With four films (and a potential fifth) in 2026, Sandra Hüller is a hot property in and out of Hollywood…
Hollywood of late has been typified by deja vu. We see films that feel interchangeable, but we also see a seemingly small pool of stars being rotated between productions. It feels like Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Anne Hathaway, and Sydney Sweeney are everywhere. Some are rangier than others, and R-Batz certainly seems to have mastered the art of diverse characterisations. You might even call him a chameleon.
Then there’s Sandra Hüller, the character actress who burst onto the scene with Toni Erdmann a decade ago, and has been an eclectic and intriguing presence in many a production since. Anatomy of a Fall in 2023 was a huge milestone moment for Hüller, whose monumental performance in the taut and intense drama earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination, and one she really deserved to win.
Hüller is magnetic on screen, delivering so much nuance and interior dialogue that puts her above several more surface-value superstars. Some actors can bring a different kind of gravitas beyond star power, and she is one of them. She’s not going to get the types of roles a Sydney Sweeney gets, but to an extent, that’s also why the roles that come to her generally tend to be more rounded and have more depth.
The film industry can often focus on more shallow elements, especially with actresses. Sandra Hüller has gone over that dreaded 40 mark and would never have been Megan Fox bent over an open car hood. Her cross-continental travels have given her something of a leg up, though. European cinema, where she’s been prolific (not least in her native Germany), is more likely to prize character and acting range over all else. If there’s one disappointing factor to her Hollywood productions so far, it’s a feeling that she’s been underutilised, but she still managed to leave her unique and indelible presence.
Hüller is a throwback to the type of actress who’d frequent auteur works from filmmakers like Fassbinder, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Fellini, and more. Someone for whom you could strip the dialogue out of a script and they’d still tell you a complete and multi-layered story with face and body language alone. She has been busy this year with a couple of supporting roles in big US productions. In Project Hail Mary, she worked on a project that was very intimately focused on Ryan Gosling and Rocky the rock, but still offered an interesting, layered presence to a role that could have felt inconsequential with a lesser actress taking it on.
Meanwhile, whilst Tom Cruise has been the face of Digger and the man taking the weight of its box office disappointment on his shoulders, it’s meant the impressive supporting cast has been a little overlooked. That includes Hüller, whose presence once again is able to lift a fairly two-dimensional role up a level and flesh it out into something living and breathing.
However, Hüller has been given more license to shine back in Europe (and in black and white) with Fatherland and Rose, two critically acclaimed films in which she stars, allowing her to show the breadth of her incredible talents. Fatherland marks a welcome return for Polish maestro Paweł Pawlikowski, whose previous work includes Ida and Cold War, and a penchant for black-and-white photography. It’s a reflective post-war journey with Hüller’s Erika Mann and her father. As with Pawlikowski’s work, it’s laden with pensive moments and intimate, quietly heartbreaking drama. It’s a perfect platform for Sandra and, indeed, her co-star, Hans Zischler.
Then Hüller returns once more for the upcoming release of Rose from director Markus Schleinzer, out in early December. It’s another period piece for the adaptable star, who’s also able to realistically fit into different periods of history without sticking out like a sore thumb in the botox/surgery age (which applies to the male actors too). Additionally, Sandra seems unafraid to put ego aside to fully inhabit a role and make a character feel earthy and part of the scenery (in the case of Rose, 17th-century Germany). In the aftermath of war, a woman poses as a man to take claim of a long-abandoned estate. The early reviews ahead of the film’s official release have been stellar, suggesting a cerebral and intense drama anchored by Hüller’s atypically enthralling and complex work.
It will mark the end of a bustling and productive 2026. It’s perhaps no surprise that Hüller seems to have finished a prolific and busy run and goes into a quiet period, with her next release seemingly slated for 2028, with nothing (as yet) in the interim. There have been reports of a potential Avengers: Doomsday cameo, but that would seem a little out of character for an actress who seems to have been careful in choosing her roles and largely sidestepped the temptations of big tentpole releases that don’t come with a clear artistic vision (such as Project Hail Mary and Digger). Idealistic cinephiles may hope she doesn’t sell her soul, but the Marvel paychecks can turn the eyes of many an artiste. Whatever comes next, though, it’s clear Sandra Hüller is rightfully in high demand and one of the best actresses of her generation.
What’s your favourite film starring Sandra Hüller? Let us know on our socials @FlickeringMyth…
Tom Jolliffe
