Adams began her career as a dancer indinner theater, which she pursued from 1994 to 1998, and made her film debut with a supporting part in the dark comedyDrop Dead Gorgeous (1999). She made guest appearances in television and took on "mean girl" parts in low-budget feature films. Her first major role was inSteven Spielberg's biopicCatch Me If You Can (2002), but she was unemployed for a year afterward. Her breakthrough came when she portrayed a loquacious pregnant woman in the independent comedy-dramaJunebug (2005), for which she received her first Academy Award nomination.
The musical fantasy filmEnchanted (2007), where Adams played a cheerful princess-to-be, was her first success in aleading role. She followed it by playing other naïve, optimistic women in films like the dramaDoubt (2008), and subsequently played more assertive parts to positive reviews in the sports filmThe Fighter (2010) and the psychological dramaThe Master (2012). From 2013 to 2017, she portrayedLois Lane in superhero films set in theDC Extended Universe. She won two consecutiveGolden Globe Awards for Best Actress for playing a seductive con artist in the crime filmAmerican Hustle (2013) and painterMargaret Keane in the biopicBig Eyes (2014). Further acclaim came for playing a linguist in the science fiction filmArrival (2016), a self-harming reporter in theHBO miniseriesSharp Objects (2018), andLynne Cheney in the satireVice (2018).
Adams was born on August 20, 1974,[1] inAviano, Italy,[2] to American parents Kathryn and Richard Adams, while her father was serving in theU.S. Army.[3][4] She has four brothers and two sisters and is the middle of the seven children.[5] After moving from one army base to another, she and her family settled inCastle Rock, Colorado when she was eight.[4] After leaving the army, her father sang professionally in nightclubs and restaurants.[5][6] Adams has described going to her father's shows and drinkingShirley Temples at the bar as among her fondest childhood memories.[7] The family was poor; they camped and hiked together, and performed amateur skits written by her father or sometimes by her mother.[4][6][8] Adams was enthusiastic about the plays and always played the lead.[9]
Adams was raised as aMormon until her parents divorced in 1985 and left the church.[6][10] She did not have strong religious beliefs, but has said that she valued her upbringing for teaching her love and compassion.[5] After the breakup, her father moved toArizona and remarried, while the children remained with their mother.[4][8] Her mother became a semi-professionalbodybuilder who took the children with her to the gym when she trained.[6][8] Adams has compared her uninhibited early years with her siblings toLord of the Flies.[5] Describing herself as a "scrappy, tough kid", she has said she fought frequently with other children.[11]
Adams attendedDouglas County High School in Colorado. She was not academically inclined, but was interested in the creative arts and sang in the school choir. She competed in track and gymnastics, harbored ambitions of becoming a ballerina, and trained as an apprentice at the local David Taylor Dance Company.[5][9] She disliked high school and kept mostly to herself.[6] After graduation, she and her mother moved toAtlanta.[6] She did not go to college, to her parents' disappointment, and she later regretted not pursuing higher education.[4][12] At age 18, she realized she was not gifted enough to be a professional ballerina, and found musical theater more to her taste.[5] One of her first stage roles was in a community theater production ofAnnie, which she did as a volunteer.[4] To support herself, she worked as a greeter at aGap store.[9] She also worked as a waitress atHooters,[6][13] but left the job when she saved enough money to buy a used car.[14]
Adams began her professional career as a dancer in a 1994dinner theater production ofA Chorus Line inBoulder, Colorado.[4][15][16] The job required her to wait on tables before getting up on stage to perform. She enjoyed singing and dancing, but disliked waitressing and ran into trouble when a fellow dancer, whom she considered a friend, made false accusations about her to the director.[17] Adams said, "I never really knew what the lies were. I only knew I kept getting called in and lectured about my lack of professionalism."[4] She lost the job but went on to perform in dinner theater atDenver'sHeritage Square Music Hall and Country Dinner Playhouse.[15] During a performance ofAnything Goes at the Country Dinner Playhouse in 1995, she was spotted by Michael Brindisi, the president and artistic director of theChanhassen, MN-basedChanhassen Dinner Theater, who offered her a job there.[15][18] Adams moved toChanhassen, Minnesota, where she performed in the theater for the next three years.[18] She loved the "security and schedule" of the job, and has said that she learned tremendously from it.[17][18] Nonetheless, the grueling work took its toll on her: "I had a lot of recurring injuries—bursitis in my knees, pulled muscles in my groin, my adductor and abductor. My body was wearing out."[14]
During her time at Chanhassen, Adams acted in her first film—a black-and-white short satire namedThe Chromium Hook.[18] Soon after, while she was off work nursing a pulled muscle, she attended the locally held auditions for the Hollywood filmDrop Dead Gorgeous (1999), a satire on beauty pageants starringKirsten Dunst,Ellen Barkin, andKirstie Alley.[4] Adams was cast in the supporting part of a promiscuous cheerleader.[5][9] She felt that her character's personality was far removed from her own and worried about how people would perceive her.[19] The production was filmed locally, which enabled Adams to shoot for her role while also performingBrigadoon on stage.[20] Encouragement from Alley prompted Adams to actively pursue a film career, and she moved to Los Angeles in January 1999.[14][18] She described her initial experience in the city as "dark" and "bleak",[5] and she pined for her life back in Chanhassen.[17]
In Los Angeles, Adams auditioned for whatever parts came her way, but she was mostly given roles of "the bitchy girl".[14][19][20] Her first assignment came within a week of her relocation in theFox television seriesManchester Prep, a spin-off of the filmCruel Intentions, in the lead role ofKathryn Merteuil (played bySarah Michelle Gellar in the film).[4] Following numerous script revisions and two production shutdowns, the series was canceled.[21] Adams later said a controversial scene in which her character encourages a girl to masturbate on a horse was the primary reason for its cancellation.[19] The three filmed episodes were re-edited and released later in 2000 as the direct-to-video filmCruel Intentions 2.[4] Despite a negative critical reception, Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Club wrote that Adams plays her "alpha-bitch role with vicious glee largely missing from Sarah Michelle Gellar's sterile take on the character".[22][23]
Following brief roles in three small-scale features of 2002—The Slaughter Rule,Pumpkin, andServing Sara—Adams got her first major role inSteven Spielberg's comedy-dramaCatch Me If You Can.[13][27] She played Brenda Strong, a nurse with whomFrank Abagnale Jr. (played byLeonardo DiCaprio) falls in love. Despite the film's success and praise for her "warm presence" fromVariety criticTodd McCarthy, it failed to boost her career. She was unemployed for a year after its release, leading her to almost quit film acting.[28][29] Spielberg was surprised that she did not break through soon after the film's release.[28] Adams instead enrolled in acting classes, realizing that she had "a lot to learn and a lot of self-growth to work through".[4][28] Her career prospects seemingly improved a year later when she received a lucrative offer to star as a regular in theCBS television dramaDr. Vegas, but she was dropped after a few episodes.[4] In film, she only had a minor role in theFred Savage-starringThe Last Run (2004).[30]
Disillusioned by her firing fromDr. Vegas, Adams, aged 30, considered quitting acting altogether after completing work on the independent comedy-dramaJunebug, which had a production budget of under $1 million.[4][31] Directed byPhil Morrison, the film featured her as Ashley Johnsten, a perky and talkative pregnant woman. Morrison was impressed with Adams's ability to not question her character's inherently good motives.[32] She connected with Johnsten's faith in God and spent time with Morrison inWinston-Salem, North Carolina, where the film is set, attending church.[5] She described making the film as "the summer I grew into myself", and after dyeing her hair red for the role, she decided not to go back to her natural blonde color.[5]Junebug premiered at the 2005Sundance Film Festival, where Adams won a special jury prize.[15] Tim Robey ofThe Daily Telegraph labeled the film a "small, quiet miracle" and wrote that Adams had given "one of the most delicately funny and heartbreaking performances it's ever been my pleasure to review".[33]Ann Hornaday ofThe Washington Post opined that her "radiant portrayal" reflected the film's "deeply humanist heart".[34] For her performance, Adams won theIndependent Spirit Award andCritics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress, and received anAcademy Award nomination in the same category.[5][35][36]
Adams on the set ofEnchanted in 2006, her breakout film
After voicing inWalt Disney Pictures' animated comedy filmUnderdog (2007), Adams starred as a highly optimistic and joyous character namedGiselle, who is based on members of theDisney Princess franchise,[42] in the musical romantic comedyEnchanted.[9][43]Patrick Dempsey andJames Marsden co-starred as her romantic interests. She was among 250 actresses who auditioned for the high-profile role; the studio had favored the casting of a bigger star, but the directorKevin Lima insisted on Adams due to her commitment to the part and her ability to be nonjudgmental about Giselle's personality.[44] A ball gown she had to wear for the film weighed 45 pounds (20 kg), and she fell several times under its weight.[42] She sang three songs for thefilm's soundtrack—"True Love's Kiss", "Happy Working Song", and "That's How You Know".[45] The criticRoger Ebert commended Adams for being "fresh and winning" in a role that "absolutely depends on effortless lovability", andWesley Morris ofThe Boston Globe credited her for "demonstrat[ing] a real performer's ingenuity for comic timing and physical eloquence".[46][47] Todd McCarthy considered it to be her breakthrough role and likened her rise to stardom to that ofJulie Andrews.[48]Enchanted was a commercial success, grossing over $340 million worldwide, and Adams was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.[49][50]
Adams at the81st Academy Awards in 2009, where she received her second Academy Award nomination forDoubt (2008)
The2008 Sundance Film Festival saw the release ofSunshine Cleaning, a comedy-drama about two sisters (played by Adams andEmily Blunt) who start a crime scene clean-up business. Adams was drawn to the idea of playing someone who constantly tries to better herself.[54][55]Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle found Adams to be "magical", adding that she "gives us a portrait of raging want beneath a veneer of surface diffidence".[56] In the 1939-set screwball comedyMiss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Adams starred as an aspiring American actress in London who encounters a middle-aged governess named Miss Pettigrew (played byFrances McDormand).Stephen Holden ofThe New York Times drew similarities to her role inEnchanted and wrote that the "screen magic" she displays in such endearing roles "hasn't been this intense since the heyday ofJean Arthur".[57]
Adams next starred inDoubt, an adaptation ofJohn Patrick Shanley'splay of the same name. The film tells the story of a Catholic school principal (played byMeryl Streep) who accuses a priest, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, ofpedophilia; she played an innocent nun embroiled in the conflict. Shanley initially approachedNatalie Portman for the part, but offered Adams the role after finding her innocent, yet intelligent, personality similar to that ofIngrid Bergman.[58] She identified with her character's ability to find the best in people, and described her collaboration with Streep and Hoffman as a "master class" in acting.[28][58] Amy Biancolli of theHouston Chronicle wrote that Adams "sparks with distressed compassion", and Ann Hornaday believed that she "exudes just the right wide-eyed innocence".[59][60] She was nominated for the Academy Award,Golden Globe Award, andBAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress.[61][62][63]
As withJunebug andEnchanted, Adams's roles in her three 2008 releases were those of the ingénue—innocent women with a cheerful personality.[14][54] When asked about beingtypecast in such roles, she said she responds to characters who are joyful and identified with their sense of hope.[64] She believed that despite certain similarities in their disposition, these characters were vastly different from one another; she stated, "Naïveté is not stupidity, and innocent people are often very complex."[6][65]
Adams began the new decade with a leading role oppositeMatthew Goode in the romantic comedyLeap Year (2010), which criticRichard Roeper believed was saved from "truly awful status" by Adams's presence.[74] Her next release of the year—the boxing dramaThe Fighter—was much better received. Directed byDavid O. Russell, the film tells the story of boxer half-brothersMicky Ward andDicky Eklund (played byMark Wahlberg andChristian Bale, respectively);Melissa Leo played their mother and Adams played Ward's aggressive girlfriend, a barmaid named Charlene Fleming. Describing her character as a "tough, sexy bitch", Russell cast Adams against type to rid her of her girl-next-door image.[65][75] The role marked a significant departure for her, and she was challenged by Russell's insistence on finding her character's strength in silence.[76] She enrolled in an exotic dance class by trainerSheila Kelley to find her character's eroticism.[75]Joe Morgenstern ofThe Wall Street Journal found Adams to be "as tough, tender, smart, and funny as she was ethereal and delightful inEnchanted. What an actress, and what range!"[77] She received Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress; she lost the former two to Leo.[78][79][80] She expressed a desire to play more dramatic roles in the future.[81]
The Disney musicalThe Muppets (2011) starring theeponymous puppets featured Adams andJason Segel in live-action roles.[82] She sang seven songs for thefilm's soundtrack.[83]Lisa Schwarzbaum ofEntertainment Weekly noted that the role marked her return to her "comedian-sweetheart" persona.[84] The following year, Adams played the Baker's Wife inthe Public Theater's revival ofStephen Sondheim's musicalInto the Woods, as part of theShakespeare in the Park festival at the open-airDelacorte Theater. It was her New York stage debut and her first theater appearance in 13 years.[85] She agreed to the month-long production to "take on a challenge that seemed insurmountable", though she was overwhelmed and intimidated by it.[85][86] She prepared with a private singing coach, but her film schedule enabled her to spend only four weeks in rehearsal.[85]Ben Brantley,The New York Times' theater critic, praised Adams's "lucidly spoken and sung performance" but criticized her for lacking "the nervy, dissatisfied restlessness" of her part.[87]
Adams took another "fierce woman" part inPaul Thomas Anderson's psychological dramaThe Master (2012).[88] She played Peggy Dodd, the ruthless and manipulative wife of the leader of a cult (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman). It marked her third and final collaboration with Hoffman, whom she deeply admired, before his death two years later.[89] The organization depicted in the film was deemed by journalists to be based onScientology; Adams considered the comparison to be misleading but was glad for the attention it brought to the film.[88][90] Although not amethod actor, she believed the intense role had left her on edge in her personal life.[91] Comparing her character toLady Macbeth, the criticJustin Chang wrote that Adams's "pertness has rarely seemed so malevolent", and Donald Clarke ofThe Irish Times commended her for playing the part with "discrete menace".[92][93] John Patterson ofThe Guardian remarked that a scene in which her character chastises her husband while furiously masturbating him was one of the most significant sequences in the film.[65] Once again, Adams received Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for her supporting role.[94][95][96]
Clint Eastwood's sports dramaTrouble with the Curve, in which she played the estranged daughter of abaseball scout (Eastwood), was Adams's second film release of 2012. She admired Eastwood's "warm and generous" personality and was pleased with the collaboration.[65] She prepared for the part by learning to catch, pitch, and swing from a baseball coach.[65] The film received mixed reviews, and Roger Ebert took note of how Adams had made a standard role seem valuable.[97][98] She also played the brief part of a drug addict inOn the Road, an ensemble drama based onJack Kerouac'snovel of the same name.[99]
After losing out on the role ofLois Lane in two previous films aboutSuperman, Adams securedthe part inZack Snyder's 2013 reboot,Man of Steel, starringHenry Cavill as thetitular superhero.[100] She played Lane with a mixture of toughness and vulnerability, but Peter Bradshaw found the character "sketchily conceived" and criticized the actress' lack of chemistry with Cavill.[100][101] The film grossed over $660 million to become one of her biggest box-office hits.[102] Adams next featured inHer, a drama from writer-directorSpike Jonze about a lonely man (Joaquin Phoenix) who falls in love with an artificial intelligence (voiced byScarlett Johansson); she played his close friend. The actress had unsuccessfully auditioned for Jonze's 2009 filmWhere the Wild Things Are and was cast inHer after Jonze looked back at those tapes.[103] She was drawn to the idea of portraying a platonic male-female friendship, which she believed was rare in film.[103]
Further success came to Adams when she reteamed with David O. Russell in the black comedy crime filmAmerican Hustle, co-starring Christian Bale,Bradley Cooper, andJennifer Lawrence. Inspired by the 1970sAbscam scandal, the film featured her as a seductive con artist, though she played it so that "everything felt justified and it didn't feel like she was just a sexy sociopath".[103][104] She collaborated closely with Bale to build their characters and made off-screen suggestions to Russell, including for a scene in which she is aggressively kissed on the lips by her lover's wife (played by Lawrence).[103][104] The work proved grueling for Adams, who later confirmed reports that Russell had been hard on her and made her cry frequently; she said she feared bringing such a negative experience home to her daughter.[8]American Hustle was critically acclaimed;[105]Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times believed Adams "goes deeper here than she's ever been allowed to", adding that she had successfully "turn[ed] an unpredictable character into a thrillingly wild one".[106] She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical and received her fifth Oscar nomination (her first in theBest Actress category).[107][108]Her andAmerican Hustle were both named by critics as being among the best films of 2013, and were both nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Picture.[107][109]
Following an appearance in the poorly received dramaLullaby, Adams starred inBig Eyes (2014), a biopic of the troubled artistMargaret Keane, whose paintings of "big-eyed waifs" were plagiarized by her husbandWalter Keane.[110][111] When she was first offered the part, she passed on it to avoid playing another naïve woman.[111][112] The birth of her daughter in 2010 prompted Adams to find strength in the passive character, and she drew on real-life experiences where she had not stood up for herself.[112] In preparation, she practiced painting and studied the way Keane worked.[112] Keane liked Adams's portrayal of her,[113] andMark Kermode ofThe Observer termed her performance a "potent blend of intuitive fire and sensitive vulnerability".[114] She won a second consecutive Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical and received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress.[115][116]
After a one-year absence from the screen, Adams had three film releases in 2016. She first reprised the role of Lois Lane inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which marked the second installment in theDC Extended Universe afterMan of Steel. Despite a negative critical reception for favoring visual effects over a coherent narrative, the film grossed over $870 million to become her highest-grossing release to date.[73][117] In her next two releases—the science fiction dramaArrival and the psychological thrillerNocturnal Animals—Adams played "emotionally guarded, fiercely intelligent" women to critical acclaim.[118][119] Based onAustin Wright's novelTony and Susan,Tom Ford'sNocturnal Animals tells the story of an unhappily married art dealer, Susan (Adams), who is traumatized when reading a violent novel written by her ex-husband (played byJake Gyllenhaal). She found little resemblance between herself and the "poised" and "aloof" Susan, and modeled the character's personality on that of Ford.[120]Stephanie Zacharek ofTime magazine found the film visually arresting yet thematically weak, but credited Adams and Gyllenhaal for making their characters' pain seem genuine.[121]
Arrival, directed byDenis Villeneuve and based onTed Chiang's short story "Story of Your Life", ranks among the most acclaimed films of Adams's career.[122] It focuses on Louise Banks (Adams), a linguist who experiences strange visions when she is hired by the U.S. government to interpret the language of extraterrestrials. Adams was drawn to the idea of playing an intellectual female lead, and connected with the film's theme of unity and compassion.[123] She watched documentaries on linguistics in preparation for the role.[124]Christopher Orr ofThe Atlantic described Adams's performance as "mesmerizingly open, by turns uplifting and sorrowful". Writing for theLos Angeles Times,Kenneth Turan noted her "finely calibrated performance" and asserted that the film was "a showcase for her ability to quietly and effectively meld intelligence, empathy and reserve".[125][126]Arrival was a commercial success, grossing over $200 million against a production budget of $47 million, and Adams received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for Best Actress.[127][128][129] Several journalists expressed disappointment over her failure to receive an Oscar nomination for it.[119][130] She played Lois Lane for the third time inJustice League (2017), an ensemble film about thetitular superheroes. Tim Grierson ofScreen International wrote that despite providing "emotional resonance" to the film, Adams's talents had been wasted in a thankless supporting role.[131]
Adams returned to television in 2018 withSharp Objects, anHBO miniseries based onGillian Flynn's thrillernovel of the same name. She served as an executive producer and starred as Camille Preaker, aself-harming reporter who returns to her hometown to cover the murder of two young girls.[132][133] Adams gained weight for the part and, on days of filming, underwent three hours ofprosthetic makeup to create her character's scarred body.[134][135] She readA Bright Red Scream to learn about self-mutilation and researched the psychological condition ofMunchausen syndrome by proxy. She found herself unable to distance herself from the dysfunctional role and experienced insomnia.[136] The series and Adams's performance received critical acclaim;[137]James Poniewozik ofThe New York Times praised the complex characterization of Preaker and called Adams's performance "transfixing".[138] Daniel D'Addario ofVariety found her to be "operating at the peak of her abilities" and added that with "her voice dropped an octave, slowed to a drawl, and sharpened with distrust, [she] is simply superb".[139]
Christian Bale and Adams teamed for the third time in Adam McKay's political satireVice (2018), in which they portrayed formervice president of the United States,Dick Cheney, and his wife,Lynne, respectively. She read Lynne's books in preparation; despite disagreeing with her political views, she approached the part with empathy and found a connection with her character's fortitude.[140][141]Richard Lawson ofVanity Fair drew comparisons to Adams's role inThe Master; he commended "her usual rigor" but criticized the "lazy rubber-stamp of a man's idea of a woman adjacent to power".[142] Eric Kohn ofIndieWire was more appreciative of her for "embodying an underwritten Lady Macbeth with ferocious energy".[143] Adams received Golden Globe nominations for her performances in bothSharp Objects andVice; for the former, she received a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series and for the latter, she received her sixth Oscar and seventh BAFTA nominations.[144]
In 2022, Adams made her first appearance inWest End theatre in a revival ofThe Glass Menagerie at theDuke of York's Theatre.[157] She played Amanda, a matriarch struggling to raise her children, for which she drew on her own mother's fierce and determined personality.[158] The production received mixed reviews.[159] Dominic Cavendish ofThe Daily Telegraph found Adams' performance "clear, simple, believable, and quietly heart-breaking in its contained vulnerability", butEvening Standard's Nick Curtis found it "muted and unconvincing".[160] She then reprised her role as Giselle in the sequel toEnchanted, titledDisenchanted, which premiered onDisney+.[161] She also recorded six songs for itssoundtrack.[162] Critics took note of Adams' enduring charm but considered the sequel inferior to its predecessor.[163]
Adams formed her own production company named Bond Group Entertainment with her manager Stacy O'Neil in 2019.[164] Their first release came with a 2024film adaptation of the satirical novelNightbitch, starring Adams as a struggling mother who occasionally transforms into a dog.[165] She found a connection with the material as she felt exhausted balancing her parental commitments while performing on stage.[166] It received a polarizing reception from critics, which Adams said was the film's intent.[167] She received another Golden Globe nomination for her performance.[168] In 2025, Adams voiced the title character in the animated miniseriesCharlotte's Web, streaming onHBO MAX.[169]
Describing Adams' off-screen persona,Hadley Freeman ofThe Guardian wrote in 2016 that she "is extremely engaging, serious but with a hint of a straight-talking broad once she gets going".[10] Carl Swanson ofVulture found her "suspiciously unnarcissistic for a Hollywood star, gracious, hardworking, and decent to the point of almost not being acelebrity".[173] JournalistAlex Bilmes believes that Adams' ability to be "both glamorous movie star and relatable normal person is key to her success".[6]
Adams in 2013
Adams works closely with her acting coach, Warner Loughlin, whom she credits with helping her organize and structure her thoughts.[174] She uses an acting method Loughlin has taught her, in which she attempts to understand her character's psychology by creating the character's backstory from age three.[175] Adams prefers to work with confident directors who give her space to think for herself.[176] She stays in character during filming, and finds it difficult to detach herself from roles and accents.[176][177] She is not influenced by the size of a role and is drawn to both leading and supporting parts.[177] She has described herself as an obsessive performer.[176]
Jake Coyle ofThe Washington Times considers Adams an actress who does not transform herself for her roles, but who inhabits "a character with warmth and smarts while, to varying degrees, remaining herself".[178] Meryl Streep, her co-star inDoubt andJulie & Julia, has said that Adams comes highly prepared on set and possesses "a gigantic intelligence" in developing her character's arc.[4] Paul Thomas Anderson, who directed her inThe Master, commends her dedication and investment in her projects.[176] Journalists have remarked upon her "American sweetheart" persona in her 2000s roles while taking note of her increased versatility in the 2010s.[8][11][103][179] NovelistStephen Marche called Adams "the greatest actress of her generation".[180] Describing her film career in a 2016 review ofArrival, journalist and criticAnthony Lane ofThe New Yorker wrote:
The spry benevolence that carried her through a film likeEnchanted (2007) has been cross-grained, in recent years, by the stern resolve ofThe Master (2012) and the snap ofAmerican Hustle (2013), and now, inArrival, her gift for sorrow, her strength, and her instinctive sweetness of temper are rolled into one.[181]
Forbes ranked Adams among the world's highest-paid actresses, with earnings of over $13 million in 2014, and in 2016, and over $11 million in 2017.[182][183][184] The magazine featured her on its annualCelebrity 100 list in 2014, and also ranked her among the most powerful actresses in the business.[185][186] Also that year, she was named one of the100 most influential people in the world byTime magazine.[187] Adams received astar on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 2017.[188] As of 2017[update], her films have grossed over $4.7 billion worldwide.[73] Robert Ito ofThe New York Times believes that her propensity for risky projects prevents her from being a bigger box-office draw.[103]
Stuart McGurk ofGQ cites Adams' "porcelain skin, auburn hair, and soft, earnest speaking style" as being among her trademarks.[8] She was named one of the most beautiful people in America byElle in 2011, and several publications have featured her red carpet appearances in their listings of best-dressed celebrities.[189] Adams advertisedLacoste's fragrance Eau de Lacoste in 2012, and two years later, she endorsed accessories and handbags ofMax Mara.[190] In 2015, she collaborated with Max Mara to design and promote a line of handbags.[191]
Adams with her husband, Darren Le Gallo, and daughter Aviana in 2024
Adams met actor and painterDarren Le Gallo at an acting class in 2001. They began dating a year later while collaborating on a short film titledPennies.[4][192] They became engaged in 2008. Adams gave birth to their daughter Aviana in 2010.[193][194] Seven years after their engagement, the couple married, in a private ceremony, at a ranch nearSanta Barbara, California.[195][196] Adams said in 2016 that she appreciates the numerous sacrifices Le Gallo had made as the primary caregiver for their family.[10] They reside inBeverly Hills, California.[197] She has described her family life as "pretty low-key", and has said that her routine involves going to work, taking her daughter to the park, and having weekly date nights with her husband.[6]
Adams finds little value in being a celebrity and maintains that the "more that people know about me, the less they'll believe me and my characters".[196] She attracts little gossip or tabloid attention, and strives to keep a healthy work-life balance.[6][198] She makes an effort to remain unaffected by her fame, believing that it would hinder her ability to play roles with honesty. Adams has spoken about suffering from insecurity and a lack of confidence from a young age and how motherhood had made her calmer.[6][10] She frequently breaks into song when stressed at work.[8] She has joined other actors in calling for equal pay for women in the film industry, but she finds that actresses are too often asked to explain thegender pay gap and feels the questions should be directed instead to producers.[8][199]
Having experienced difficulty in her early years in the film industry, Adams works closely with underprivileged students at New York City's Ghetto Film School.[200]Variety honored her for her work with them in 2010.[201] She supportsthe Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that helps troubledLGBT teenagers, and served as a presenter for the 2011 event "Trevor Live".[202] In 2013, she launched the bookThe Beauty Book for Brain Cancer to help raise money for brain cancer charities Snog and Headrush.[203] The following year, she attended a charity event at theUCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, to raise funds for sexually abused children.[204] In 2020, Adams teamed up with actressJennifer Garner to launch the campaign #SaveWithStories to promote children's education during school closures due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[205] Adams is an ambassador for The RightWay Foundation, a charity that provides employment and mental health services to former foster youth.[206]Variety honored her for her work with them in 2024.[207]
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^"Hillbilly Elegy is a horrific showcase for miserable overacting: Review".EW.Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 20, 2021.Her descent into addiction takes maybe two scenes, one of them roller-skating high through the ICU while Bananarama's "Cruel Summer" plays on the soundtrack. Playing a drug addict is tricky. On a story level, it requires patience: Enough narrative real estate so we understand the person behind the disease, enough scenes that aren't just a freakout acting reel.
^"Hillbilly Elegy Is Not the Fun Kind of Bad".Vulture. November 24, 2020.Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. RetrievedJanuary 20, 2021.Adams has been given an ironic hell punishment for actorly ambition — consisting of so many outsized scenes and no center.
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