Happy Birthday to Maggie Gyllenhaal who turns 44 today. Gyllenhaal is that rare and precious thing in Hollywood. She's an actor who has avoided typecasting and picks authentic, fascinating women to play on screen.
More than a Damsel in Distress
Yes, she played the damsel in distress in The Dark Knight opposite Heath Ledger and Christian Bale; but she made her character so much more than just about a woman caught between two men and she gives one of her greatest performances as the steely Nessa Stein in An Honourable Woman and she's unaffected, fearless, real and more than a match for Jeff Bridges in the rock 'n' roll road movie Crazy Heart.
It started with the cult film Donnie Darko and who could ever forget Secretary? Forget Fifty Shades of Grey. Gyllenhal delivers a brutally affecting portrait of a mentally ill young woman who yearns to be perfect at something. Secretary is a kooky cause celebre and not your run of the mill rom-com. As a film that explores BDSM and love as a many splendored thing, it is fearless, authentic, funny and heartbreaking at times.
If Gyllenhaal was only offered kooky scripts, you wouldn't know. She went on to star in Mona Lisa Smile, Sherry Baby, The Dark Knight, Adaptation, An Honourable Woman and The Deuce.
Here's looking at You Maggie Gyllenhaal and to many more unforgettable roles on the big screen.
How to Get the Look
Maggie Gyllenhaal's alluring costumes in the Dark Knight are taken from the high octane glamour of the forties and fifties.
We love the effortless drama of this retro, cinched trench coat by Winser London. It's the kind of coat that will forever turn heads and will make any woman who wears it feel like a goddess. It's also a beyond trends statement fashion masterpiece to wear forever.
