Hollywood is an extremely difficult industry to succeed in, and female actresses in particular are aware of that fact. With a few exceptions of female superstars who manage to snag roles throughout their career and age gracefully, for the most part, every female actress is constantly threatened with the prospect of being replaced by the next hot, young starlet. That kind of environment can definitely breed cattiness – after all, when the tabloids are trashing your rivals, why not add your two cents to the argument?
However, amongst the often negative atmosphere of the entertainment industry, there are many women who have emerged and shrugged off any attempts by the press to instigate fake feuds. They’ve found a kindred spirit in the industry and stuck by her side through thick and thin, from the early years as struggling actresses to the later years as constantly followed A-List superstars. They lunch together, they laugh together, and they share a few glasses of wine on girls’ nights – just like the rest of us. Most importantly, they prove that you can have both a successful career and amazing friendships – ladies, we can have it all! The ladies on this list are all beautiful, badass, and these friendships basically prove that #girlpower is a definite thing in the industry these days.
14 Minka Kelly and Mandy Moore
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Minka Kelly is an actress best known for her portrayal of Lyla Garrity on beloved television series Friday Night Lights; Mandy Moore is a pop star turned actress known for her film work. In the world of Hollywood, where you’re constantly running into the same people at various events, celebs can end up meeting and hitting it off on the red carpet, not just on set. Sure enough, these two brunette bombshells seemed to find a shared sense of humor and are frequently pictured together, whether it’s attending a wedding or just having a girls’ brunch and shopping spree.
13 Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz
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While we often think of celebrities laying by the pool and sipping a cocktail in their off time, the reality is that filming a movie can be an incredibly gruelling process, with work days that are almost always in the double digits rather than a standard eight hour grind. When you’re spending that much time with other actors or actresses, by the end of the process, you probably either end up loving them or hating them – in the case of Barrymore and Diaz, it’s the former. While the two vaguely knew each other from around town in Los Angeles, according to Barrymore, it was on the set of the Charlie’s Angels films that they really bonded.
12 Reese Witherspoon and Kate Winslet
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Imagine this – Kate Winslet, the award-winning, impossibly gorgeous British actress – rings your doorbell, and when you open it to greet her, utters this phrase: “Darling, Sam is off shooting, and I believe our children are the same age. Could they possible have a play date and oh, by the way, it’s almost 9 o’clock and I’ve had nothing to drink, do you have any wine?” What do you do? Well, naturally, you become friends with her immediately – how could you not?! That’s exactly what southern belle Reese Witherspoon did when Winslet came knocking in her Hollywood neighbourhood. Witherspoon dished about the fact that they were friends, but when it comes to what happened after all that wine, she’s not telling – “too bawdy or tawdry or drunken to tell!” she says.
11 Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow
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When you think of two women likely to be friends in the entertainment industry, Beyoncé and Gwyneth Paltrow are probably at the absolute opposite ends of the spectrum. Sure, they’re both successful. Sure, at one point, both were married to men in the music industry. However, Paltrow has made a name for herself with her extravagant Goop empire, while Beyoncé has always kept it real. Despite their differences, the two ladies have formed a strong friendship – they first got acquainted at a charity gala, and were soon attending concerts together, giggling together at awards shows, and more. Now that Paltrow’s split with her husband, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, we foresee a lot more girls’ nights out as Queen B tries to set her friend up.
10 Nina Dobrev and Julianne Hough
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Dancer-turned actress Julianne Hough and The Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev might not initially seem to have much in common, apart from being drop dead gorgeous, but apparently they were meant to be friends. According to Hough, both ladies had a common acquaintance – Riawna Capri, the woman who cuts and colours their hair. Capri encouraged the duo to meet, and according to Hough, they’ve been “connected at the hip” ever since. It’s definitely not a secret friendship – Dobrev brought Hough to the premiere of her film Let’s Be Cops, they attended the MTV VMAs together in 2014, and they’ve even gone on a girls’ vacation together. Can we be a part of this squad?
9 Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox
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If you think that filming a movie together can bring two actresses closer together, imagine the hours and hours week after week required to film a television show. Okay, now imagine you’re on the same television show for a decade. Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox played on-screen buds Rachel and Monica in the iconic sitcom Friends, and all that time together definitely cemented those bonds. “I can tell you we’re both very fortunate to have each other,” Cox said to Marie Claire during an interview. Though the show wrapped over a decade ago (I know – can you believe it?) the two are still frequently spotted hanging out.
8 Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts
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What do Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts have in common? Well, for one thing, they’re both Australian actresses who transplanted themselves into the Hollywood scene. However, they also just love spending time with one another, and have maintained a friendship for a very long time – a rarity in the entertainment industry! In an interview with the Telegraph, Kidman gushed about her blonde Aussie BFF, saying that “Naomi Watts and I are very, very good friends and have maintained that through so many things. I think that’s really rare, particularly for actresses, and I take a lot of pride in that.” #girlpower.
7 Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss
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For a long time, Taylor Swift was all about her boyfriends, but lately, she’s made it no secret that the only serious commitment she’s making is to her squad. She’s always hanging out with her crew of talented, gorgeous female friends, whether it’s attending a glamorous red carpet event together or merely hanging out at home baking cookies. However, when it comes to her squad, supermodel Karlie Kloss was the original. They go on road trips together, they sent adorable shout outs to one another on social media, and basically just flaunt their beauty and crazy-long legs in every selfie they take together. Squad members might come and go, but Karlie and Tay? That’s a bond for life.
6 Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz
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You might know that Salma Hayek and Penelope Cruz are friends – they’ve frequently been spotted chatting together on red carpets – but did you know they were also frequent bedmates once upon a time? Nowadays, the two gorgeous women are both married, and spend their nights snuggling with their husbands. However, back in the day, according to Cruz, “we slept in the same bed so many times.” Cruz calls Hayek one of her best friends, and even shares a fun fact that they used to tease each other about being lazy by calling one another “huevos” (Spanish for eggs).
5 Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King
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Oprah Winfrey and Gayle King are basically the originally celebrity BFFs. From her earliest days, Oprah would frequently make reference to her bestie Gayle, and later on Gayle even got involved in the Oprah empire as the editor-at-large for O. Let’s just say it – if two women are frequently at the center of lesbian lover rumors, you know that’s a very close friendship. These ladies have been there for one another through thick and thin, and no matter what, you know Oprah will have Gayle by her side.
4 Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke
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Since Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke are best known for their roles as Hannah and Jessa on Dunham’s hit HBO series Girls, you might be inclined to think that they met on set – or in the audition room when Kirke was trying out for the role of Jessa. While they spend a lot of time together on set, they actually first met way back in school – they both attended Brooklyn’s prestigious Saint Ann’s. Kirke did Dunham a favor by acting for free in Dunham’s debut indie hit film Tiny Furniture, and the two reunited for Girls. While Dunham may be spending more time with T-Swift lately, it’s safe to say that any friendship which dates back to grade school is pretty rock solid.
3 Busy Philipps and Michelle Williams
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These two blonde bombshells aren’t recent friends – Michelle Williams and Busy Philipps first met way back in the day when they were on teen drama Dawson’s Creek. Through the years the young starlets became more successful, they became mothers, and through it all, they remained friends. They take vacations together, gossip on red carpets together, and are basically just super adorable. Jen and Audrey might have been too similar to ever truly be friends, but Busy and Michelle? When they’re not busy with their mom duties, it’s probably girls’ night in at least once a month with these two.
2 Jennifer Aniston and Chelsea Handler
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Whenever Jennifer Aniston was a guest on Chelsea Handler’s former late night show, it was almost immediately evident that the two weren’t just being polite and charming for the cameras – they had a natural rapport that only comes from hours of hanging out off-screen. While Handler is an in-your-face comedian who is never hesitant to tell a raunchy story, Aniston is a more subdued actress whose A-List status has led her to keep her personal life as private as possible. However, though they may seem different, the two funny ladies are close friends in real life.
1 Tina Fey and Amy Poehler
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Okay, can we just talk about Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for a second? The two first caught the public’s eye as an engaging, hilarious super-duo at the helm of SNL’s Weekend Update. There, a beautiful friendship was formed, and they frequently collaborate on projects, from films like Baby Mama to joint hosting duties for some of the glitziest events in show business. I mean, in their upcoming film, Sisters, they literally play sisters, proving that they’re close both on and off screen. Fey and Poehler could easily have engaged in catty battles over who would be the reigning comedy goddess, but instead, have done nothing but support each other and make us split our sides laughing in the process. True girl power.
Sources: popsugar.com, marieclaire.com, yourtango.com
