My Favorite Performances of 2006 (Female)

Barbara Covett - Notes on a Scandal
"People languish for years with partners who are clearly from another planet. We want so much to believe that we've found our other. It takes courage to recognise the real as opposed to the convenient."

Honorable Mentions:
M - Casino Royale

Agnes White - Bug
"I guess I'd rather talk with you about bugs than nothing with nobody."

Miranda Priestly - The Devil Wears Prada
"Is there some reason that my coffee isn't here? Has she died or something?"

Sheba Hart - Notes on a Scandal
"This is going to sound sick, but something in me felt... entitled. You know, I've been good all my adult life. I've been a decent wife, a dutiful mother coping with Ben. This voice inside me kept saying "why shouldn't you be bad, why shouldn't you transgress? I mean, you've earned the right.""

Drey - Half Nelson
"What do you call cheese that's not yours? Nacho cheese."

Ofelia - Pan's Labyrinth
"You'll meet her, she's very pretty, even though sometimes she's sad for many days at a time. You'll see, when she smiles, you'll love her."

Sarah Pierce - Little Children
"It's not the cheating. It's the hunger - the hunger for an alternative and the refusal to accept a life of unhappiness."

Honorable Mentions:
Iris - The Holiday

Kee - Children of Men
"Dylan. I'll call my baby Dylan. It's a girl's name, too."

Karen Eiffel - Stranger Than Fiction
"Little did he know that this simple, seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death."

Andy Sachs - The Devil Wears Prada
"She's not happy unless everyone around her is panicked, nauseous or suicidal."

Chieko Wataya - Babel
"They look at us like we're monsters."

Sheryl - Little Miss Sunshine
"You know, like it or not, we're still your family, for better or worse..."

Marie Antoinette - Marie Antoinette
"Letting everyone down would be my greatest unhappiness."

Vesper Lynd - Casino Royale
"There isn't enough room for me and your ego."

Sarah - The Prestige
"Well some days it's not true. Maybe today you're more in love with magic. I like being able to tell the difference, it makes the days it is true mean something."

Isabella - Miami Vice
"Time is luck."

Emily - The Devil Wears Prada
"I'm sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt convention you have to go to?"

Marilyn Hack - For Your Consideration
"Is that my sweet Rachel's voice I heard? Or am I just goin' meshuga?"

Honorable Mentions:
Jessica Wilhern - Penelope

Ana Pascal - Stranger Than Fiction
"Mr. Crick, it was a really awful day. I know, I made sure of it. So pick up the cookie, dip it in the milk, and eat it."

Olive - Little Miss Sunshine
"I'd like to dedicate this to my grandpa, who showed me these moves."

Madolyn - The Departed
"Why is the last patient of the day always the hardest?"

Madeleine White - Inside Man
"Well detective, there are matters at stake here that are a little bit above your pay grade. No offense."

Rae - Black Snake Moan
"I think... I think we're fucked up. I know I am. But that don't mean what I feel ain't real, that I can't love somebody. And I know what I done is real real bad, but um... So if you want to quit on me I understand. But please don't."

Honorable Mentions:
Penelope Wilhern - Penelope

Julian Taylor - Children of Men
"Y'know that ringing in your ears? That 'eeeeeeeeee'? That's the sound of the ear cells dying, like their swan song. Once it's gone you'll never hear that frequency again. Enjoy it while it lasts."

Maddy Bowen - Blood Diamond
"Three out of five ex-boyfriends polled think I need to be in a constant state of crisis. Maybe I just give a shit."

Honorable Mentions:
Kathy Adamson - Little Children