis often warm in its portrayal of its characters while also exploring family and the obligation that tends to come with that.
His Three Daughtersis often warm in its portrayal of its characters, while also exploring family and the obligation that tends to come with that.
Carrie Coon is remarkable as Katie, the eldest sister, who rarely came to visit their father when he was dealing with his illness. Katie is high-strung and often stressed about a variety of things, andCoon portrays that perfectly, feeling like she might fall apart at any second. She is often the authoritarian figure among the three sisters, despite not necessarily knowing how to deal with the situation the best.
The White Lotus
The White Lotus is a television series that explores the interactions of guests and staff at an upscale tropical resort. Premiering in 2021, the narrative unfolds over a week, revealing underlying complexities and tensions among the resort’s seemingly ideal travelers and employees.
Following a cast of rich people spending the week at various White Lotus resorts around the world,The White Lotusemploys the anthology format to tell engaging stories where viewers try to piece together who ends up getting murdered at the end of each season. It’s funny, tense, and full of show-stopping performances.The White Lotusseason 3 is the latest entry in the series, taking place in Thailand and exploring spirituality, mostly focusing on the physical and mental healing of its guests.
Season Three
Thailand
Carrie Coon plays Laurie Duffy inThe White Lotusseason 3, a corporate lawyer who is on vacation with two of her closest childhood friends. Though things are hunky-dory on the surface, there is a lot of unspoken tension among the group, and Laurie often feels like the odd one out. Coon is perfect in her role, exploring how the character feels about being the outsider in a friend group,while also joyfully diving into the gossip she partakes in with each friend.
Television as a whole rarely gets better thanFargo, a series based on the film of the same name. The show utilizes the anthology format to explore various settings and characters within the American Midwest, especially Minnesota. Focusing on organized criminals, law enforcement, and regular civilians,Fargois a rich, complex, and often funny series that marches to the beat of its own drum, as showrunner Noah Hawley channels a lot of the offbeat storytelling that was present in the film.
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Carrie Coon didn’t appear inFargountil season 3, where she plays Gloria Burgle, the police chief of Eden Valley, Minnesota. Her character’s story revolves around her trying to solve the murder of her stepfather.She is a revelation inFargo, as Gloria Burgle is a practical woman who wants to better understand those around her, simultaneously trying to hold herself together throughout the investigation.
Despite being considered not only one of HBO’s best shows, but one of the best shows period, it feels likeThe Leftoversis often overshadowed by other prestige, event TV likeThe Sopranos,Breaking Bad, orThe Wire. Still,The Leftoversis able to stand toe-to-toe against other giants, and its story, revolving around people having to navigate a world where two percent of the population mysteriously vanishes, is complex and contemplative. It’s a masterpiece of television, and deserves all of its flowers.
Its story, revolving around people having to navigate a world where two percent of the population mysteriously vanishes, is complex and contemplative.
The Leftoverswas Carrie Coon’s big breakthrough in her careeras she plays Nora Durst, a wife and mother who lost her husband, son, and daughter in the “Sudden Departure.” There is a lot of pain and grief present in Nora, andCarrie Coonis able to explore that in spectacular fashion, often being one of the most complex characters in a show full of them. It’s an amazing performance and the best of her career.
