Top 10 Rosie Perez Films of All-Time
From the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, to Hollywood’s biggest stage, Rosie Perez has had a career spanning 42 years and still going. She has a diverse portfolio, ranging from theater to films as recent as Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, to television shows such as In Living Color and The Flight Attendant. Perez has proven her acting talent in a variety of media forms.
Across her career, Perez has received many award nominations: mainly an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and the corresponding Golden Globe Award. She has four Primetime Emmy nominations as well and has won the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress and the corresponding award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
What remains to be answered is of Perez’s many film performances, which is truly her finest? The following ten performances each demonstrate her range and ability as an actress.
10. The Dead Don’t Die
Year: 2019 | Genre: Horror Comedy
Premise: Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, the film takes place in a small town known as Centerville, when suddenly things take a strange turn. The times of day become unpredictable, and animals exhibit odd behavior. Scientists grow concerned, and eventually the dead begin to rise and feast on the living, forcing the townsfolk into a battle of life and death.
Performance: A small role in an otherwise star-studded film, Perez plays news anchor Posie Juarez. With only a few minutes of screentime, a lot is riding on Perez to make the most of her performance.
There are countless news anchor performances in zombie films, which require actors to match professionalism against the absurdity of the situation. Perez achieves just that, lending some level of realism to the world in which the film takes place whilst also providing contrast, ensuring that the news she delivers pushes the story forward and increases the tension. It’s a small, yet pivotal role that Perez seamlessly fits into.
9. The Take
Year: 2007 | Genre: Crime Drama
Premise: Directed by Brad Furman, the film follows family man and armored vehicle driver Felix De La Pena, played by John Leguizamo, in the slums of Los Angeles. During a failed hijacking, Felix is shot in the head. His wife Marina, played by Perez, offers him support as Felix endures intense pain in his recovery. But no sooner when he begins to recover, he is framed for the failed hijacking, leading to a quest to clear Felix’s name.
Performance: A performance that must balance grief, determination, and care; all of which Perez is able to pull off perfectly. At the start of the film, Perez is crucial in establishing the perfectly authentic family life of Marina and Felix. The pair have great chemistry and act exceptionally off each other. Marina and Felix feel believable and are most importantly likeable, which is essential in allowing the drama to hit hard.
Following the accident that befalls her husband, Marina transforms as a character as the couple’s relationship is tested by both Felix’s mental state and stubbornness. Perez perfectly sells the desperation of a woman who wants to see her husband get better, whilst also having to hold everything together. What was once loving chemistry seamlessly descends into heated arguments as both Perez and Leguizamo give it their all.
For her performance, Perez was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.
8. Perdita Durango
Year: 1997 | Genre: Action Horror
Premise: Directed by Álex De la Iglesia and based off the 1992 novel 59º and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango, the film follows bank robber and fake priest Romeo Dolorosa, played by Javier Bardem, as he encounters Perdita Durango, played by Perez. The pair hatch a plot to kidnap a gringo and eat him as a part of Dolorosa’s ritual.
Performance: The role of Perdita Durango was first played by Isabella Rossellini in the 1990 film adaptation Wild at Heart, directed by David Lynch. That version of the character appears bright and colorful with a sardonic, uncaring personality and a hint of deceit. By contrast, Perez’s portrayal acts almost as a dark opposite.
Perez’s version of Durango acts almost as a devil on the shoulder of Bardem’s Dolorosa. Perez brings both a feral element to the character and a spontaneity that makes Durango instantly memorable and captivating. She holds the audience’s attention with her unpredictability and charisma, leading to a character who does horrific things, but whom the audience cannot look away from.
For her performance, Perez was nominated for the Fantafestival Award for Best Actress.
7. Pineapple Express
Year: 2008 | Genre: Action Comedy
Premise: Directed by David Gordon Green and written by Seth Rogen, the film follows lazy process server and marijuana smoker Dale Denton, played by Rogen, as he and his dealer Saul Silver, played by James Franco, are forced to flee from a drug lord and a corrupt police officer after Denton and Silver witness the pair committing a murder.
Performance: Perez plays Carol Brazier, a corrupt cop who works for the film’s main antagonist Ted Jones, played by Gary Cole, and at the start of the film kills a rival Korean gangster. She is ruthless, violent, and determined, pursuing the main characters and battling them alongside her boss.
Most main villains need a memorable sidekick who carry forth their threat, which is something Perez does excellently. Her performance perfectly matches the tone of the film and there is always tension whenever she’s on-screen. In the final battle, Perez also brings the physicality required for the action as well as an enjoyable amount of unhinged violence. Though she does play second fiddle to another antagonist, Perez is nonetheless memorable.
6. A Brother’s Kiss
Year: 1997 | Genre: Drama
Premise: Written and directed by Seth Zvi Rosenfeld, the film follows brothers Mick, played by Michael Raynor, and Lex, played by Nick Chinlund. When they were young, they were abused by a uniformed police officer. As adults, Mick is a cop himself, but Lex is a small-time drug dealer in a failing relationship with his girlfriend Debbie, played by Rosie Perez.
Performance: Yet another film featuring John Leguizamo in a supporting role, this time, Perez mainly acts alongside Nick Chinlund’s Lex. The audience sees the start of their romance, both young, idealistic, and in love. As the film goes on, however, the reality of their situation hits both of them, with an unplanned pregnancy leading to the pair having a child and struggling to make ends meet.
Perez delivers a subdued performance that perfectly chronicles the life and development of her character. She perfectly plays the starry-eyed young woman who falls in love and seamlessly shifts into the mature adult in contrast to Lex. Debbie understands the severity of the situation, and in their final scene together, she maintains this demeanor as Lex desperately pitches a plot to get their life back together. An understated performance, but it remains powerful all the same.
5. Birds of Prey
Year: 2020 | Genre: Superhero Action
Premise: Directed by Cathy Yan and based on the DC comics team Birds of Prey, this film was the eighth installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film follows Harley Quinn, played by Margot Robbie, who has recently broken up with the Joker. She is threatened by Gotham City crime lord Black Mask, played by Ewan McGregor. Quinn teams up with Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett), and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco).
Performance: Based off the DC comics character of the same name, Renee Montoya works for the Gotham police department. She is a dogged and determined cop who relentlessly pursues the case of Black Mask, the film’s antagonist, despite the lack of support from her coworkers. Montoya’s personality serves as both a serious and comedic contrast to that of Robbie’s Harley Quinn. Yet despite her serious exterior, she does begin to show signs of good humor as her relationship with her fellow Birds of Prey develops.
This is yet another role where Perez achieves a strong level of physicality in fights. She once again matches the tone of the film with her performance, with Montoya’s seriousness often complementing the film’s humor, mainly when she fights Quinn whilst drunk. But Perez also brings a level of humanity to Montoya as she slowly starts to find new purpose as a vigilante outside of the Gotham PD. She works excellently off the other characters and stands out amongst a very colorful cast.
4. The Road to El Dorado
Year: 2000 | Genre: Musical Adventure Comedy
Premise: Produced by DreamWorks Animation and directed by Eric “Bibo” Bergeron and Don Paul, the film follows Miguel, voiced by Kenneth Branagh, and Tulio, voiced by Kevin Kline. The pair are con men who, after winning the map to El Dorado in Spain, decide to head there right away. The pair are mistaken by the inhabitants as gods.
Performance: In this film, Perez voices the character of Chel, a young Indigenous woman who dreams of escaping El Dorado and ends up with the film’s protagonists as the trio go on an adventure. She is cunning, smart, and sneaky, easily figuring out that Tulio and Miguel are not in fact gods and using both her charm and that information to join them. She grows to care for the two men, developing a romantic relationship with Tulio, and shows love for children and animals.
These are all elements Perez juggles expertly using just her voice alone. It perfectly complements the animation style and Perez masterfully switches between the various moods of Chel with seemingly little effort. The audience can clearly tell when Chel is being deceptively charming and when she is being genuine and caring. Perez’s voice performance significantly contributes to Chel being the standout character of the film.
3. White Men Can’t Jump
Year: 1992 | Genre: Sports Comedy
Premise: Written and directed by Ron Shelton, the film follows Billy Hoyle, played by Woody Harrelson, who is a White basketball hustler banking on Black players underestimating his skills on the court. When he does this to Sidney Deane, played by Wesley Snipes, the pair become partners in the con game, applying their trade across the courts of Los Angeles.
Performance: In this film, Perez plays Gloria Clemente, Hoyle’s girlfriend with dreams of winning a fortune at the gameshow Jeopardy! Her subplot acts as a direct contrast to the film’s main plot, with Clemente investing in her future. She is arguably the heart and soul of the film, with Perez bringing the emotion at pivotal moments.
Perez delivers a powerhouse performance in the scene where Clemente leaves Hoyle. Despite the film’s somewhat comedic tone, this moment remains powerful and resonant thanks to Perez’s acting. The scene where Clemente finally wins Jeopardy! is an excellent contrast, delivering a moment of pure joy and satisfaction as everything she worked toward has finally come to fruition. Perez’s confidence and wit in this moment makes it arguably the standout scene of the film.
2. Fearless
Year: 1993 | Genre: Drama
Premise: Directed by Peter Weir and adapted from Rafael Yglesias’ novel of the same name, the film follows Max Klein, played by Jeff Bridges, after surviving an airline crash. He is strangely calm following this event and soon, his behavior changes radically, leading him to feeling a sense of invulnerability. It is up to a psychologist and a fellow guilt-ridden survivor to bring him back down to earth.
Performance: This is quite possibly Perez’s most powerful performance across her entire career. She plays Carla Rodrigo, a fellow plane crash survivor who lost her infant child in the crash. Throughout the film, she struggles against survivor’s guilt, grief, and trauma as she believes she did not hold onto her child tight enough. Rodrigo and Klein develop a friendly relationship as he helps her overcome her trauma.
Rodrigo is a character with so many layers that require a strong combination of nuance and depth, all of which Rosie Perez plays to perfection. It is heartbreaking to see her break down in front of Klein as she struggles with her survivor’s guilt. Yet despite this emotional baggage, Perez portrays a believable transformation as Rodrigo overcomes her guilt and learns to move on.
This performance garnered significant critical acclaim, with Perez being nominated for various supporting actress nominations, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
1. Do the Right Thing
Year: 1989 | Genre: Comedy Drama
Premise: Written, directed, and produced by Spike Lee, the film takes place in Brooklyn and sees pizzeria owner Salvatore “Sal” Fragione, played by Danny Aiello, and neighborhood local Buggin’ Out, played by Giancarlo Esposito, disagree over the pizzeria’s exhibit of actors. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin’ Out, and the tension in the neighborhood begins to rise.
Performance: Perhaps Perez’s most iconic role and certainly her breakout performance, she plays Tina, a Puerto Rican woman and girlfriend of Mookie, played by Spike Lee. She is self-assured and strong, with frustrations around her boyfriend.
This film is Perez’s feature film debut, playing the role when she was just 24 years of age. She has excellent chemistry with Lee, resulting in a believable and endearing relationship between the two that endures despite the film’s events.
But without a doubt, Perez’s most famous moment in the film is the opening sequence to the tune of Public Enemy’s Fight the Power. Perez’s dance moves and physicality make the opening as iconic as it is, perfectly setting the tone for the film to follow. She grabs the audience, pulling them into the world of the film and laying forth the expectation of what is to follow. It is one of the most iconic openings in film, and most of that due entirely to Perez.