Christina Applegate has, for some time, been known mainly for her role as Kelly Bundy on the '80s and '90s sitcom Married…With Children. But she managed to make a name for herself as a talented actor who could tackle more serious roles, not to mention a great dancer, singer, and overall performer.
Most recently, she stars in the Netflix series Dead To Me, which released its second season in 2020 and has been renewed for a third. The role of Jen Harding has become really popular as well. The total opposite of Bundy, Harding is a sarcastic, uptight single mom mourning the death of her husband after a hit and run accident.
So which character is her best? When it comes to these two memorable characters, it could go either way.
10 Far More Range As A Character: Jen Harding
Harding is much older and has been through more in life than Bundy, who was portrayed as a dimwitted teenager who was interested in nothing other than looking good and hanging with boys.
Harding, on the other hand, has far more range and has allowed Applegate to put her acting talent on full display in tons of emotional and heart-wrenching scenes.
9 Much More Fun: Kelly Bundy
Bundy, however, is more fun. Sometimes seeing Harding on the show makes viewers want to shake her shoulders and tell her to loosen up, already, or try smiling for once. Bundy, on the other hand, was all about having fun.
While Bundy was sarcastic as well, often hurling the insults towards her younger brother Bud, she wasn't as hardened as Harding.
8 Lets Her Display More Emotion: Jen Harding
As noted, Harding allowed Applegate to display much more range as a character. At first, it was being able to show a woman who had just lost her husband and had decided to invest all her time in trying to figure out who caused his accidental death then dealing with his absence.
But later, Harding turned into a terrifying woman who was capable of doing really bad things. Bundy, on the other hand, didn't have much emotion as a character. It was either happy or annoyed.
7 Quicker Wit: Kelly Bundy
While both characters are witty and clever with their comebacks, Bundy surprisingly had a much quicker wit. No matter what her brother Bud said or did, she could find a unique way to insult him. What's more, Applegate has said that she played Bundy to be much smarter than she came across as being, giving her more layers beneath the surface than the script perhaps allowed her to demonstrate.
Harding is more just perpetually angry, judgemental, and critical. The sarcasm is more a part of her personality versus the result of circumstance, as is the case with Bundy.
6 A Stronger Character Overall: Jen Harding
When it comes to displaying a strong woman, Harding is better in that respect. She holds down a successful job, is raising two sons on her own, and has managed to keep things together as best she can despite losing her husband. Sure, she loses it every now and then and drinks a lot of wine. But who can blame her given her situation?
Bundy didn't have as much hardship in life, aside from growing up in a lower-middle-class life. And she was often depicted as being dumb, even though, as noted, Applegate felt that she was secretly a genius who simply used her good looks and sexuality to her advantage. Nonetheless, without as much life experience to draw from, and writing that was comedy versus drama, Harding is the stronger character.
5 The Outfits: Kelly Bundy
Bundy wore a lot of fashion and styles that were incredibly trendy (as of the time period the series was on the air). But she also rocked some seriously sexy clothing, including crop tops, tight red dresses, and leather. And the bleach blonde teased hair with lots of hairspray was totally memorable.
Harding is pretty fashionable, too, but she dresses like a mom in her 40s, whereas Bundy's outfits always stood out.
4 Amazing Chemistry With Linda Cardellini: Jen Harding
Harding stars in Dead To Me alongside Linda Cardellini, another actor who has been on the scene for just as long. And the pair have amazing chemistry, which helps make the show as good as it is.
Applegate had great chemistry with her co-stars on Married…With Children as well. But with a larger cast, and less focus on Kelly and more on Al and Peggy, Harding lets Applegate shine.
3 Working With Iconic Actors: Kelly Bundy
As noted, Married…With Children featured a larger main cast. And it included some amazing actors like Ed O'Neil and Katey Sagal. Interestingly, Sagal appears in the latest episode of Dead To Me as the mother of Cardellini's character.
There are some great actors on Dead To Me as well, like Cardellini as well as James Marsden. But there's a lot of star power on Married….With Children.
2 Professional Success: Jen Harding
Harding represents a much stronger female character than Bundy, who was more a stereotypical "dumb blonde." Harding worked hard in her life, she is intelligent, successful, and built a good family life until it was taken from her.
Bundy was much younger, of course, so she didn’t have the chance to prove herself as an adult. Nonetheless, if the way she acted as a teenager was any indication, she would not have turned out to be very successful professionally.
1 It Never Led To Her Being Typecast: Kelly Bundy
The role of Bundy was a great one for Applegate, and sometimes, actors get typecast because of their first successful roles. Luckily, however, that didn't happen. Applegate continued to get great acting roles in movies, TV series, and even Broadway.
And while Bundy remains one of her most recognizable roles to date, it doesn’t define her. It was simply the role that kicked off her career.
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