Idina Menzel has had a lot of success on Broadway. She first burst onto the scene playing Maureen in Rent and earning her first Tony nomination. She’s also known for playing Elphaba in the hit Broadway musical, Wicked, which earned her another Tony nomination.
In addition to performing on stage, Idina Menzel has found a lot of recent success on film and in television. Idina is a triple threat and it looks like her career is just getting started. In the last decade, she has brought a lot of memorable performances to both the big and the small screens.
Ask The Dust (2006) - 35%
Ask the Dust, based on the novel by the same name by John Fante, is a romance drama, set during the Great Depression and around the time of the Long Beach earthquake in 1933.
Idina Menzel plays Vera Rivkin, a desperate love interest of our lead character, Arturo, played by Colin Farrell. Arturo is in love with someone else, a woman named Camilla, played by Selma Hayek and eventually leaves Vera heartbroken so he can rekindle his love for Camilla.
Rent (2005) - 46%
Originally a hit Broadway musical, Rent was adapted for the screen in 2005 and brought together most of the original Broadway cast to reprise their roles, including Idina Menzel, who plays Maureen, an artist in New York City, currently in love with a woman named Joanne, played by Traci Thoms, and the ex-girlfriend to Mark, played by Anthony Rapp.
Idina’s powerful voice sings two of the most popular songs in the film: “Take Me or Leave Me” and “Over the Moon.” Including Idina, Rent starred a total of six of the musical's original Broadway cast, making it a nostalgic treat for Broadway fans.
Beaches (2017) - 50%
This remake over the 1988 classic starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey was somewhat of a flop. Playing the role of CC Bloom, originated by Better Midler, would be an overwhelming task for any artist and Idina Menzel definitely gives it her best.
However, when compared to the classic, this film just doesn’t hold up very well. This is partly due to the fact that this production was seemingly rushed. Idina does do a beautiful rendition of the song “Wind Beneath My Wings” for this film, which was an iconic element to the original film.
Private Practice (2007-2013) - 51%
Private Practice was an incredibly successful spin-off to the other hit medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, lasting for six seasons and starring an incredible cast, which included Idina Menzel’s husband at the time, Taye Diggs.
Idina appears in two episodes in season two of the series as a mother whose child needs treatment at the practice. When she brings her child in, she meets and falls for one of the doctors, our series lead, Tim Daly, who plays Dr. Pete Wilder.
Glee (2009-2015) - 71%
Idina Menzel guest starred in twelve episodes of Fox’s smash hit Glee as Shelby Corcoran. In the series, we first meet Shelby as the vocal coach for Vocal Adrenaline, our Glee club, New Directions’ strongest rival.
Shelby later becomes a more important part of the story when she adopts Puck and Quinn’s baby, Beth and we also learn that Shelby is the biological mother to Rachel Berry, played by fellow Broadway star, Lea Michele and who the series mainly revolves around.
Frozen II (2019) - 77%
The follow up to one of Disney’s highest-grossing animated features of all time, Frozen II performed equally as well at the box office. As of March 2020, this film has grossed over $1.4 billion dollars worldwide.
Idina Menzel reprises her role as our favorite ice queen, Elsa, and sings another beautiful, powerhouse song titled “Into the Unknown." Her new power anthem garnered almost as much success on mainstream radio and music charts as the first films breakout single, “Let It Go."
Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) - 83%
This indie film written by, co-produced, and starring Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, explores sexuality and gender fluidity. It was released in September of 2001 and praised by critics. Conversely, it was also criticized by some of the LGBT community at the time for not going too in-depth on the difficulties of being openly gay in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.
Kissing Jessica Stein is Idina Menzel’s feature film debut and very first credit. It’s a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment, as Idina plays a bridesmaid.
Frozen (2013) - 90%
Frozen quickly became on of Disney’s most popular and highest-grossing independent films of all time. In the film, Idina Menzel voices the lead character Elsa who, at an early age, learns she has magical powers that can turn things to ice and create snow.
These powers can be fun, but also dangerous and Else spends most of her childhood learning to control them. When tragedy strikes her family, Else becomes Queen of Arendelle and on coronation day, trouble begins after Elsa’s powers are revealed.
Uncut Gems (2019) - 92%
Uncut Gems was a fan favorite and assumed award season contender when it was released at the end of 2019. But as critically acclaimed as it was, Uncut Gems was all but shut out of the awards seasons.
Fans were vocally upset when the film received very little to no attention from any of the major awards and lead actor Adam Sandler was clearly snubbed by both the Academy and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Supporters even rallied behind Idina Menzel, who gave a stellar performance playing Howard’s (Adam Sandler) wife, Dinah.
Enchanted (2007) - 93%
Enchanted was one of Disney’s first attempts at live-action fairy tales, starring Amy Adams, as our princess Giselle and Patrick Dempsey as average single father Robert, whose world is flipped upside down after a chance meeting with the princess.
Idina plays Robert’s girlfriend, Nancy. The two seem to have a solid relationship, but it lacks the fairy tale love story that everybody secretly wants. Robert and Nancy eventually realize this and part ways to fall for their one true loves. Luckily, Nancy finds love when she winds up in the animated world, essentially living out a childhood dream of starring in her own fairy tale.