The Evolution Of Rose Byrne

Take Away (2003)

The plot, as you may have surmised, revolves around rival chip shops. Tony Stilano is a pedantic perfectionist, while his rival Trev Spackneys, takes a much more haphazard approach to running his business.

Rose plays Sonja, Tony's cousin and assistant, who has a burgeoning relationship with (dun dun dah!) Trev's helper. As thrilling as it sounds, with nowhere near enough Byrne to pep up the proceedings.

Always The Bridesmaid? Here she's stuck in a support role in a movie that's less satisfying than a trip to your local chippie.

Troy (2004)

Another super-sized blockbuster for the Antipodean one, and a meatier role to boot. Byrne plays Briseis, a member of the Trojan royal family who's captured by the Greeks. She's later claimed, rescued and seduced by Achilles (Brad Pitt).

Byrne brings a suitably ethereal presence to the role, and steals a considerable amount of the beauty thunder from supposedly the most stunning lady in the land, Helen of Troy (Diane Kruger).

Always The Bridesmaid? Doe-eyed Rose seemed very much at home as part of this large scale mythological epic.

Wicker Park (2004)

Josh Hartnett was the lead in this remake of 1996 French film L'Appartement , and once again Rose is competing against Diane Kruger.

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Matthew (Hartnett) thinks he spots a former lover (Kruger) in a cafe, and sets about chasing after to her. On his way he meets another enigmatic hottie (Byrne), who may play a key role in the mystery.

Byrne's performance is the only thing in this re-do that hints at the subtlety of the original.

Always The Bridesmaid? She deserved better than this.

Casanova (2005)

Before he owned Saturday night telly as Doctor Who, David Tennant had a decent stab at playing the legendary ladies' man in this spirited TV three-parter from Russell T Davies. Peter O'Toole played the aging Casanova in the sections that bookended the biography, and Rose Byrne was a young maid to whom he recounted his life story.

Better than the Heath Ledger-starring movie, this also has a touching payoff for Byrne and O'Toole.

Always The Bridesmaid? With limited screentime, she manages to add a bit of emotional heft to a knockabout romp.

The Tenants (2005)

This straight-to-video effort sees struggling novelist Dylan McDermott living in a run-down appartment block, trying to finish his third novel. Things get a little tense when rival novelist Snoop Dogg (honestly) moves into the building to work on his own book. Rose Byrne is Snoop's girlfriend, and matters are complicated when McDermott falls for her.

Based on a 1972 Bernard Malamud novel, this never really satisfyingly tackles the racial issues at stake.

Always The Bridesmaid? She's stuck between two posturing losers.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Sofia Coppola's punky, exuberant biopic of the Austrian princess who became queen of France was only loosely concerned with facts, instead creating an emotional snapshot of Dunst's Antoinette in the crazy world of Versailles.

Byrne's Duchesse de Polignac is a court favourite of the young queen, and she brightens things up a bit by encouraging some of the extravagant socialising.

Always The Bridesmaid? Well, she's a lady-in-waiting, but she manages to shine alongside top performances from Dunst and Asia Argento.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Sofia Coppola's punky, exuberant biopic of the Austrian princess who became queen of France was only loosely concerned with facts, instead creating an emotional snapshot of Dunst's Antoinette in the crazy world of Versailles.

Byrne's Duchesse de Polignac is a court favourite of the young queen, and she brightens things up a bit by encouraging some of the extravagant socialising.

Always The Bridesmaid? Well, she's a lady-in-waiting, but she manages to shine alongside top performances from Dunst and Asia Argento.

The Dead Girl (2006)

This indie flick went largely unnoticed, something of a surprise considering it had a decent ensemble cast and an intriguing hook. The Dead Girl examines the effect of, well, a dead girl on various characters' lives, through five disparate stories.

In Byrne's segment, she plays a forensic investigator who believes the corpse may in fact be her missing sister, much to her mother's disagreement.

Always The Bridesmaid? This was fairly well-made but hardly seen.

Sunshine (2007)

Danny Boyle conquered another genre with this sci-fi movie. Rose Byrne is Cassie, one of a team of eight scientists on board the ominously-named Icarus II, which is on a mission to reignite the sun with the help of a nuclear blast.

Rose reigned in the beauty a little for this one, which (despite the divisive ending) was a satisfying blast of thought-provoking, fear-inducing sci-fi.

Always The Bridesmaid? She does well as part of a talented ensemble cast confined to a claustrophobic setting.

28 Weeks Later (2007)

This horror follow-up was a damn sight better than it had any right to be. After the events of the first movie, the US military have sanctioned London's Isle of Dogs as a RAGE-free zone. Rose goes on the run with a couple of kids when the obligatory shit hits the fan.

Byrne's Scarlet is neither all-out action heroine, or simpering sidekick, just a normal woman caught up in challenging circumstances.

Always The Bridesmaid? She was part of a solid team of emerging talent, with Jeremy Renner, Idris Elba and Imogen Poots all signing on for action.