The Evolution Of Kat Dennings

Defendor (2009)

This 'real guy has a go at being a superhero' comedy got lost amid a glut of similarly-themed have-a-go-hero titles that arrived at the same sort of time ( Kick-Ass and Super attracted the lion's share of the attention).

Defendor didn't even get a release on UK shores, which is a shame, as it features Woody Harrelson as the unhinged vigilante of the title, and Dennings as a prostitute who guides him through the underworld.

Cool credentials? It's pretty far from the mainstream.

Daydream Nation (2010)

As the title suggests, this is another none-more-Dennings movie, in which she's at front and centre showing off her kooky, alluring presence.

She stars as Caroline Wexler, a seventeen-year-old who moves to a small town, and slips into an uncomfortable (and slightly illegal) love triangle with a classmate and her teacher. It operates on a tiny scale, and it's hardly groundbreaking, but Dennings' charm carries it.

Cool credentials?
She's still targeting offbeat material.

American Dad! (2009-2010)

Dennings has further upped her culty status with a couple of guest voicing spots in American Dad! . In the episode 'G-String Circus', she lent her vocal chords to stripper Tanqueray.

Stan is trying to make money by starting a dry-cleaning business with his new stripper friend, but he soon finds that he takes in a lot more money when disrobing for tips. Dennings returned to do a voice in a later episode, 'The People vs. Martin Sugar'.

Cool credentials? If The Simpsons is an indicator of your pop-culture status, anything by Seth MacFarlane is a testimony to your cool.

Thor (2011)

Fear not, for appearing in a blockbuster doesn't mean that Dennings has sold out. Choosing to take a backseat in Kenneth Branagh's Marvel epic, she plays Darcy, an underling of Natalie Portman's astrophysicist.

Dennings gets to quip her little heart out, adding to the much-needed humorous vibe that helps sell, let's face it, one of the comic giant's oddest big screen properties. You can catch it in cinemas this week.

Cool credentials? Safely intact, as she steals the show in one of the most anticipated flicks of the summer.

Matt Maytum
Editor, Total Film

I'm the Editor at Total Film magazine, overseeing the running of the mag, and generally obsessing over all things Nolan, Kubrick and Pixar. Over the past decade I've worked in various roles for TF online and in print, including at GamesRadar+, and you can often hear me nattering on the Inside Total Film podcast. Bucket-list-ticking career highlights have included reporting from the set of Tenet and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as covering Comic-Con, TIFF and the Sundance Film Festival.