Kate Mara is persuasive as women whose composure conceals ambition or unease. We rate her controlled intensity, but she needs writing that gives it a purpose; Fantastic Four shows how little a capable actor can do without it.
Fi1m perspective
Kate Mara makes a composed character look as though staying composed takes effort. That quality gives her a useful place in Fantastic Four (2015), where Josh Trank initially allows ambition and awkwardness to matter alongside the science. Her Sue Storm is a reason to take the young cast seriously, but the film gives her too little room to establish what she means to the others. We were bored by the scientific explanations, because the film kept making time for them while leaving Sue's relationships thin.
Her supporting role as Alma Del Mar Jr. in Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain (2005) brought wider notice, though our enthusiasm for that film rests chiefly on Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Television supplied the clearer opportunity to build a character, with appearances in 24 (2006) and American Horror Story (2011) preceding Zoe Barnes in House of Cards (2013). The ambitious reporter makes good use of Mara's ability to suggest strong feeling beneath a controlled manner. She is convincing when a character has something to pursue and reasons to be careful about pursuing it.
The problem in Fantastic Four is especially clear when the cast has to work as a group. Michael B. Jordan brings energy to Johnny Storm, while Mara's Sue and Jamie Bell's Ben Grimm need scenes that let their connections develop beyond the scientific talk. Trank's quieter early passages suggest that he understands the value of this cast, then the explanations take over. Mara can make reserve interesting, but she cannot make an underwritten group feel as though they would choose to spend time together.
The Martian (2015), directed by Ridley Scott, offers another example of her value within an ensemble, while she takes the lead as Claire Wilson in A Teacher (2020). Her supporting work can steady a busy film, but we would welcome more parts that give her difficult decisions of her own. We would start with House of Cards for the intelligence and unease she brings to ambition. Even there, the writing does not always serve the performance.
Biography
Kate Mara, also credited as Kate Rooney Mara, is an American actress. She was born on 27 February 1983 in Bedford, New York.
Mara made her film debut in Random Hearts (1999). She appeared as Alma Del Mar Jr. (age 19) in Brokeback Mountain (2005) and has since featured in Shooter (2007), Iron Man 2 (2010), The Martian (2015) as Beth Johanssen, Fantastic Four (2015) as Sue Storm, and 127 Hours (2010).
Her television work includes roles in 24 (2006), American Horror Story (2011) as Hayden McClaine, House of Cards (2013–2014; 2016) as Zoe Barnes, and A Teacher (2020).
