1. Clea DuVall
Why She's Awesome... Clea Duvall has played a number of characters over more than a decade of work, specializing in tomboys and opinionated women. She played a tormented carnival worker Sofie in
Carnivale, and the naive Georgina from
Girl, Interrupted. More recently, she played the girlfriend of Sarah Paulson's character in the popular series
American Horror Story: Asylum, and she appeared in Ben Affleck's sensational film
Argo. She's another "oh, that person" actor who appears in movies that range from mainstream films to smaller productions, and makes cameo appearances in TV series like
CSI,
Bones, and
Heroes, but has never quite gotten past being a side character actress that can be dependable for good work without overshadowing the main cast.
Yet She Isn't Given Credit For... Like many actors recognized as good to have, but not sensational, Clea DuVall doesn't have a niche. She plays delicate to badass characters in a wide range of productions partly because she hasn't been labelled as having that "x" characteristic that makes her the go to woman for a role. This leaves her circling, waiting for the opportunity to break out. It's unfortunate that she, and other actors like her, aren't given credit for being diverse in their roles, overlooked because they are not the blazing star the crowds focus on. From troubled naive Sophie and Wendy Peyser to her hard as nails character from the short lived
Virtuality, DuVall has proven her ability to move beyond side characters to main characters in an ensemble cast. Hopefully DuVall can find her stride and move on to straight forward main characters, but if not, she should get the credit she deserves for being an awesome diverse actress who's enjoyable to watch on screen, niche or no niche.
Which actors do you think deserve more credit? Let us know in the comments section below.