Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#764
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Carla Gugino represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 38 years in, and Carla is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Carla Gugino appears in 39 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Carla. American Gangster is the clearest case: a film rated 7.6 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for horror, comedy, drama. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Mike Flanagan, Daniel Stamm, David Fincher and others, Carla Gugino helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
American Gangster (2007) as Laurie Roberts · Sin City (2005) as Lucille · Watchmen (2009) as Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
Career snapshot
Ranked #764 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
39
1989–2027
Career length
38 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.6
American Gangster
Average Nutevio score
5.9
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.6
American Gangster
Most frequent director
Mike Flanagan
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Mike Flanagan
Most common genre
Comedy
17 titles
Average runtime
1h 42m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.8
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.5
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1990s
6.3 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Snake Eyes, Michael, Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
6.3
Across 5 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1990s
6.3
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Troop Beverly Hills.
Most productive era
2000s
13 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | — | 6.34 films | 7.22 films | 6.25 films | 4.54 films |
| Action | — | — | 5.97 films | 6.44 films | 6.52 films |
| Thriller | — | 6.21 film | 6.17 films | 6.35 films | 4.43 films |
| Comedy | 5.71 film | 6.13 films | 5.84 films | 5.63 films | 5.16 films |
| Crime | — | 6.21 film | 6.94 films | 6.41 film | 6.31 film |
| Romance | — | 6.01 film | — | 6.52 films | 6.41 film |
| Horror | — | — | 5.32 films | 6.32 films | 4.43 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Chica Barnfell.
Highest rated performance
2005Sin City
7.6 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Career peak
2026Lockbox
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
The current state of the argument.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
39 of 39 films
as Ellen Hershbergen
Directed by Daniel Stamm
as Kendra Wyndham
Directed by Unknown
as Lucille
Directed by Frank Miller
as News and Commercial Voice (voice)
Directed by Mike Flanagan
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Ellen Hershbergen
Lockbox (2026)
Performance score7.5
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Ellen Hershbergen gives Carla Gugino a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Kendra Wyndham
The Space Between Us (2017)
Performance score7.4
The Space Between Us asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Kendra Wyndham is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Laurie Roberts
American Gangster (2007)
Performance score7.4
American Gangster asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Laurie Roberts is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Lucille
Sin City (2005)
Performance score7.4
Sin City asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Lucille is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Ellen Hershbergen
Start here. Lockbox is the clearest statement of what Carla Gugino does — accessible, 105 minutes, and rated 6.9 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Carla at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Sin City (2005)
A deliberate change of key after Lockbox — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
American Gangster (2007)
Keeps the crime register of Sin City but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Space Between Us (2017)
Keeps the drama register of American Gangster but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Life of Chuck (2025)
Keeps the drama register of The Space Between Us but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Robert Rodriguez
Director
3 films together
Notably Spy Kids
Zack Snyder
Director
3 films together
Notably Watchmen
Mike Flanagan
Director
3 films together
Notably The Life of Chuck
Jeff Kanew
Director
1 film together
Notably Troop Beverly Hills
Michael Caton-Jones
Director
1 film together
Notably This Boy's Life
David R. Ellis
Director
1 film together
Notably Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco
Nora Ephron
Director
1 film together
Notably Michael
Brian De Palma
Director
1 film together
Notably Snake Eyes
James Wong
Director
1 film together
Notably The One
Frank Miller
Director
1 film together
Notably Sin City
Shawn Levy
Director
1 film together
Notably Night at the Museum
Scott Frank
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lookout
Ridley Scott
Director
1 film together
Notably American Gangster
Jon Avnet
Director
1 film together
Notably Righteous Kill
Andy Fickman
Director
1 film together
Notably Race to Witch Mountain
David S. Goyer
Director
1 film together
Notably The Unborn
George Tillman Jr.
Director
1 film together
Notably Faster
Mark Waters
Director
1 film together
Notably Mr. Popper's Penguins
Garry Marshall
Director
1 film together
Notably New Year's Eve
Brad Peyton
Director
1 film together
Notably San Andreas
Gina Gershon
Director
1 film together
Notably With/In Volume 2
Zelda Williams
Director
1 film together
Notably Lisa Frankenstein
Sean Charmatz
Director
1 film together
Notably Orion and the Dark
Ilya Naishuller
Director
1 film together
Notably Heads of State
David Fincher
Director
1 film together
Notably The Adventures of Cliff Booth
Daniel Stamm
Director
1 film together
Notably Lockbox
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Zack Snyder
Director
3 films together · 6.8 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
WatchmenRobert Rodriguez
Director
3 films together · 5.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Spy KidsMike Flanagan
Director
3 films together · 4.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The Life of ChuckRidley Scott
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
American GangsterFrank Miller
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sin CityMichael Caton-Jones
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
This Boy's LifeDaniel Stamm
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
LockboxIlya Naishuller
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Heads of StateShawn Levy
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Night at the MuseumScott Frank
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The LookoutDavid R. Ellis
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Homeward Bound II: Lost in San FranciscoSean Charmatz
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Orion and the DarkZelda Williams
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Lisa FrankensteinGeorge Tillman Jr.
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FasterBrad Peyton
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
San AndreasBrian De Palma
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Snake EyesJames Wong
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The OneMark Waters
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mr. Popper's PenguinsGarry Marshall
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
New Year's EveJon Avnet
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Righteous KillAndy Fickman
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Race to Witch MountainNora Ephron
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MichaelJeff Kanew
Director
1 film together · 5.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Troop Beverly HillsDavid S. Goyer
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The UnbornGina Gershon
Director
1 film together · 4.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
With/In Volume 2David Fincher
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Six degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Sin City
as Lucille
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
The Space Between Us
as Kendra Wyndham
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Sin City
as Lucille
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Man of Steel
as Kelor (voice)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Lockbox
as Ellen Hershbergen
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Carla Gugino has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
38 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
17 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
The Life of Chuck
as News and Commercial Voice (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Sin City
as Lucille
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The Space Between Us
as Kendra Wyndham
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Elizabeth Harvest
as Claire
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Watchmen
as Sally Jupiter / Silk Spectre
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Man of Steel
as Kelor (voice)
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Orion and the Dark
as Orion's Mom (voice)
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Night at the Museum
as Rebecca
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Morgan Freeman
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Edward Norton
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Zach Grenier
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Richmond Arquette
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Bob Stephenson
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Have your say
Community
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Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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