Animal Kingdom
She's quite a mother, this blond tornado they call Smurf: Ma Barker meets Medea. The matriarch of a Melbourne crime family, she coddles and disciplines her drug-dealing, sociopathic sons, none of whom is as ruthless as she. A staple of Australian theater, film and TV since the '60s, Weaver, 63, had a tough, splendid time imbuing Smurf with charm and menace. "I found some of my scenes intense and emotionally draining, but that's the nature of the beast. I enjoy that."
See Jacki Weaver talk about her favorite performances: