Alexandra Daddario's Iconic Moments That Make Us Love Her Even More

Alexandra Daddario has had a varied and exciting career since her TV debut in "All My Children." She initially rose to prominence playing Annabeth Chase in the film adaptation of "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," but it was her buzzy role in "True Detective" that really put her on the map. She started popping up everywhere following her turn in the hit HBO show, though not all of her projects have been received well by critics and audiences. 

Over the course of her career, Daddario has acted in a wide range of projects, from franchise horror films to prestige TV dramas and even a fair share of raunchy comedy films. Along the way, there have been many memorable moments, both on-screen and off. What all of these roles, appearances, and stories have in common is that they've completely endeared audiences to Daddario as a person, not just as an actor. 

While there are plenty of little known facts about Alexandra Daddario, these career highlights are among her most notable and recognizable. Whether it's a specific scene from her most memorable work or a peek at how she conducts herself between takes, it's hard to walk away from any of these moments without a growing affection for the talented star. These are Daddario's most iconic moments that make us love her even more.

While Alexandra Daddario made her debut on "All My Children" aged 16, it wasn't until she was in her 20s that she landed the breakthrough role of Annabeth Chase in "Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief," the 2010 adaptation of Rick Riordan's hit fantasy novel. It was her first big project and there was a lot to adjust to given how quickly she went from audition to production — within two weeks of sending her tape in, she was moving to Vancouver for the shoot. Despite having little time to prepare for it, Daddario's introduction as Annabeth during a game of Capture the Flag at Camp Half-Blood is the first iconic moment of her career.

Daddario's performance as Annabeth (the demigod daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom and war) immediately conveys the character's cunning and brute strength. She shows little mercy to Percy, quickly besting him in sword combat. It's a great intro for Annabeth, and it marked Daddario as a memorable performer capable of intense action sequences. Speaking to Cosmopolitan, she said that the combat training she learned for this scene became very useful later in her career: "It empowered me and made me feel stronger, and it changed my life." Although we never got a third "Percy Jackson" movie, it's nice to know Daddario still cherishes her time playing Annabeth.

Alexandra Daddario has made many memorable appearances in hit comedy shows, from her brief stint in "New Girl" to a cameo in the pilot of "The Last Man on Earth." However, the most iconic of the bunch has to be her guest role on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." In the episode "Charlie and Dee Find Love," Charlie and Dee end up going on a double date with members of Philly's wealthiest family. Daddario's Ruby Taft falls hard for Charlie, but things don't end well for her, despite how accepting she seems to be of Charlie's quirks and flaws.

In the end, it's revealed that Charlie was simply using Ruby as a way to make the waitress, his true love, jealous (which works like a charm). Charlie ends up chewing Ruby out for being so naïve, resulting in her running off crying. Daddario's experience on "Always Sunny" was just as memorable for her as it was for viewers, because she was a massive fan of the show even before she was cast. Considering Ruby is one of the more likable characters in "Always Sunny" (given that they usually range from horrible to truly horrible), it's not hard to see why audiences were charmed by her performance. 

While her previous roles established her as a working actor in mainstream film and TV, Alexandra Daddario was never the same after "True Detective." She appeared in the critically-acclaimed first season of the HBO series as Lisa Tragnetti, the mistress of Woody Harrelson's Marty Hart. While Lisa plays a much bigger part in the unraveling of Marty's personal life amid a troubling homicide investigation, she received a lot of attention, for better or worse, for one particular scene.

In the scene, Marty makes a late-night visit to Lisa's apartment, where it's first revealed that he's cheating on his wife with her. Daddario went nude for the scene, which she viewed as a challenge but one she was willing to take on for the opportunity to work on the series. "I really wanted to be part of the show, and I understood why the nudity and all of that was required of the character," she told MTV. "The character is really different from anything that I've done before."

"True Detective" ended up being a huge boost for Daddario's career: She would later reveal that there was an influx of offers after that episode aired. Speaking to Men's Journal about her now iconic scene, she said: "I was naked on the show, and it was huge for my career and the phone was ringing and I got some work off of it. I think that I hadn't been that aware of my sex appeal prior to that."

There have been plenty of pause-worthy kisses in TV history, but if you're a fan of "American Horror Story," then you probably have a soft spot for the first time Alexandra Daddario and Lady Gaga lock lips in "Hotel" — Daddario certainly does. In 2015, she played a recurring role in the fifth season of the hit horror anthology, appearing as real-life Hollywood costume designer Natacha Rambova. Lady Gaga plays the Countess Elizabeth, who becomes romantically entangled in the marriage between Natacha and her husband, real-life actor Rudolph Valentino, played by Finn Wittrock. 

Natacha and Elizabeth kiss several times during their relationship, which comes to a violent end: In one iconic scene from the season's 10th episode, "She Gets Revenge," Elizabeth and Natacha become involved in a confrontation that ends with Elizabeth coldly shooting Natacha in the head. "Hotel" is far from the scariest season of "American Horror Story," but this moment stands out as being particularly shocking. The experience was a memorable one for Daddario, who told Cosmopolitan: "How lucky am I that I got to work with Lady Gaga? What an amazing woman. She may have been my best onscreen kiss."

In 2017, Alexandra Daddario played her biggest role up to that point in "Baywatch," a film reboot of the iconic TV series. She starred as Summer Quinn alongside Zac Efron and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, her former "San Andreas" co-star. Being a "Baywatch" movie, Daddario knew she would be spending a lot of time in a swimsuit, so she trained hard for the role, doing full body workouts, hot yoga, and cardio, among other exercises. Scantily clad men and women is par for the course when it comes to "Baywatch," and what's clear from the film's blooper reel is that Daddario had quite a sense of humor about the whole thing.

In one scene, Efron's Matt gets distracted by Summer's chest during a conversation, which she hilariously calls out and ribs him on. During the blooper version of this scene, Daddario jumps up and down, which causes Efron and her to break. The whole reel is hilarious, but seeing her let loose and mess around with her colleagues is what really makes it for fans of the actor. Although "Baywatch" belly-flopped at the box office, the role of Summer was one of Daddario's first opportunities to prove she could be a leading lady in a comedy movie, and it wouldn't be her last.

If "Baywatch" was a trial run for Alexandra Daddario's potential as a comedy leading lady, 2017's "The Layover" was like the Olympics. The film, directed by William H. Macy, stars her and Kate Upton as roommates who begin competing over a hot firefighter during an extended layover. Sadly, the film did not impress critics — it belongs to the dreaded 0% club on Rotten Tomatoes. In their review, Vijay Varman from Circle of Cinema said: "The last time Hollywood released a film with female portrayals this bad was in the Kate Hudson/Anne Hathaway-starring 'Bride Wars.'"

Needless to say, the film itself is not one of the high points of Daddario's career, but if "The Layover" has one redeeming quality, it's Daddario's committed comedic performance. She shines as her antics bring about moments of physical comedy that make you wonder why she hasn't done more of it. Her unhinged energy after an unfortunate incident in a filthy restroom (which leads to her cleaning herself down with a garden hose) is undeniably hilarious. While the film was a huge flop, this scene remains iconic for fans of Daddario.

What few people seem to know is that Alexandra Daddario has a tragic true life story, but she doesn't let that define her. She loves making people laugh, and she's certainly not above poking fun at herself. In an iconic sketch she did for "After Hours with Josh Horowitz," she arrives at Horowitz' apartment for a date after they connect on an app. She plays a bizarre version of herself who believes in some far-out conspiracy theories, including this gem: "Matthew McConaughey is actually a robot made of whiskey and plexiglass."

The sketch is called "Ever Wanted to Date Alexandra Daddario? This Might Change Your Mind!" Daddario is hilarious in it, but perhaps the funniest thing about the sketch is that it did little to put people off her. When the bit appeared on Comedy Central's YouTube channel, the comments section filled up with fans declaring that it would take way more than that to make her seem unappealing. "If she says earth is flat, then flat it is," said @clarkmiddleton9758, while @MrVincentCrow added, "Finding someone you can be weird with is what dating is all about."

"Can You Keep a Secret?" was a significant step for Alexandra Daddario for a number of reasons. Firstly, the film was her first credit as an executive producer. "I think that's also a testament to how Hollywood is changing and allowing women to have more power over what they're doing," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "And it's also a testament to how long I've been doing this, and it's exciting to have reached that point." The movie also marked her first rom-com leading role.

Daddario plays a woman called Emma, who meets a stranger (Tyler Hoechlin) on an airplane and subsequently begins a relationship with him, only for them to grow distrustful over each other's secrets. The two hit it off during some turbulence, with Emma drunkenly confessing all of her personal issues and regrets. She comes out with things like "I've never gotten a tattoo," "I don't even know if I have a G-spot," and "I wish that I knew what it was like to have a penis." Daddario later confirmed to Cosmopolitan that the film involved a lot of improv, particularly in that scene, with many of her rambling confessions being ad-libs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexandra Daddario was one of many actors who made YouTube vlogs to pass the time in quarantine. She began filming audience Q&As, trying on clothing, and sharing other daily activities, which ended up being a charming window into her closest friendships and real-life personality. In one of the funnier videos from the channel, Daddario and her roommate (fellow actor Kate Easton) react to scary movies to commemorate Halloween, which quickly turns into Daddario just torturing her friend with the most terrifying scenes from horror films.

It doesn't take long for the watchlist to spiral out of control, with Daddario picking out clips from "The Room" among other spooky films, and even some notorious viral videos. In an era of entertainment where a lot of celebrities try and fail to capture audiences with relatability, Daddario's charisma in these vlogs seems so effortless. She vlogged throughout the pandemic and has kept it up since, with her most recent vlog at the time of this writing being uploaded in February 2024. It's just another way she gives back to the fans who've stayed invested in her career all this time.

Another iconic Alexandra Daddario moment happened when she returned to HBO for the anthology series "The White Lotus." The show, which centers on the staff and guests of a fictional hotel resort, finds Daddario playing Rachel, one half of a married couple. She begins to discover cracks in her relationship, culminating in a scene where Rachel confronts her spouse Shane (Jake Lacy). Her "plus one" monologue in "The White Lotus" is nothing short of an exquisite performance (a broken-hearted Rachel admits she got carried away in her relationship and has lost track of who she is), and it no doubt contributed to her getting an Emmy nomination.

In the end, Rachel decides to stay with Shane, though she's clearly not entirely happy about it. After a brief separation, they encounter one another at the airport, and one of her final lines is "I promise I'll be happy." Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter about this line, Daddario said: "I've actually said that or some version of that to a boyfriend before. [Rachel's] now married. She has money. She's in this resort and Shane's like, 'What's the problem here? You're causing all this.' Just by being vulnerable and trying to express how she's feeling, she feels like she's in trouble." This was undoubtedly one of the best performances of Daddario's career to date, and Lacy was also great as her spoiled, rich husband, with the pair earning high praise from TV Line among other outlets.

Recasting roles can be tricky for studios, though in an era of reboots, reimaginings, and remakes, it happens pretty often. When Disney+ launched its "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series, fans of the original books and the film adaptations waited eagerly to see who would be taking on the role of not just Percy, but Annabath, too. The thing is, Percy and Annabeth are meant to be 12 years old when we're first introduced to them in the novels, so the stars of the films were a lot older than they ought to have been. The casting for the Disney+ series is far more age appropriate, with a young, talented actor named Leah Jeffries taking the role of Annabeth.

Sadly, Jeffries was subjected to online abuse following her casting, with some people unhappy that she doesn't fit the description of Annabeth in Rick Riordan's books. Riordan penned a scathing response to the casting backlash, and Alexandra Daddario was publicly supportive of Jeffries, tweeting: "Leah Jeffries is going to be an incredible Annabeth!!!" In another classy move, Daddario offered her support to Jeffries while promoting her show "Mayfair Witches." She told ComicBook.com: "It was a wonderful part to play and I'm so excited for her that she gets to play it. The 'Percy Jackson' books are so beloved. I was just a small part of it."

In AMC's "Mayfair Witches," an adaptation of Anne Rice's trilogy of novels, Alexandra Daddario stars as Rowan Fielding, a neurosurgeon who discovers that she's part of a dynasty of witches with latent powers. This becomes apparent from the show's earliest moments: One scene from the first episode, "The Witching Hour," puts Daddario's acting chops on full display as Rowan has a badass moment of empowerment.

In the scene, Rowan tries to get her mother into a cancer treatment program, only to be told by her boss that there's only room in the program for 30 patients. After forcing Rowan to choose a person to kick out in place of her mother, Rowan angrily tells him off for being a manipulative person. She unintentionally harnesses her powers to give him a brain hemorrhage, killing him on the spot. It's an engrossing scene that sets the tone for the series.

"You are dealing with a character that is already navigating real-life problems and extreme grief, and you don't know what to expect from her," Daddario said of Rowan, who has the potential to be a career-defining character for the actor, during a Variety interview. "Then she's given all this power and control. It was really fascinating to dive into, because this is someone who is figuring out who she is, probably for the first time, and that can be a very volatile place for a person."