By [Some Like It Hot shines a light on the men and women of film who have captured our hearts, and oftentimes, our libidos. It celebrates the cinematic sirens and strongmen of the silver screen that give us the vapors, tug on our heartstrings, and leave us hungry for more. Also, they’re really effing hot.]
It’s Valentine’s Day! What better day to resurrect Flixist’s sexiest feature? And what actress better to help usher the return than the Die Hard franchise’s sexiest alum, Mary Elizabeth Winstead?
I won’t bore you all with a lengthy introductory ramble. We all know what we’re here to do. Let’s just jump right in to the only girl worth sitting through a PG-13 Die Hard for!
Name: Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Birthday: November 28th, 1984 (28)
Partial filmography: Sky High, Grindhouse: Death Proof, Live Free or Die Hard, Make It Happen, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Thing, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, A Good Day to Die Hard (view her IMDb page here)
Background: The youngest of five kids, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was born in Rocky Mount, NC. From a young age, she demonstrated a knack for academic achievement and attended advanced classes as early as elementary school. She displayed obvious talent with singing and dancing, pursuing both ballet and choir, but at thirteen she realized that due to her height, ballet was not in her future. Instead, to the benefit of all of us, she took up acting.
After a brief stint on Broadway, sharing a stage with Donnie Osmond in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, she made an appearance here or there in shows like Touched By an Angel and Promised Land. Her first really meaty role, however, came in 2005 when she appeared as antagonist Gwen Grayson in Sky High. The next year she starred in the lead role of Final Destination 3, and after that, she appeared in Black Christmas, Death Proof, and as John McClane’s daughter in Live Free or Die Hard. In 2010, she donned several brightly-colored wigs and secured her nerd cred as Ramona Flowers in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. More recently, she appeared as the lead in The Thing and Mary Todd Lincoln in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. That brings us to today, where she returns to the Die Hard franchise in A Good Day to Die Hard.
Best feature: Her eyes
Believe it or not, it’s not always about butts and boobs with me. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and if that’s the case, MEW has one of the sexiest souls in Hollywood.
Hottest role: Tie between Death Proof (2007) and Make It Happen (2008)
Now, I haven’t seen Make It Happen, but I’ve watched a couple of MEW’s dance scenes and I approve. In Death Proof, she’s a ditzy actress dressed like a cheerleader who is then bartered in exchange for taking a ’70 Dodge Challenger for a test drive. If that’s not fetish fuel I don’t know what is.
Where Nick Valdez would take her on a date: “Inspired by a 50’s-inspired pinup shoot she’s done in the past, I’d take her to a diner. Not one of those run down, “Betsy the Smoking Waitress” diners, but one of those nostalgic, 50s pastiche places. We’d then share a milkshake (because the diner would conveniently run out of glasses) with two straws just so I’d have an excuse to look into her eyes the whole time.
After eating at the diner, we’d step outside and realize that my cool motorcycle, that we rode in on, had been “stolen.” Then in search of my motorcycle, we’d come across a bunch of rowdy fellas in an alley who threaten to “bloody me up.” Then I’d fight a bunch of Sharks and Jets, win, and we’d ride off into the sunset on my cooool motorcycle as Ritchie Valens’s La Bamba plays in the background. Then I’d have to do it six more times because she’s Ramona Flowers.” – Nick Valdez
In conclusion: A Swiss army knife of talent, Mary Elizabeth Winstead can do it all: acting, singing, dancing, and looking good great spectacular while doing all three. She loves horror films, she has an album coming out soon, and she hangs out with the likes of Rosario Dawson, Anna Kendrick, and Lacey Chabert. A sexy woman who takes sexy roles and has sexy friends is my kind of woman. I’ve harbored a big ol’ crush on her since Sky High, and she’s only gotten better since.
That about wraps it up for this very special Valentine’s Day post. As a special V-Day treat, there’s a whole ton of pictures of Ms. Winstead in the gallery for you all to peruse. See you soon with another spotlight on one of Hollywood’s sexiest starlets!