A woman with wet blond hair and a gold necklace looks surprised or shocked, her mouth open and eyes wide, standing indoors with a blurred background.
Archive Photos / Getty Images

Some people just have the “it” factor about them. It’s a hard phenomenon to explain. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but the charm and authenticity of the person is unforgettable. In the acting space, certain celebs just skyrocket to seemingly impossible levels of fame and recognition on their journeys. These actresses were distinct cases where people were absolutely obsessed with them.

1. Julia Roberts

A woman with short, wavy hair sits behind a microphone at a table, wearing a sleeveless top and large hoop earrings, looking directly at the camera against a dark background.
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

2. Halle Berry

A woman with short curly hair and a black dress smiles at an event, standing in front of a backdrop featuring a film reel graphic and the words “Entertainment Awards.”
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

3. Cameron Diaz

A woman with wet blond hair and a gold necklace looks surprised or shocked, her mouth open and eyes wide, standing indoors with a blurred background.
Archive Photos / Getty Images

4. Salma Hayek

A woman with shoulder-length dark hair smiles over her shoulder at the camera, wearing an off-white top, with people and cameras in the blurred background.
Pascal Guyot / Getty Images

5. Catherine Zeta-Jones

A woman with dark hair in an elegant updo, wearing red and gold drop earrings and bold red lipstick, looks to the side with a slight smile in soft, dim lighting against a blurred stone background.
Archive Photos / Getty Images

6. Denise Richards

A woman with long blonde hair smiles at the camera, wearing a black leather jacket. She stands in front of a crowd, including a person in a plaid shirt and gray hat facing away from the camera.
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

7. Neve Campbell

A woman with short brown hair and a red top sits at a table, looking thoughtful. The background is dimly lit, with a blurred window and part of a sign visible behind her.
Getty Images

8. Winona Ryder

A young woman in a white shirt leans on a wicker chair, gazing thoughtfully into the distance. She sits outdoors near a window with greenery visible behind her.
Universal Pictures / Getty Images

9. Liv Tyler

A woman wearing a large, furry black hat and a dark coat stands outdoors against a blurred, snowy city background.
Hulton Archive / Getty Images

10. Meg Ryan

A person with short curly blond hair rides a bicycle on a sunny road through a forest, wearing a light gray hoodie and white pants, looking up thoughtfully.
Archive Photos / Getty Images

11. Jodie Foster

A woman with shoulder-length light brown hair and blue eyes smiles slightly, wearing a light-colored blazer. The background is dark and blurred, with a tree and some mesh fencing visible.
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

12. Christina Applegate

A woman with red hair in black clothes has her arm around a blonde woman in a red shirt. They’re standing closely together in a crowd, looking slightly off-camera with serious expressions.
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

13. Drew Barrymore

A young woman with short blonde hair, wearing a white shirt and black vest, holds a large tray with food. She looks surprised, with a blurred, festive background of lights and flowers behind her.
Archive Photos / Getty Images

14. Uma Thurman

Three people walk outside at night, wearing dark clothing. The person in the center has shoulder-length blonde hair and a black coat. The people on either side have lighter hair; the right person wears a purple turtleneck.
Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

15. Kate Winslet

A young couple dressed in period clothing share an intimate moment, gazing into each other’s eyes while slow dancing at a formal event.
Archive Photos / Getty Images

Meet the Writer

Matt has spent over the last 8 years as both a writer and editor, working in Seattle and Brooklyn, where he is now based. He loves escaping the tirelessly fast pace of the “Mad Apple” that is NYC by taking walks and runs through parks where he’s able to catch up on the latest tea about society from the city’s ever chatty, always hungry, occasionally maniacal, pigeons. They always have a lot to say. When he’s not taking his urban nature strolls, or dutifully combing the deepest rabbit holes of the internet to find the content that’s worth sinking your mind’s teeth into, he’s likely holed up at a dark-lit dive bar with a new book and/or some friends, or just easily he could be on the hunt for the next addition to his steadily growing plant family.