1987–1996: Early career and breakthrough In 1987, Arquette's first starring roles included pregnant teenager Stacy in the television film
Daddy, boarding school student Zero in
Pretty Smart, and
Kristen Parker in
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, alongside
Robert Englund as
Freddy Krueger and
Heather Langenkamp as
Nancy Thompson. She reprised her role as Kristen in the music video to
Dokken's
Dream Warriors (1987). She was asked to reprise her role in the sequel,
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), but she declined the offer in order to do other projects. She gave up the role of Tralala in
Last Exit to Brooklyn due to her pregnancy with her son Enzo. In 1988, Arquette played the daughter of
Tess Harper in
Far North. Her roles in the early 1990s were in low budget and independent films, including
Prayer of the Rollerboys (1990) as love interest of
Corey Haim's character,
The Indian Runner (1991), which was the directorial debut of
Sean Penn; and the drama
Inside Monkey Zetterland. In 1992, she won a
CableACE Award for Best Lead Actress in a Mini-Series for her portrayal of a deaf girl with
epilepsy in
Wildflower, directed by
Diane Keaton and also starring
Reese Witherspoon. In her early career, Arquette received the most recognition for her role as Alabama Whitman, a free-spirited, kind-hearted prostitute in
Tony Scott's
True Romance (1993). The film was a moderate box office success but became a cultural landmark because of
Quentin Tarantino's screenplay, which preceded
Pulp Fiction, although some critics were deterred by the graphic violence. In one scene, Arquette puts up a fierce physical struggle in a fight with
James Gandolfini (as a viciously sadistic killer) which her character ultimately wins. Arquette's performance received unanimous praise from critics.
Janet Maslin of
The New York Times remarked that Arquette played her role with "surprising sweetness", while
Peter Travers remarked that "Arquette delivers sensationally". Arquette next appeared in the television film
Betrayed by Love (1994), and the well-received biopic
Ed Wood, directed by
Tim Burton and starring
Johnny Depp, where she portrayed his girlfriend. Her next role was as Laura Bowman in
John Boorman's
Beyond Rangoon (1995), which drew mixed critical reviews, but was a success internationally. In France, it was an official selection at the
1995 Cannes Film Festival, where it became one of the most popular hits of the event. Although the film had lackluster reviews, Arquette's performance as an American tourist in Burma during the
8888 Uprising was regarded as one of the work's strong points. Michael Sragow, writing for
The New Yorker, stated "Arquette gives the kind of mighty physical performance usually delivered by men in existential action classics like 'The Wages of Fear', but she suffuses it with something all her own – she's bulletproof yet vulnerable." Hal Hinson of
The Washington Post remarked that the film was "odd, brilliant in places, but frustrating all the same," commenting that "Arquette shows real grit when the chips are down". Arquette appeared in three films in 1996, the first the comedy film
Flirting with Disaster (1996), about a young man's cross-country pursuit to find his parents. Critical reception was largely positive, with
Todd McCarthy of
Variety praising the film and the authenticity of Arquette's performance, highlighting that "Arquette [is] very believably distracted and infuriated".
Flirting with Disaster grossed $14 million at the American box office and was screened in the
Un Certain Regard section at the
1996 Cannes Film Festival. Her second film released that year was the period drama
The Secret Agent, an adaptation of
Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel of the same name. The film received average reviews.
Infinity was her third film that year, a biographical drama about the early life of American physicist
Richard Feynman. The film received mixed to positive reviews. Although Emmanuel Levy of
Variety said that Arquette was "miscast", he stated that she "registers more credibly in the first part of the film, when she plays an
adolescent".
1997–2003: Independent film work and critical success In 1997, Arquette starred in
David Lynch's neo-noir psychological thriller
Lost Highway, in dual roles as Renee Madison and Alice Wakefield. The film had an ambiguous narrative, which polarized audiences and drew varying critical opinion, but it established a strong cult following. Arquette played an elusive
femme fatale in a critically revered performance that enabled her to draw on her sexuality more than any other previous role.
Roger Ebert, of the
Chicago Sun-Times, disliked the film, saying there was "no sense to be made of it" and voiced his distaste over a scene in which Arquette's character is asked to disrobe at gunpoint. Other critics were more favourable: Andy Klein of the
Dallas Observer called it a "two-hour plus
fever dream", Michael Sragow of
The New Yorker called the film a "compelling erotic nightmare", and Edward Guthman of the
San Francisco Gate wrote a glowing review praising Arquette's performance, calling it the "strongest, most memorable performance [of the film]" and favourably comparing her double role to
Kim Novak's in
Vertigo (1958). That same year, Arquette appeared in
Nightwatch, a horror-thriller film directed by
Ole Bornedal. The film is a remake the
Danish film
Nattevagten (1994), which was also directed by Bornedal.
Nightwatch was not a box office success and received poor reviews by critics, many of whom considered it an unnecessary, inferior retelling of the original film. awareness fashion show "The Heart Truth", 2009 In 1998, Arquette performed in two films:
Goodbye Lover, a comedic neo-noir directed by
Roland Joffé and
The Hi-Lo Country, a period Western directed by
Stephen Frears. The former received a poor critical reception while the latter received a more appreciative albeit modest response.
The Hi-Lo Country was widely cited as a "classic Western" in the press.
Stephen Holden of
The New York Times said, "In its best moments the movie feels like an epic hybrid of
Red River and
The Last Picture Show." In 1999, Arquette returned to familiar territory with the genre that began her career, in
Stigmata, a horror film, in the lead role. Produced on a budget of $29 million, the film was a box office success, grossing $50,046,268. Internationally the film earned $39,400,000 for a total worldwide gross $89,446,268. Critics were not as receptive of the film as audiences, with Roger Ebert remarking "possibly the funniest movie ever made about Catholicism – from a theological point of view". Arquette then appeared in
Martin Scorsese's
Bringing out the Dead, based on the novel by
Joe Connelly. The film united her with then-husband
Nicolas Cage and received highly favourable critical reviews, but was a box office flop. Janet Maslin of
The New York Times wrote that "Arquette's quietly credible performance helps center Frank's experiences; one of the film's most honest scenes is one in which they share an ambulance ride without sharing a word". Her next role was in the light-hearted comedy
Little Nicky (2000), alongside
Adam Sandler. Despite being a box office hit, the film received negative reviews, although Roger Ebert called it Sandler's best film to date. Following this, she starred in the French-American comedy drama
Human Nature (2001), written by
Charlie Kaufman and directed by
Michel Gondry. The film was met with mixed reviews and was screened out of competition at the
2001 Cannes Film Festival. Roger Ebert, in a three-star (out of a possible four) review, lauded the film's "screwball charm". The following year, she appeared in the small-scale mystery film
The Badge, playing the widow of a murdered
transsexual woman. In 2003, she portrayed the controversial pornographic film star
Linda Lovelace in the little known
Deeper than Deep, which was followed with the more family orientated
Disney produced
Holes, as Kissin' Kate Barlow. Based on the 1998
novel of the same title by
Louis Sachar,
Holes grossed $16,300,155 in its opening weekend, making #2 at the box office, behind
Anger Managements second weekend.
Holes would go on to gross a domestic total of $67,406,173 and an additional $4 million in international revenue, totaling $71,406,573 at the box office against a $20 million budget, making the film a moderate financial success. Arquette's next film,
Tiptoes, was released straight-to-DVD in the United States, despite a screening at the
Sundance Film Festival.
2004–2014: Further acclaim with Medium and Boyhood After the humdrum reception of
Tiptoes, Arquette did not appear in another film until 2006's
Fast Food Nation, directed by
Richard Linklater. During these three years, she was largely working on
Boyhood; it was released eight years later in July 2014.
Fast Food Nation marked her second collaboration with Linklater; it is based on the bestselling 2001 non-fiction
book of the same name by
Eric Schlosser. In January 2005, Arquette made her first transition to television with NBC's
Medium. Her role as (a fictional version of)
psychic medium Allison DuBois won her an
Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2005, as well as nominations for a
Golden Globe in 2005, 2006 and 2007, a
SAG Award in 2006, 2007 and 2010, and an
Emmy Award in 2007. In 2009 NBC cancelled
Medium, then CBS picked the series up and it lasted another two seasons. In 2008, she provided voice work for
A Single Woman, which was panned. She did not appear in another film until 2012.
Girl in Progress, a drama directed by
Patricia Riggen, marked her return; it was met with negative reviews. In 2013, she returned to television, appearing on
Boardwalk Empire as Sally Wheet. Also in 2013, Arquette filmed the true crime drama
Electric Slide. In 2014,
Boyhood was released, a project that Arquette and other actors had shot for 12 years beginning in 2002. The film was directed by Richard Linklater, marking his second collaboration with Arquette. In the film, she plays Olivia Evans, a single mother who raises her two children mostly alone with the sometimes assistance of their father (played by
Ethan Hawke). The
epic explores a 12-year scope. The film details the progression of her character's son, Mason, from ages eight to 18. The film has received universal praise, with many critics calling it a "landmark film". Arquette received widespread acclaim for her performance. Critic Katie McDonahugh, writing for
Salon, states "the role gave [Arquette] space to be all of these messy things at once, and her performance was a raw, gutsy meditation on those profoundly human contradictions".
Margaret Pomeranz, writing for
ABC Australia, called Arquette's performance "stunning" and praised the film, further remarking that "the elision from one time to another is subtle and seamless. It's just a fabulous movie experience". Arquette won the
Academy Award,
BAFTA,
Critics' Choice,
Golden Globe,
Independent Spirit, and
SAG Award for Best Supporting Actress.
2015–present: Continued success and recent roles In early 2015, Arquette began starring in the CBS series
CSI: Cyber, a show about FBI agents who combat Internet-based crimes. On May 12, 2016, CBS canceled the series after two seasons, thus ending the
CSI franchise. Arquette portrayed Tilly Mitchell in the
Ben Stiller-directed
Showtime miniseries
Escape at Dannemora, which premiered on November 18, 2018. For the role, she gained weight, wore prosthetic teeth, and brown contact lenses. For her performance, she received critical acclaim and won the
SAG Award,
Critics' Choice Television Award, and
Golden Globe Award. She also received a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2018, it was announced that Arquette would be starring in the
Hulu series
The Act. The series premiered in March 2019 to critical acclaim. For her performance, Arquette received the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie. In 2022, Arquette began co-starring in the
Apple TV+ thriller series
Severance, also directed by Stiller. The series has received critical acclaim. ==Personal life==