's best movies and television shows prove just how great of an actress she has been throughout her career. She found success through some of her early roles in the late '80s and early '90s, with films like This Boy's Life, and Son in Law. However, the actress' career surged throughout the 2000s, as she rose in prominence due to roles in various hit movies, like the mother in Spy Kids. The decade also saw Gugino star in popular movies like Sin City, Night at the Museum, and Zack Snyder's epic adaptation of Watchmen.

The late 2010s and early 2020s have been incredibly good for Gugino as well, as she continues to explore even more complex roles than ever before. Some of these include parts in several Mike Flanagan Netflix projects, Jett, Orion and the Dark, and The Girls on the Bus. She doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon, either, as Gugino has some exciting projects upcoming with Heads of State and The Florist.

Based on the children's book of the same name by author Emma Yarlett, Orion and the Dark focuses on the titular character and his anxiety in the face of his fears, with the dark being at the top of the list. He is visited by the embodiment of Dark, who whisks him away on a trip to help Orion overcome his fears. Ambitious, heartfelt, and visually gorgeous, Orion and the Dark is a wonderful animated film that isn't afraid to ask big questions of its protagonist and its audience.

While she doesn't have a major role in the film, Carla Gugino does fantastic voice work as Orion's mom. She has done some other voice-acting projects before, but Orion and the Dark is Gugino's best work by far in the animated medium, and .

Perhaps a product of coming out a bit too soon, Zack Snyder's Watchmen adaptation of Frank Miller's groundbreaking graphic novel is bold and visually striking, translating the comic's most iconic scenes to gorgeous effect. The film was mildly received both critically and financially when it was released in 2009 but has since been reevaluated as a result of the boom in superhero adaptations over the years. While some might still have issues with the ending, Watchmen is undeniably ambitious and beautiful.

Watchmen is primarily set in an alternate history in 1985 at the height of the Cold War but utilizes flashbacks to explore the decline of The Minutemen, a superhero team, decades earlier. Carla Gugino plays Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre in the flashback scenes as her daughter takes over the mantle of the character in the present. during each scene that she is in.

One of the most underrated movies of the 2000s, The Lookout is a thrilling crime film that follows a star high school football player named Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose life is changed forever after an accident that causes him brain damage. He ends up working as a janitor at a bank and has to keep notes in order to help him remember things, and some of his former classmates take advantage of him to help them carry out a bank heist. Led by incredible performances across the board, The Lookout is a fantastic addition to the noir genre.

Carla Gugino is really great in The Lookout as Janet, Chris' caseworker who is trying to help him through his memory loss and coming to terms with his lot in life. , and she does a great job of challenging him despite his limitations. It might not be the most substantial role in the film, but it is nice to see someone want to genuinely help Chris instead of take advantage of him.

Like the other Frank Miller adaptations that came out in the same era, Sin City is visually stunning and ambitious in its storytelling. The movie faithfully recreates Miller's iconic artwork, as its monochrome palette with splashes of color is beautiful to witness in each frame. However, Sin City's anthology-style narrative is impressive in its own right, weaving together tales of various characters and their violent escapades, with a stacked cast of actors to bring the stories to life.

Carla Gugino fits right into Frank Miller's unique world, as she plays Lucille, the friend of Mickey Rourke's Marv, who also happens to be his parole officer. She is also the lawyer of Bruce Willis' Detective Hartigan. Lucille's place in Sin City is marred by violence as she is preyed on by the mute serial killer, Kevin. .

Mike Flanagan's collaboration with Netflix proved incredibly fruitful, as the horror director delivered some truly incredible movies and shows for the streamer, with The Fall of the House of Usher being his most recent, and his last for the moment. The series is loosely based on the various works of Edgar Allan Poe, and it revolves around the Usher family and the events that led to the death of all six children in the family.

, and she continued to prove just how well she works with him with her role in The Fall of the House of Usher. She plays Verna throughout the series, a mysterious woman from the Usher twins' past who can take on various forms, most notably a raven, as she preys on all the Ushers. It's so enjoyable to see Gugino play a role like Verna as she does a remarkable job with it, with her being incredibly alluring as a mysterious figure.

Initially envisioned as a miniseries, Manhunt ended up being two different seasons, telling different stories. Manhunt: Deadly Games was the second season of the show, and it revolved around the hunt for Eric Rudolph, the Centennial Olympic Park Bomber, after the blame was originally placed against Richard Jewell, a security guard, during the Summer Olympics. Despite it being dramatized, Manhunt remained quite faithful to the true stories it was exploring, making it a great addition to the true-crime shows that have become increasingly popular.

Carla Gugino joined the series for Manhunt: Deadly Games, as she played Kathy Scruggs, the reporter who broke the story that authorities were looking at Richard Jewell as the primary suspect in the bombing. This in turn kicked off a media firestorm that greatly affected Jewell and his life. Playing loose with some of the accuracies regarding Kathy Scruggs, .

Following a world-class thief who is forced back into that life after leaving it and getting out of prison, Jett is a showcase for Carla Gugino's incredible talent. The series is a fantastic addition to the noir genre that is quite stylish and consistently violent, making it highly entertaining from start to finish. It's elevated by the impressive action set pieces featured frequently throughout.

Gugino shines as the titular character, as she is given a lot to work with both in terms of narrative choices, and the physicality that her character embodies. Daisy "Jett" Kowalski proves time and again her skills as a thief, despite being reluctant to go back into that world following her time in prison. , and she rises to the challenge extremely well, as Jett is an incredible character throughout the show.

Though the franchise has had its ups and downs over the years, the original Spy Kids was a remarkable achievement that often feels like lightning in a bottle. Written, directed, co-produced, edited, and co-composed by Robert Rodriguez, Spy Kids focused on two kids who become spies in an attempt to save their ex-spy parents from an evil mastermind. The movie lovingly embraces the tropes of the spy genre while carving its own path as a family-friendly adventure anyone can truly enjoy. It's just so much fun.

Despite appearing in various roles over a decade before Spy Kids came out, . She plays Ingrid Cortez in the movie, wife to Antonio Banderas' Gregorio Cortez, and mother to Juni and Carmen Cortez, the main characters. Ingrid is an awesome character, holding her own in terms of skills against her husband, while also being a loving mother and wife.

Mike Flanagan is one of the best modern horror movie directors, and he has proven to be really great at adapting Stephen King's novels into incredible movies. Gerald's Game is one of those, as it revolves around a woman who is left handcuffed to a bed following the abrupt death of her husband during a romantic getaway. She must find a way to survive while also battling some terrifying inner demons, a thrilling and suspenseful film.

Carla Gugino is asked to do a lot in Gerald's Game as there are long stretches in the movie where it is just her acting by herself. She nails it, though, as . Her character, Jessie Burlingame, is incredibly layered and Gugino digs deep into her fears and what makes her tick. It's a masterclass performance.

Though Mike Flanagan had already done incredible work in his career, it was The Haunting of Hill House that truly catapulted him into wider recognition as one of the best horror directors working today. Borrowing loosely from Shirley Jackson's novel of the same name, The Haunting of Hill House explores the lives of five siblings during two different time periods in their lives, as children and as adults. During their time at Hill House and after, each sibling is haunted by various things, both supernatural and personal. It's heartbreaking, terrifying, and incredibly powerful.

, and Mike Flanagan's filmography in general. Olivia is the matriarch of the Craine family who is most affected by the paranormal activity in the house, slowly succumbing to the darkness it instills in her until she tragically takes her life. It's a heartbreaking portrait of a character that the whole story essentially revolves around, and plays every aspect of her perfectly.