The 7 best Daisy Edgar-Jones movies and TV shows, ranked

The "Twisters" actress has quickly become one to watch in Hollywood thanks to these performances.

Daisy Edgar-Jones is one of the most compelling rising stars in Hollywood. In less than a decade, she has already put together a diverse and eclectic résumé — from prestige TV to indie horror to major blockbusters — with each new role highlighting a different side of her skill set.

This summer, she’s getting her biggest showcase yet with Twisters alongside fellow up-and-comer Glen Powell. Until then, if you’re looking to dive (back) into her body of work, we’ve assembled a breakdown of the best Daisy Edgar-Jones movies and TV shows, ranked for your viewing pleasure.

7. Cold Feet (2016–2020)

One mark of a good actor is being able to rise above the source material. This is certainly the case with Edgar-Jones in the 2016 revamp of the classic series Cold Feet. She plays a role straight out of a tawdry soap opera: a twin who carries a secret flame for her sister’s boyfriend. Yet Edgar-Jones elevates the frivolous plot into something captivating, while seamlessly integrating herself into the dynamic of the returning cast (never an easy feat to pull off).

While Cold Feet is mostly comedic in nature, it has an emotional core, and Edgar-Jones — in her first sustained role — channels a human element into a character that we can’t help but root for.

Where to watch Cold Feet: Britbox

6. Silent Witness (2017)

It’s a testament to Edgar Jones’ talent that she can leave a real impact in a short amount of time. This was proven by her two-episode appearance as the daughter of a physician in the popular BBC series Silent Witness.

In retrospect, it’s remarkable that this was only Edgar-Jones’ third time on screen. Her performance (which oscillates between anxious and vulnerable, her two most familiar gears) provides an instant contrast with the intensity of the crime drama’s regular cast.

Where to watch Silent Witness: Britbox

5. War of the Worlds (2019–2022)

H.G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds just keeps getting new adaptations. There was Orson Welles’ infamous 1938 radio broadcast, followed by a feature adaptation in 1953, and, over 50 years later, Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster starring Tom Cruise. Then there’s the 2019 television spin, which spends four seasons exploring more of Wells’ literary world while also taking some creative risks. It also serves as a great showcase for Edgar-Jones, who more than holds her own against seasoned veterans like Gabriel Byrne and French star Léa Drucker.

For the first two seasons, she played blind teenager Emila Gresham. Young, disabled, and navigating a planet invaded by aliens, she is even more vulnerable than the rest of the humans forced to fight back against this otherworldly menace. Fortunately, Edgar-Jones is up to the challenge, and her standout performance arguably helped showcase her potential for projects to come.

Where to watch War of the Worlds: MGM+

4. Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)

In 1984, the grisly real-life murder of Mormon housewife Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter shook Utah to the core. All of the horrific details were laid bare in Jon Krakauer's true crime book Under the Banner of Heaven, which Dustin Lance Black later adapted into an FX miniseries. As Black told Entertainment Weekly in 2022, he became particularly enamored with the doomed Brenda, ultimately casting Edgar-Jones as a woman he saw as “courageous enough to ask questions, to challenge assumptions of what the roles of women should be.”

Edgar-Jones manages to bring out all of these qualities and more. Her curiosity and empathy as a performer help flesh Brenda out into a dimensional character, while also challenging many of the assumptions audiences might have about the Mormon faith.

Where to watch Under the Banner of Heaven: Hulu

3. Where the Crawdads Sing (2022)

In some ways, Kya Clark, a.k.a. “the Marsh Girl” in Where the Crawdads Sing, was the role Edgar-Jones was born to play. After all, the movie, adapted from the 2018 book of the same name, combines several of the actor’s cornerstone genres: it’s a romance, a coming-of-age story, and a crime drama all rolled into one. Filming the movie in New Orleans was a real revelation for the actress, who told EW in 2022, "I'm from London so I'd never really been in an environment like that. Hearing the cicadas, the Spanish Moss everywhere, these beautiful birds and dragonflies — it was just gorgeous.”

Whether that immersive filming environment played a role or not, the onscreen results speak for themselves. Though the plot was a bit light, Edgar-Jones proved here that she can carry a summer blockbuster on her back.

Where to watch Where the Crawdads Sing: Hulu

2. Fresh (2022)

Fresh is the kind of film you show your friends who insist there are no new ideas in horror. Marvel veteran Sebastian Stan acts against type as a handsome cannibal who takes his new girlfriend on a dangerous weekend getaway in the middle of nowhere. And while Stan dazzles in the role (and in his knife dancing skills), it’s Edgar-Jones who shines the brightest. As EW’s critic noted in her review, the actor “brings a sweet steeliness to Noa; she's not screaming slasher chum, but she's not some improbable Houdini either, and when she realizes her best hope of ever going home is to play Steve's game better than he can, she locks in.”

The actress may not dethrone modern scream queens like Mia Goth and Jenna Ortega, but this movie left audiences hungry (so to speak) for Edgar-Jones to get more meaty horror roles.

Where to watch Fresh: Hulu

1. Normal People (2020)

It’s fair to say that Normal People is where Edgar-Jones hit her stride as an actor — and as a budding star. An adaptation of Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, the miniseries focuses on lovers Marianne (Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) as they grow together, apart, and back again over the course of a decade. As EW’s critic noted in 2020, the show is “an epic romance told quietly” that will “make you hurt in the best possible ways.”

Among her other skills, this role sees Edgar-Jones generate intense chemistry with her onscreen beau. Normal People is affecting and authentic, from its depiction of depression to the intimacy of its sex scenes; rather than feeling frivolous or lurid, these moments underscore the powerful connection between the two characters, right down to all the little awkward moments. But whether you’re here for the sexual tension, raw-nerve psychology, or a bit of both, Edgar-Jones delivers the honesty and vulnerability that are now her hallmarks as one of Hollywood’s most exciting newcomers.

Where to watch Normal People: Hulu

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.