2000's:
 

2000 - Hilary Swank won Best Actress for Boys Don’t Cry.  In this true story of Brandon Teena, Swank portrays him as a warm, gentle, romantic lover in which Lana (Chloe Sevigny), at some point, suspects is a girl, but she just doesn’t want to know because their romance is such a lovely illusion.  Swank pulls this role off beautifully, almost to where the viewer forgets she’s a girl.

2002 – Chicago – starring Rene Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Queen Latifah.  Zellweger plays Roxie Hart, a misunderstood heroine who has a dreamy infatuation with herself.  Zeta-Jones plays Velma Kelly, a singing and dancing star who is every bit of powerfully graceful.  Queen Latifah plays Mama, a strong and empowered black woman who runs the jail.

2003 – Charlize Theron won an Academy Award for Best Actress in Monster, where she plays Aileen Wuornos, a damaged woman who committed seven murders.  Wuornos is said to be America’s First Female serial killer.  Theron epitomizes Wuornos in this movie as an emotionally stunted thirteen year old living inside of a grown woman’s body who always tries to nervously shake out her anxiety and look at ease.

2004 – Hillary Swank – won an academy award for best actress in Million Dollar Baby.

2004 - Cameron Diaz – becomes one of the highest paid actresses ever, making up to $10,000,000 per film

2009 - Sandra Bullock won an academy award for best actress for The Blind Side.

2009 – Katherine Bigelow – finally won best director for The Hurt Locker.

2010 – Natalie Portman won best actress for The Black Swan.  Portman plays Nina Sayers, a young and virginal professional ballerina who strives to do nothing but please her instructors and her mother.  This perfectionism drives her to sheer insanity.

2011 – Helena Bonham Carter plays Elizabeth, Bertie’s wife in The King’s Speech.  In this movie, she is filled with mercy, tact, and love for her husband.  She plays the woman who is very loved by the audience.

2011 – Meryl Streep wins an academy award for best actress for The Iron Lady.