The brilliant Rosario Dawson has been smashing out brilliant performances since her debut in the dark ’90s teen drama Kids, and her career has rightfully gone from strength to strength since that first job. Her work spans a multitude of genres, and although she’s a sci-fi and fantasy favorite (having acted in an adaptation of a Percy Jackson novel, as well as recently snagged her own Star Wars show), she often shows up in tense dramas, action thrillers, and lighthearted comedies — and always does a fantastic job. Over the course of her long and successful career, there have been some indisputable highlights, so if you want to know where to start with the star of Ahsoka, then check out our list of the 10 best Rosario Dawson films and TV shows.
10. The Mandalorian
Although Dawson only appeared in one episode of the second season of the hit Disney/Star Wars show The Mandalorian, her performance was so memorable that it led to her character getting their own series on Disney+. She took on the (live-action) role of Ahsoka Tano, a Jedi who works with the title character (played by Pedro Pascal). In the episode (“The Child”), the pair take on the Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth in order to discover where Elsbeth’s master, Grand Admiral Thrawn, is. The character was vital to the plot as it was the first time the audience found out Grogu’s name. A captivating and exciting performance from Dawson, which had an added bonus for long-term Star Wars lovers who’d been fan-casting her in the role for years.
9. Rent
Chris Columbus (Home Alone) directed this adaptation of the famous Jonathan Larson musical of the same name (which itself is based on a Puccini opera, which in turn was based on an 1851 experimental novel). Like the stage play, the film is set in New York City during the height of the AIDS crisis and follows a group of young creatives and bohemians as they struggle to make enough money to eat well and pay rent. Although the direction and writing were a bit iffy, the performances of Dawson and several of her castmates turned this from a poor homage into something that’s worth giving a watch, especially if you are a fan of the Larson original.
8. Zombieland: Double Tap
Dawson has a history of entering franchises after the first movie (Men in Black II, for example), and in this sequel to Zombieland, she’s the new face who becomes an integral part of the crew. She plays Nevada, the owner of an Elvis-themed motel who eventually joins up with Emma Stone and co. in an attempt to continue to survive the zombie apocalypse (now with three different varieties of zombies). The film itself doesn’t offer much new from the first, but the new types of undead keep it interesting. The chemistry between the characters was one of the things that made Zombieland so good, and Dawson is a welcome addition to the group, slipping in seamlessly. Plus, there’s plenty of great gore. What’s there not to love?
7. Sin City
This highly stylized neo-noir film based on the eponymous comic book series is jammed full of top talent, with Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, and Elijah Wood just some of the names making up the ensemble cast. The movie is a collection of connected stories from Basin City, the gritty, crime-ridden fictional setting of both the film and the original Sin City comic, and Dawson plays Gail, the de facto head of a group of sex workers who gets kidnapped by a mob boss after a crooked cop is murdered. She uses her screen time well, putting in one of the best performances in the film, which is as gripping as it is unique aesthetically. Both fans of the comic and newcomers to the world will find plenty to love about this movie.
6. Kids
Dawson practically was a kid when she starred in what could be considered a dark take on the coming-of-age genre. Kids follows the lives of a group of self-destructive teens in New York over the course of an eventful day. The controversial movie is full of sex and drug use, and caused waves at the time of its release thanks to its graphic content. With that said, it’s a really compelling watch, with a horrifying ending that will sit with you for days, even if you don’t really know what it all means. Dawson plays a promiscuous teen in her first feature film, and her performance shows why she ended up having such a successful career.
5. Daredevil
Netflix’s Daredevil was the first television series set in the MCU and is a prime example of how it can be done right. In fact, its quality often has Marvel fans reminiscing about the good ol’ days, when the comic book franchise wasn’t totally centralized. The series follows the life of Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer who fights crime by night using his super senses. Dawson plays Claire Temple, who is a combination of the comic character of the same name and Marvel nurse extraordinaire Linda Carter. She’s a series regular for the first two seasons and is always brilliant, a statement further proven by the fact she was asked back for roles in Luke Cage and other MCU projects.
4. Clerks II
The second entry on this list in which Dawson enters a franchise in its second film, Clerks II is a dark comedy that lives up to its iconic prequel. In the movie, we once again enter the world of Dante Hicks, and Dawson plays Becky, his new boss and love interest — even though Dante is engaged to somebody else. With plenty of laughs and a hearty dose of color (the original was famously filmed in black and white), this sequel doesn’t quite have the genre-defining chops of Clerks, but it’s still full of smart writing and plenty of great insights. Dawson plays the role brilliantly, using her considerable screen time to great effect.
3. The LEGO Batman Movie
It’s a bit of an obvious thing to say, but all the best family comedies are ones that have just as much for the adults as the kids, and The LEGO Batman Movie does just that. Will Arnett stars as the caped crusader and Dawson has a massive role as Barbara Gordon, the daughter of the famous police chief who is set to take over from her dad. The pair eventually team up to save the city, with Gordon becoming Batgirl. Smart, a laugh a minute, and full of exciting (but family-friendly) action, this is a romp for all ages in which Dawson shines with just her voice.
2. A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
Dawson really shows her range during her brief but brilliant performance in this intense and rewarding drama. Starring Robert Downey Jr. and Shia LaBeouf as the main character in 2001 and 1986 respectively, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints tells the story of a man heading back to his childhood neighborhood in Queens to see his ailing father. In the process, he’s brought back to a decade and a half prior, and a tumultuous few days that shaped his life. Dawson’s performance is nuanced but captivating, carrying the weight of emotion her character must have been feeling supremely well.
1. Top Five
Dawson co-stars with slap victim Chris Rock in this witty and incisive comedy about Andre, a stand-up comedian who’s trying to make the switch to serious acting. She plays Chelsea, a reporter assigned to profile Andre for the New York Times. The movie sees the pair spending the day together, and as they get to know each other, sparks soon start to fly — only for things to get really complicated as they uncover more about each other, and not just because both are in relationships. Dawson makes the most of an already good script, putting in a truly memorable performance.