Eiza González
got her start in her native Mexico, but her best movies and TV shows prove she is now a globe-trotting star. González began her career in 2007 in Mexico as a teenager with telenovelas aimed at teens before branching out into music and movies. She was a fixture of kids’ and teen award shows in Mexico during the late 2000s as a result, picking up awards from the Mexican and Argentinian Kids’ Choice Awards as well as from People En Español.
Her big break for a wider international audience would not come until 2017 with Baby Driver. Since then, she has proven herself as a force on screen, mostly in action movies. While she is incredibly fun to watch in action roles, she has also more than proven her abilities in dramas as well. Her best movies and TV shows make it clear that González is something of a scene-stealer, able to draw the eyes of the audience even when her role is of a smaller supporting nature.
15
Bloodshot (2020)
As Katie / KT
Bloodshot
5/10
- Release Date
-
March 13, 2020
- Runtime
-
109 minutes
- Director
-
Dave Wilson
- Writers
-
Jeff Wadlow, Eric Heisserer
Vin Diesel leads Bloodshot, which is a comic book adaptation of the Valiant Comics character of the same name. The movie follows the titular character as he was a former soldier killed in action, only to find himself brought back to life by an organization that gave him superpowers to use him as a weapon. It’s pretty standard superhero stuff, but its old-school action focus helps make it better than it should have been, even when it is sometimes let down by weak writing.
Alongside Vin Diesel, Eiza González shines as Katie, also known as KT, a former US Navy swimmer whose lungs were replaced with a cybernetic respiratory system by the same organization that brought Bloodshot back to life. Eiza González is effortlessly cool in a lot of her action roles and KT is no different, as she eventually helps Bloodshot escape the company’s clutches, showcasing her talent as an action performer.
14
Fast And Furious Presents: Hobbs And Shaw (2019)
As Margarita/Madame M
Hobbs and Shaw
5/10
- Release Date
-
August 2, 2019
- Runtime
-
133 minutes
- Director
-
David Leitch
- Writers
-
Chris Morgan
The Fast And Furious franchise has steadily added to its cast roster with each installment, expanding the “family” and the allies they have. In this spin-off from the main movies, Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Shaw (Jason Statham) team up to help Shaw’s sister. González plays a former lover of Shaw’s, but she is not relegated to just a love interest.
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Her Madame M is a thief that Hobbs and Shaw ally with in their match against Idris Elba’s cybernetically enhanced villain. While the movie might go farther outside of the realm of what’s possible that most of the Fast And Furious movies do, González clearly has a great time in the middle of the action and trading banter with the cast. The chemistry of the cast is what sells these movies alongside the car chase spectacles. With the Fast And Furious franchise still ongoing, it would be nice to see González utilized in other films.
13
Ambulance (2022)
As Camille “Cam” Thompson
Ambulance
6/10
- Release Date
-
April 8, 2022
- Runtime
-
136 minutes
- Writers
-
Chris Fedak
Ambulance is from the creative mind of Michael Bay, who is known for his explosive action sequences. While there is plenty of that here along with a car chase that dominates the movie, Ambulance might be one of his most human film efforts because so much of the focus is squarely on the main characters.
González plays a paramedic taken hostage by a pair of adopted brothers (Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) after they steal her ambulance during a heist. González holds her own against the two actors, who are both known for their dramatic chops. It’s a high-energy film that requires all three of the performers to be at the top of their game. Of course, the movie does still rely heavily on the action to tell the story, which is why it does not rate nearly as high as some of González’s other projects among her best.
12
Paradise Hills (2019)
As Amarna
Paradise Hills
- Release Date
-
August 29, 2019
- Runtime
-
95 minutes
- Director
-
Alice Waddington
- Writers
-
Nacho Vigalondo
- Producers
-
Adrián Guerra
-
-
-
Milla Jovovich
The Duchess
-
An English-language Spanish film, Paradise Hills follows a woman sent to Paradise, a behavior center for women who have displeased their families. Once there, a group of women work together to attempt to escape from the island. Effective as a science-fiction thriller, Paradise Hills is an ambitious film that occasionally stumbles due to how much it is trying to pull off. Despite that, it’s a thoughtful film that attempts to explore weighty themes about societal expectations and self-identity among women.
Eiza González does incredible work every time she is onscreen, making her one of the best characters in the entire film.
Eiza González does a fantastic job in Paradise Hills, where she plays Amarna, another patient at Paradise who was once a well-known singer before being sent to the island after clashing with her management company, who befriends the main character, Uma. Amarna goes through a complex range of emotions throughout Paradise Hills and Eiza González does incredible work every time she is onscreen, making her one of the best characters in the entire film.
11
I Care A Lot (2021)
As Fran
I Care A Lot
5/10
- Release Date
-
February 19, 2021
- Runtime
-
118 minutes
- Director
-
J Blakeson
- Writers
-
J Blakeson
Both satire and thriller, I Care A Lot is an incredibly dark comedy. It shows the audience some of the worst of what humanity has to offer, creating a relatively bleak exploration of human relationships, but it does it with quite a few laughs.
González stars alongside Rosamund Pike. While Pike is the con artist who works as a caregiver, taking advantage of her charges to get them to support her lifestyle, González is her partner. Her character is a morally grey one who is slightly outshined in the movie by Pike, but that does not mean she does not offer up one of her best performances.
Because all of the characters at the center of the story take reprehensible actions against the vulnerable, it relies heavily on the audience wanting to watch Pike, González, and Peter Dinklage work. Their performances are stellar.
10
Ash (2025)
As Riya
Ash
5/10
- Release Date
-
March 21, 2025
- Runtime
-
95 Minutes
- Director
-
Flying Lotus
- Writers
-
Jonni Remmler
- Producers
-
Neill Blomkamp, Matthew Metcalfe, Nate Bolotin, Aram Tertzakian, Nick Spicer, Maile Daugherty, Adam Riback
Following an astronaut who wakes up on a distant planet and learns that her entire crew has been killed, Ash is an effective science-fiction horror film that makes great use of terrifying imagery and desolate atmosphere. While the film can sometimes rely on tried-and-true tropes of the genre, it isn’t afraid to subvert them, either, taking the audience on a wild ride where nothing is quite as it seems. Director Flying Lotus does an admirable job in how the film plays out.
Ash is the most recent addition to Eiza González’s filmography, and she does a fantastic job taking center stage as Riya, the film’s main character. Eiza González has proven to be an incredibly talented performer throughout her career and her turn as Riya continues to showcase that, as she taps into the unnerving desperation of the situation she finds herself in. She largely carries Ash on her back, and does so with immense skill.
9
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
As Nyssiana
Alita: Battle Angel
7/10
- Release Date
-
February 14, 2019
- Runtime
-
122 Minutes
- Director
-
Robert Rodriguez
Alita: Battle Angel, inspired by the manga Gunnm, is an ambitious movie. It features impressive action sequences and special effects, but it’s often bogged down in the details. The movie does not quite pull off everything it tries to do, but it is still visually stunning and worth the watch.
Alita: Battle Angel follows the titular character, played by Rosa Salazar, when she awakens as a cyborg with no memory of her past. She sets out to discover her own destiny. González also plays a cyborg, but she plays one who is an assassin, working for a criminal leader.
González is really underutilized here. She’s an interesting character as both a femme fatale and a cyborg assassin, but her time in the movie is relatively short in the grand scheme of the story. For that reason, movies that allow the audience to see even more of her stellar performances outrank it.
8
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series (2014-2016)
As Santanico Pandemonium
From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
- Release Date
-
2014 – 2015
- Showrunner
-
Robert Rodriguez
- Directors
-
Robert Rodriguez, Eduardo Sánchez, Joe Menendez
- Writers
-
Robert Rodriguez, Álvaro Rodríguez, Marcel Rodriguez, Carlos Coto, Juan Carlos Coto
- Franchise(s)
-
From Dusk Till Dawn
Set within the From Dusk till Dawn franchise and created by Robert Rodriguez, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series is a fantastic attempt at moving the franchise into the television medium. It’s a well-done horror show that captures a lot of the spirit of the original film while also striking out on its own, doing its own thing in the process. It also explores the lore of the franchise to an even greater degree, one of the best aspects of a long-running series compared to a film.
One of the show’s biggest standouts is Eiza González as Santanico Pandemonium, the same character Salma Hayek played in the original film.
From Dusk till Dawn: The Series features a lot of really strong performances across the board, but one of the show’s biggest standouts is Eiza González as Santanico Pandemonium, the same character Salma Hayek played in the original film. She is a culebra (vampire) and a former slave to the Nine Lords at the Titty Twister, a desert bar frequented by culebras. Eiza González is incredibly alluring as the character, and she carries on Hayek’s legacy in the franchise with her fantastic performance.
7
She’s Missing (2019)
As Jane
She’s Missing
- Release Date
-
March 1, 2019
- Runtime
-
103 minutes
- Director
-
Alexandra McGuinness
- Producers
-
Dominic Wright, Jacqueline Kerrin, Eamonn Cleary, Anna O’Malley, Graham Appleby
She’s Missing is an intense psychological thriller that follows the best friend of a rodeo queen and military wife attempting to search for her following her abduction. Alongside moments of significant intensity, She’s Missing is often a quiet, character study that thrives in the atmosphere its sometimes meandering plot allows it to create. In doing that, She’s Missing becomes something so much more than what it might initially seem to be.
Though She’s Missing is largely a showcase for Lucy Fry as Heidi, Eiza González does a fantastic job as Jane, the friend who ends up abducted. Both Heidi and Jane are complicated, complex characters that evolve over the course of the movie, and Eiza González shows that evolution perfectly, and she shines in each scene that she is in. It also helps that she makes a great pairing with Lucy Fry’s Heidi, as their friendship is the beating heart of the film.
6
Cut Throat City (2020)
As Lucinda Valencia
Though it might not rank on everyone’s best heist movies of all time lists, Cut Throat City is still a fun heist film. Unlike some of her other recent action roles, González does not play one of the members of the heist team, however, but the detective investigating them.
Set in New Orleans following the wreckage of Hurricane Katrina, a group of friends decide to pull off an impressive heist to help turn their lives around. González investigates the casino they rob, looking into every potential avenue of discovery.
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While the movie has a lot of twists, some might say too many, and a lot of moving pieces, González helps to humanize the investigative angle. Often, the detectives in these movies are seen as the villain because the protagonists are the thieves. González, however, plays her character with a great degree of empathy, making it easy to understand her pursuit and her work.
5
Godzilla Vs. Kong (2021)
As Maia Simmons
Godzilla vs. Kong
6/10
- Release Date
-
March 31, 2021
- Director
-
Adam Wingard
- Writers
-
Eric Pearson, Max Borenstein
- Sequel(s)
-
Godzilla vs. Kong 2
…the movie she signed up for, and the movie that ended up on screen, are very different.
Godzilla Vs. Kong is one of the best parts of the modern Monsterverse. Many fans and critics will likely agree that the battle between the two titans is one for the ages, and the inclusion of Mechagodzilla in the mix makes the spectacle incredibly entertaining. Outside of the monsters of the movie though, there is the human element that helps to drive the story forward and provide explanations for the audience.
González, unfortunately, does not appear in a huge role in the movie. According to the actor herself, the movie she signed up for, and the movie that ended up on screen, are very different. Many things were changed in the middle of filming, and several of her character’s scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
Despite that, González gives a great performance. She’s a grown-up version of a high school mean girl, intent on getting her way and unafraid of voicing her opinion to a room full of people who might not agree with her. Her short time in the movie is a fantastic hint of what might have been if her role had been expanded and makes a great case for giving her the chance to play a villain instead of a hero.
4
La Máquina (2024)
As Irasema
La Máquina
6/10
- Release Date
-
2024 – 2023
- Network
-
Hulu, Disney+
- Directors
-
Gabriel Ripstein
-
Gael García Bernal
Esteban La Máquina Osuna
-
González very much steals the scenes in which she appears.
González got her start in Mexican television, and she has not completely abandoned work in Mexico in favor of work in other parts of the world. La Máquina is proof of that as the limited series released in 2024. The Mexican boxing drama is a sports drama, a thriller, and a love story all rolled into one.
Gael García Bernal stars as the titular character, an aging boxer whose own body has begun to betray him. When he loses an important match, his manager (Diego Luna) sets up a rematch to help get him a shot at the title. The trouble is keeping things like his own hallucinations at bay in order to get him there.
González stars as Irasema, the ex-wife of the manager who also happens to be a reporter. Her connection to the main characters and her career path put her right in the middle of the action in the series, despite the show clearly being built as a vehicle for Bernal and Luna. González very much steals the scenes in which she appears.
3
3 Body Problem (2024)
As Auggie Salazar
3 Body Problem
9/10
- Release Date
-
March 21, 2024
- Directors
-
Minkie Spiro, Derek Tsang
- Writers
-
David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Alexander Woo
3 Body Problem, from the same team that helmed Game of Thrones, alongside writer and producer Alexander Woo, is a science fiction series created for Netflix. It’s an adaptation of the Chinese story of the same name, and the first time the adaptation has striven to create an international story. While the cast is still predominantly Asian, the plot of the story expands beyond China to include the rest of the world, and consequently, a more international cast.
González stars as one of the “Oxford Five,” the scientists investigating the extraterrestrial mystery at the heart of the show. Her character works with nanotechnology, something that comes up again and again in the series. Auggie spends part of the series seeing a countdown timer that only she can view, and her actions drive a lot of the conflict in the series.
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While the show can get bogged down with its focus on the science of the story rather than the fiction of the science fiction, González provides a very human element for the series. Her performance earned her an Astra TV nomination for Best Supporting Actress In A Streaming Drama Series.
2
Baby Driver (2017)
As Monica “Darling” Costello
Baby Driver
9/10
- Release Date
-
June 28, 2017
- Runtime
-
113 minutes
Paired with Jon Hamm, González and Hamm practically steal every scene in which they appear.
Baby Driver provided González with her breakthrough role outside of Mexican TV and cinema. The movie introduced her to audiences all over the world, even if her supporting role was a relatively small one. Paired with Jon Hamm, González and Hamm practically steal every scene in which they appear.
The movie follows Ansel Elgort as “Baby,” a getaway driver who decides he might want to get out of the criminal business when he falls for a waitress played by Lily James. González and Hamm are members of the crew he is forced to work with.
González is, as is par for the course with a lot of her action movies, the only female member of the criminal crew, and her character is the wife of Hamm’s. The duo paint a very “Bonnie and Clyde” view of their characters that is incredibly fun to watch. She might not have as large of a role here compared to some of her other movies, but it really provides a great showcase for how talented González is with a smaller role.
Baby Driver was nominated for three Academy Awards.
1
The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2023)
As Marjorie Stewart
The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare comes from the creative direction of Guy Ritchie, and it has a similar style and tone to movies like Inglorious Basterds. As a result, the movie is incredibly violent, humorous, and provides its own take on history.
The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare follows a group of spies who are set against German soldiers during the movie’s version of Operation Postmaster. While it strays far from the real events of World War II, the movie’s ensemble cast of Henry Cavill, Henry Golding, Alan Ritchson, and González herself are so fun to watch that the audience will likely not be worried about whether or not the movie presents fact or fiction to them.
Eiza González might not have as high of a kill count as some of the other stars of the movie, but her scenes provide her with some great scenery chewing. She’s fantastic in the role, and it’s definitely one of her best to date.