Action stardom is still treated like a boys club. The industry will call a woman “tough” and “capable,” then deny her the kinds of vehicles that turn capability into legend. That is why the most underrated female action stars are not “unknown.” Most of them are working consistently, delivering elite physical performances, and quietly carrying projects that would collapse without them. They are simply not being rewarded with the same marketing muscle, franchise ownership, or career mythology.
This list is not about popularity. It is about skill. It is about the women who can sell impact, stamina, timing, and danger on screen, often while also carrying emotional range and character work. They are the performers modern action depends on, even if the industry rarely names them as the face of the genre.
Betty Gilpin Is a Physical Performer With Actual Power
Betty Gilpin has a rare quality in action and thriller work: she feels like a real person who can still absolutely wreck you. Her movement reads as grounded. Her reactions read as human. She can shift from fear to calculation in a single beat, which makes violence feel consequential instead of cartoonish. That blend of realism and ferocity is the hardest thing to pull off in modern action adjacent roles.
Gilpin is underrated because she is not treated like a “franchise face,” even though she has the most important ingredient: she makes physical conflict believable. Believability is currency in action, and she spends it like a pro.
Pom Klementieff Steals Scenes Without Needing Dialogue
Pom Klementieff is a reminder that action presence is not just about punching. It is about silhouette, control, and intensity. She communicates threat through posture and pacing, which is why her standout moments land even when she has limited screen time. Many actors can do choreography. Fewer can make you feel like the room changed when they entered it.
Klementieff remains underrated because the industry still frames her as a “support weapon” instead of a lead. But she has the kind of kinetic charisma that could anchor an action thriller if given the right script.
Danai Gurira Has the Best “Blade Logic” in Modern Action
Danai Gurira brings something that almost no one else does: precision that looks trained, not staged. Her action work feels like it comes from a body that understands real technique. She also sells the mental side of combat, the scanning, the timing, the decision making. That turns action into character. It is not just movement. It is intention.
Gurira is underrated because her range is so strong that audiences sometimes forget how elite her physical performance is. She is not only a dramatic powerhouse. She is a top tier action performer who should be headlining more projects built around her skill set.
Rebecca Ferguson Made Modern Spy Action Feel Dangerous Again 
Rebecca Ferguson has quietly become one of the most reliable action presences of the last decade. She sells competence without smugness and danger without melodrama. What separates her is how she handles stakes. She looks like someone who knows what losing costs. That makes every fight scene feel like it has consequences.
Ferguson is underrated because the industry often frames her as the “cool supporting ace” instead of acknowledging that she has been one of the genre’s most consistent scene winners. If action stardom were purely merit based, she would be treated like a cornerstone, not a bonus.
Jurnee Smollett Has the Rare Combination of Speed and Emotion
Jurnee Smollett can do action with speed, aggression, and sharp timing, but she also carries emotional realism through violence. Many performers can throw punches. Fewer can make you feel the fear under the punch or the anger behind the decision to keep fighting. That is what separates “good action” from character driven action.
Smollett is underrated because her talent is often discussed in dramatic terms, while her physical performances get treated like a side feature. She has the tools to lead action projects that are intense, stylish, and emotionally grounded.
Jessica Henwick Is Still Not Getting the Vehicles She Deserves
Jessica Henwick has proven she can handle choreography, tempo, and endurance, and she does it with a calm screen presence that reads as competence instead of chaos. That is a rare quality in modern action, which often relies on frantic energy. Henwick’s strength is control. She looks like she belongs in high stakes environments.
She is underrated because the industry keeps placing her in ensembles instead of building around her. The moment she gets a project that is designed to showcase her as the primary engine, her perception will shift overnight.
Zoë Bell Is the Quiet Blueprint Behind a Lot of Modern Action
Zoë Bell is not just an action performer. She is part of the DNA of modern stunt driven cinema. Her work embodies the bridge between stunt craft and screen presence. That matters because action cinema is built on the ability to make danger look clean and intentional.
Bell is underrated in the mainstream conversation because audiences do not always understand how much of what they love in action is built by performers like her. If the action genre were honest about its heroes, her name would be in every serious conversation about the craft.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead Is an Action Lead Hiding in Plain Sight
Mary Elizabeth Winstead has one of the most underrated skill sets in action today: she can fight convincingly while also delivering character detail in the middle of chaos. That combination is rare. Too often, action leads become blank avatars during set pieces. Winstead stays emotionally readable, which makes scenes hit harder.
She is underrated because her career has zigzagged between genres, which sometimes prevents the industry from branding her as an “action star.” But the skill is there, and it has been there for years.
