B-day Blow-Out: Our Guide to Celebrating Evan Rachel Wood's Birthday

There's never a bad day to celebrate Evan Rachel Wood, but today happens to be a particularly awesome one! Evan's been the entertainment scene since '94 and she still holds a place as one of our favorite LGBT actresses and people, with several upcoming projects including Westworld (which is why we'll be holding our HBOGo accounts closer to our hearts than ever). In honor of the special day, we've rounded up a list of past, present, and future ERW projects we absolutely adore. Add these to the queue and wish Evan a happy birthday!

Most Anticipated: Into the Forest (2015)

Evan and another one of our all-time favorites, Ellen Page, will be co-starring in this dark drama about sisters fighting for their survival during an impending apocalypse. The filming has already begun, and our interest is already as piqued as possible. Just take a look at how cute these two are together!

Shooting #intotheforest with the incredible @evanrachelwood Photo credit -- @kellybushnovak pic.twitter.com/Q3HNDQcvHF

Musical Madness: Across the Universe (2007)

Never forget that Evan is an incredibly multi-talented actress in this trippy Beatles-inspired musical. She sings all the songs herself, and her raw, intense performance is easily one of the film's highest points. Check out the clip below to see just how adorable she is (before all the dramatics go down) when belting out a Beatles tune. More Evan Rachel Musicals in the future, please!

Bad Girl Bitchery: Pretty Persuasion (2005)

We do love a good bad girl, and Evan Rachel Wood in Pretty Persuasion is as deliciously wicked as they come. Her pointed, sociopathic performance ensured her place as a young actress to watch out for, and made the film a cult classic. Pretty Persuasion also featured a pretty unforgettable sex scene between her and Jane Krakowksi, which we've provided below as a birthday bonus!

Lil' Rachel Wood: Thirteen (2003)

Even though Evan had risen to radar status wit S1m0ne and Once and Again (where she once and again played gay, as she often does) by 2003, it was Thirteen that made her an indie it-girl. Her Golden Globe nominated role as an good girl turned edgy ne'er-do-well was disturbingly realistic and made for one chilling cautionary tale. Even better, Thirteen is directed by Catherine Hardwick and also stars Holly Hunter and Twilight's Nikki Reed, so if you haven't caught it yet, you need to check Thirteen out.

Oscar Status: The Wrestler (2008)

One day Evan Rachel Wood will probably win an Oscar, but so far she's managed to at least co-star in Academy Award worthy films! The Wrestler, a quiet indie about a deteriorating wrestler Randy played by Mickey Rourke, stole hearts and brought tears to our eyes. Evan co-starred as Randy's semi-estranged lesbian daughter who he abandoned when she was a child. It's not a flashy film, but it's the intimate nature of it that makes The Wrestler so special and worth a watch.

The Magic of the Mini-Series: Mildred Pierce (2011) The story of Mildred Pierce has been around for quite a while, but Evan's portrayal of Mildred's vicious, scheming daughter Veda is one to be remembered. In fact, her role in the HBO series was so on point she was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy, so we're not even exaggerating simply because we love her. Even better, with an HBOGo account you can catch Mildred at any time.

Sapphic Vamp Vibes: True Blood (2010)

Evan is no stranger to HBO, and her appearance as the villainous vamp Queen Sophie-Anne was one of the best moments out of True Blood's seven seasons. The show has ended (long after Sophie-Anne took her final, blood-soaked bow), but we still have DVD sets, fan videos, and streaming memories to keep the brutal joy alive. 

Sing Along: "High and Dry" Radiohead Cover (2014)

Evan's film/television resume is insane. There's no way we could list all the smash hit feature films and indie favorites she's starred in (that's what IMDB is for!) and so we'll end on a Youtube favorite - Evan singing Radiohead's "High and Dry" at Linda Perry's 'An Evening With Women' event benefiting the LA Gay and Lesbian Center. We could watch this over and over again, both for Evan's killer vocals and that rocking suit and tie look she's got going on. May we all be so lucky as to get to watch her perform live one day!