Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
We’re officially in summer, which means we as a culture are in need of some soapy and action packed programming. There’s a reason why most summer blockbusters are star-studded action epics — summertime and explosions just go well together. Today, we’re taking a moment to appreciate one of the lesser known heroes of this beloved genre, Alice Braga.
Braga plays the leading role of Teresa Mendoza in USA’s sultry new series about drug cartels, Queen of the South. However, this summer drama doesn’t mark Braga’s first time center stage. From sci-fi action thrillers, action movie continuations, and Brazilian crime dramas, Braga has been bringing her own delightful mix of badassery and humanity to the big and small screens. To celebrate Braga’s work in both Queen of the South and Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson’s The Duel, which recently became available on video on demand, here is your cheat sheet to Braga’s work. Just know that you’ll probably never be as cool as this Meet Queue queen.
City of God (2003)
Though Braga’s film career started with 1998’s Trampolium, she really came onto the scene through her performance in this Brazilian crime drama. City of God was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography. In the critically acclaimed film, Braga plays Angelica, an old friend and love interest of the main narrator, Rocket. She later starts a beautifully filmed romance with Benny, the film’s Robin Hood-esque drug dealer. Braga has starred in several Brazilian films but City of God is likely her most well-known and heartfelt performance.
I Am Legend (2007)
Braga showed American audiences her expertise in action roles when she starred in one of the highest grossing movies of 2007. You may remember I Am Legend for Will Smith’s heartbreaking loneliness in the face of a mutant apocalypse, but Braga was equally compelling as Smith’s optimistic foil, Anna. Anna was equal parts badass mutant killer and the hopeful force this movie needed to not feel so eternally bleak. We’re still upset about Neville’s sacrifice, but since he did it to save Anna, we can’t stay depressed for too long.
Predators (2010)
If I Am Legend introduced Braga to the realm of hardcore American action heroes and anti-heroes, then the third installment of the Predator franchise cemented it. Also starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Walton Goggins, and Laurence Fishburne, Predators follows a group of high-profile killers and criminals who were abducted onto a planet that acts as a game reserve for your favorite extraterrestrial horror movie villains. Without Braga’s peacemaking character Isabelle, the movie’s deadly ensemble would have fallen apart.
Elysium (2013)
Predator wasn’t the only action space thriller that Braga dominated. The actress also starred alongside Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, and Sharlto Copely in this space-themed commentary on immigration, overpopulation, health care, worker exploitation, and other a ton of other social issues. Writer and director Neil Blomkamp’s second movie after District 9 received mixed reviews from critics, but Braga’s performance as the emotionally tortured mother Frey brought some much-needed and painful humanity to this sci-fi epic.
Queen of the South (2016)
Throughout most of her filmography, Braga has either glittered from the background or as part of an ensemble. That’s partially what makes USA’s Queen of the South so great — it finally gives Braga the platform she deserves. In the series, Braga plays the small town Mexican woman Teresa Mendoza with the perfect blend of swagger and vulnerability. Largely, it’s Braga’s killer performance that makes this new show so addictingly soapy.
[Where to watch Queen of the South]
Photos: USA Network, Amazon Video, iTunes
