Frances McDormand has proven over the course of her career that she is a fierce force to be reckoned with. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she also has no problem standing up for what she believes in, even if she risks taking on scrutiny (via Women and Hollywood). The actress has spoken publicly at several events on her frustration with women not receiving equal opportunities as men in the film industry. Not only are women being paid astronomically less than their male co-stars, but there simply aren’t as many (good) roles available. There is a stigma in Hollywood that once a woman reaches a certain age, she is no longer meant to be on-screen playing strong and interesting characters. This has been especially frustrating for McDormand, and the issue is one of the main reasons why she started producing projects that tell interesting women stories. She even made it a point to spread awareness about the lack of inclusivity in the film industry in 2018 while making her Oscar acceptance speech.

McDormand is best known for her dramatic roles in film, but she has also done an extensive amount of successful work in the television and theater world. In addition to her three Academy Awards for Best Actress, she has won Golden Globes, Emmys, and a Tony award throughout her career. Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, and Nomadland are arguably the actress’ best films to date as she won her three Oscars with leading roles she played in those movies. There is no shortage of robust, complex, and brilliant performances McDormand has given. Here are her eight most memorable scenes in movies and TV, so far, ranked.

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8 Ending Scene — Blood Simple

     Circle Films

Blood Simple was a very important film for McDormand. Although she had been acting for most of her life and even studied at Yale University, her training was primarily in theater and live performances, making Blood Simple her first film. In addition to launching her film career, being a part of this movie also introduced her to her now-husband and long-time collaborator Joel Coen. McDormand has worked with the writing and directing duo known as “the Coen brothers” for most of her career, creating incredible works such as Blood Simple, Fargo, Burn After Reading, Who Wasn’t There, Raising Arizona, and The Tragedy of Macbeth among others. At the end of Blood Simple, we see McDormand give an incredibly distraught and powerful performance that sets the bar for the rest of her career.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

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7 Hatred is Learned — Mississippi Burning

     Orion Pictures

Mississippi Burning is a drama/mystery directed by Alan Parker starring Gene Hackman, McDormand, Willem Dafoe, and Brad Dourif. In the film, McDormand’s character reflects on her own racism and why the people around her are so disgustingly racist. She says that this hatred isn’t something we are born with, its something we learn from our schools, our families, our communities, and the people we surround ourselves with. This film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress nomination for McDormand.

6 Dinner Scene — Olive Kitteridge

     HBO

The HBO limited series Olive Kitteridge is one of McDormand’s best performances for a television series. She plays the lead role of Olive, the stubborn, meticulous, and at times difficult mother and wife. The story moves through different times in Olive’s life, showing the failures, wins, hardships, and joys she experienced in her seemingly average and simple life. The dinner scene raises a great deal of tension between Olive and her husband Henry, played by Richard Jenkins, revealing the anger and resentment Olive has boiling within her. This performance is one of the highlights of the entire series and shows what a powerhouse of an actress McDormand is.

5 Chili Night — Nomadland

     Highwayman

Chloé Zhao’s drama/western Nomadland was arguably the most sensational and favorite films to be released in 2020. During a year of such uncertainty and despair, McDormand’s character Fern goes on a journey that shows us all that humanity has to offer, and that, even at our lowest points, there are still people out there who will help one another. This scene in particular is a perfect example of that. Aside from how cinematically stunning these images are it is accompanied by McDormand’s gentle presence and her ability to stay resilient in the face of such a fragile future.

4 I’m Cooperating — Fargo

     PolyGram Filmed

Fargo is without a doubt McDormand’s most iconic and notable performance to date. She plays the pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson, who is investigating a murder that ends up being connected to a planned kidnapping of Jerry Lundergaard’s (William H. Macy) wife. This scene between McDormand and Macy still proves to be one of the most memorable scenes in the entire film due to how talented both these actors are. McDormand’s character is interrogating Macy’s, but she is sweet and kind at heart, which makes her anything but intimidating.

3 Police Station Scene — Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

     Searchlight Pictures

In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri McDormand’s character, Mildred Hayes, is so intimidating, even the police department is afraid of her. At this point in the film, Mildred is beyond frustrated with the police after they were unable to find the person who murdered her daughter. Their obvious racism was the final straw after they arrested one of her Black friends for having marijuana on her. Mildred blazes into the police station, commanding the attention of Jason Dixon, played by Sam Rockwell, who also won an Academy Award for his role in the film.

2 Deer Scene — Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Another incredible scene in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri occurs when Mildred is getting so frustrated and tired of the people around her not working in effective ways to help find her daughter’s killer that she puts her strength aside for a moment to cry on the side of a road. As she is contemplating her new reality, a deer approaches her and Mildred thanks the deer for coming to visit her, but no matter how beautiful she may be, nothing will ever bring back her daughter. The scene is heartbreaking and raw and truly shows what an incredible actress McDormand is.

1 Ending Monologue — Fargo

     Gramercy Pictures

Coming in at number one on the list of most memorable McDormand scenes is the ending monologue from Fargo. Her character Marge Gunderson is a simple, kind-hearted, glass-half-full person, who doesn’t understand why people do such bad things. As she is sitting in the car with the murderer she had been looking for the entire movie, she explains her confusion by saying, “And for what? For a little bit of money. There’s more to life than a little money, you know. Don’t you know that? And here ya are, and it’s a beautiful day. Well, I just don’t understand it.” This scene is extremely powerful and definitely McDormand’s most memorable scene yet.