Rooney Mara versus Kate Mara: who looked cuter at Kate’s premiere?

Does anyone else feel kind of bad for Kate Mara? She’s Rooney Mara’s older sister (older by two years) and it wasn’t that long ago that Kate Mara was the sister posed for a big Hollywood breakout. Kate was the one working consistently in films and television, and she had more name recognition. Then Rooney scored a small part in The Social Network, which led to the role of a lifetime as Lisbeth Salander in the American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which led to magazine covers and fame and money and an Oscar nomination and now people are like “Kate who?”

So these are new photos of the premiere of House of Cards, which is a new TV show starring Kevin Spacey, and Kate has a supporting part. Rooney came out to support her sister, which… is nice, I guess? Kate came to the Oscars last year to support Rooney, and I guess they have a history of showing up for each other’s red carpets and stuff. But it still feels somewhat passive-aggressive on Rooney’s part. Like, “Oh, congrats on your little TV show, I’m about to film a sequel to my Oscar-nominated lead role, haha.” These two just seem more like Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine as opposed to… like, the Olsen sisters.

As for fashion, Rooney is wearing a really terrible Band of Outsiders jumpsuit. Are those Hammer pants? Her outfit looks like something Justin Bieber would wear. Maybe that’s Rooney’s gift to her sister – Rooney will passive-aggressively walk Rooney’s red carpet, but Rooney will make sure that she wears something awful. Kate’s dress is Dolce & Gabbana – it’s sparkly and meh. It would have been a much better look without the white lace hem details.

PS… Is it just me or do both Mara girls have terrible posture? It’s beyond the “hipster slump”.

Photos courtesy of Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com.

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80 Responses to “Rooney Mara versus Kate Mara: who looked cuter at Kate’s premiere?”

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    • Hubbahun says:

      +1 – much preferable and has a better attitude – she rocked season 1 of AHS.

      • MollyB says:

        That’s so funny because I was just about to say “Team Rooney” because I couldn’t stand Kate on AHS. Maybe it was just me projecting my annoyance at almost all the Harmons by that point.

      • Laurie M. says:

        And Kate rocked her role on Nip/Tuck. I think Kate will have a huge breakout role soon and will get the major accolades she deserves.

    • V4Real says:

      Wait isn’t Kate the girl from American Horror Story and The US Marshell in Iron Man II? Oh definetely Kate; I love her.

    • Kilo says:

      Rooney Mara looks like Jared Leto in his role in the Dallas Buyers Club.

    • dtown says:

      did anyone else notice rooneys stylist obviously changed her necklace mid red carpet??

  1. normades says:

    I know I’ll be the outsider here, but Rooney’s look is much more fashion forward.

    As for their careers, anything can happen. Kate could score a big role and become just as big.

    • Lisa says:

      I agree.I usually hate jumpsuits, but she pulls this off. I don’t like Kate’s dress at all, I especially dislike the white lace trim.

      • Jackson says:

        Yeah, it pains me to say this but Rooney looks better. I still think she’s a little snot, however.

    • CC says:

      Sibling rivalry is ok, a long way goes between that and Olivia-Joan situation. My sister is far better off than myself, and yea, it stings a bit, but I know she’ll help me if she can. Granted, these 2 are in the same business and my and sis aren’t, but if anything, her presence there to support her sister elevates the profile of the premiere, given the circumstances.

      And Rooney’s subdued outfit, kinda makes the point who’s the plus one there, which is a nice gesture IMO.

  2. Shady says:

    They both look nice but I’ll go with Kate on this one.

  3. TheOriginalKitten says:

    It pains me to admit that Rooney Mara is one of the few women that can pull off a jumpsuit.

    That being said, can I give them a tie for being equally annoying?
    I have irrational hatred for both.

    • marie says:

      ha ha ha, I’m pretty indifferent with them, but I like Kate just a tad bit more (simply because of AHS)

      • iheartjacksparrow says:

        Agree! Anyone who lives in the Murder House gets my vote! Also, in the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, Rooney gave me the impression that she thought she was better than everyone else.

  4. Maya says:

    I really don’t get why so many people here have been so anti-Rooney. Personally, I really like her.

    • stellalovejoydiver says:

      I think it has to do with her giving ungrateful interviews during which she was bashing her early career gigs, like Law& Order: SVU. In my eyes JLaw has said a lot more problematic stuff, but she gets away with it because she is trying really hard to seem relatable and “real”, like someone you love to hang out with, whereas Rooney doesn´t give a fuck about that.
      I still like Rooney a lot, I love her look, very HF and I want to see that Terrence Malick movie with her and Ryan Gosling and Fassbender.

      • flor says:

        Oh. My. God. THIS!!! I like both of those ladies a lot but it is a bit annoying because both of them are superb young actresses but because JLaw plans to rule the world with her acclaimed roles, she is selling this image that gets over the top annoying at times.

      • Mazunte says:

        Oh! I can’t wait for that Terrence Malick movie…. that’s going to be a very lustful movie!!!!

    • minime says:

      hm…to me it also has to do with the fact that her success came from copying someone’s else acting, and rather badly. The hate is not only on her but on everyone who decided that it was necessary to remake a movie that was already done only 2 years before just to put a Hollywood stamp on it(The girl with the dragon tattoo). Noomi Rapace was so great in that role!!

      And her interviews where she comes as an obnexious hipster wannabe don’t help either.

    • Merritt says:

      @ Maya
      Rooney’s privilege came across loud and clear in several interviews she gave. She panned several of her earlier roles.

      She came across as ungrateful because she didn’t seem to get that the roles that she was horrified to have done, an actor who really needed to make it, would have been thankful for.

    • Maya says:

      Lots of good points here – I had totally forgotten about how she badmouthed her early roles. As you guys pointed out, that does suggest a certain sense of entitlement, although I think it also had to do with her being unused to giving interviews and not really realizing that too much honesty is not a good thing.

      Also, I have to disagree with minime’s comment that she simply copied Noomi Rapace in her Dragon Tattoo role. I think they gave very different performances that were both impressive in their own way. And I know I’m in the minority on this but I actually liked the Fincher version a lot more than the Swedish film – I felt like it was more faithful to the book.

      Anyway, something about her recent Vogue profile made me like her a lot, especially learning about the charity she started when she was in college.

  5. Ms Kay says:

    Ah? Well I like Rooney outfit, because that is basically how I dress up and same hairdo at times so I go for the familiar…

  6. Harper says:

    Well, they look like a real barrel of laughs.

  7. Jenna says:

    Eh. I think Kate is cuter in general, so…yay Kate?

  8. lexy says:

    I really liked kate in nip tuck and this rooney seems like a whiney turd. Plus, she must be bitter about the shitty name yea?

    • stellalovejoydiver says:

      Her first name is Patricia, Rooney is her middle name, she said she always felt more like a Rooney than a Patricia.
      Personally I like her name.

    • Soapboxpudding says:

      Rooney is her middle name. Her first is Patricia. Her mom is daughter to the Pittsburgh Rooney family who own the Steelers football team.
      Both would be much prettier if they smiled.

    • Tessa says:

      I’m from Pittsburgh, so I love her name. She’s like a little football dynasty all wrapped up into a tiny quirky weird little actress.

  9. Malaney says:

    I can’t stand Rooney but she definitely beats her sister in the looks department. compared to rooney, kate ist very plain looking.

  10. GoodCapon says:

    Meh, they both look really bland here.

    Also Kate Mara was never really on my radar, even before Rooney burst into the scene. I just don’t watch any of her TV shows *shrug*

  11. stellalovejoydiver says:

    Just found out Rooney was originally cast in Bigelows Zero Dark Thirty, but dropped out 2 weeks before the filming started and got replaced by Jessica Chastain.

    • Tessa says:

      Good move. Rooney is too young imo to pull that role off.

      • stellalovejoydiver says:

        Exactly, she is too young but why cast her in the first place, she dropped out by herself, if she didn´t she would have played the role, can you imagine the mess of an awards season had it been Rooney against JLaw?

      • EmmaStoneWannabe says:

        ITA

  12. Amy says:

    House of Cards is also produced and directed by David Fincher.

    • EmmaStoneWannabe says:

      Exactly! I didnt know if anyone else realized this!! He directed ‘The Social Network’ and GWTDT and now this show…Meaning, he worked with Rooney twice before picking up her sister for this show. Talk about adding fuel to the fire of the competing careers/sibling rivalry theory.

      • stellalovejoydiver says:

        It is creepy, considering there were rumors abut him and Rooney hooking up and they have this weird mentor-protegée relationship, in which he is super controlling and even tells her what to eat and now he got her sister a job. Or Kate used Rooney´s connections to get her job, or Rooney did this for her, but if it isn´t the latter this is just a creepy situation.

      • EmmaStoneWannabe says:

        Stella – I like your observations. Now that you say that, I do remember reading some shadiness about Rooney and Fincher having a very sketch relationship…their red carpet body language during the GWTDT circuit really said it all…this has “Strange” written all over it.
        http://www.celebitchy.com/201521/rooney_mara_in_red_lace_valentino_in_rome_very_pretty_or_too_frilly/

  13. amanda says:

    They both look like they raided their grans closet. Yuck.

  14. Jm says:

    Could it possibly be that Rooney chose a pantsuit so as not to upstage her sister????????

    Calling her clothing choice passive-agressive is a little much!

    • Claudia says:

      Yeah, I think Rooney’s dressed nicely but subdued so as not to take the attention from the actual cast. There is no passive-aggressiveness or malice. I think they are just trying to genuinely support each other. Anything else and you’re truly reaching.

      • Amelia says:

        +1 to both of the above.

      • insomniac says:

        Agreed. Rooney really can’t win here — if she didn’t show up, it would be proof she thought she was too good to support her sister’s TV show, but she did show up to support Kate and thus it must be “passive-aggressive”. Oh well. Can’t win ’em all.

  15. mia girl says:

    I really liked Kate Mara in Brokeback Mountain and in the indie film HappyThankYouMorePlease. I find her to be much prettier and watchable than her sister…and just as good an actress. For me, Rooney is blah.

    • minime says:

      ah!! Now I recognize her…she was really nice in that role and it was a beautiful movie (HappyThankYouMorePlease).

  16. Amanda says:

    Don’t like Complainey Mara as much as Kate, but in this case she doesn’t look so bad. It’s probably because she’s not trying so hard to be “goth” and “cool” to make people think she’s really like Lisbeth Salander.

  17. Bodhi says:

    Kate, for sure.

  18. MG says:

    Kate has a prettier face.

  19. MrsBPitt says:

    I will always be grateful to my mother for always telling me to stand up straight, until it became second nature…Thanks Mom!!!

  20. The Original Mia says:

    Don’t see any passive aggressiveness. I see sisters supporting each other. Like they always have.

    I prefer Kate’s look, but Mara looks nice too.

  21. sarah says:

    I adore Kate. I’ve never watched Rooney in anything. But Kate is just awesome, she’s so cute. So another one for Team Kate!

  22. Abby says:

    I think Kate is beautiful! wasn’t she in Shooter?

  23. janet says:

    Kate is far better looking…Rooney is the daugther of Spock.

  24. Kate is cute but Rooney is beautiful and a MUCH better actress.

  25. Madpoe says:

    Both their faces are too sharp for my computer screen. sorry

  26. Grace says:

    Ugh. Why is Rooney doing the balled fist Kristen Stewart thing with her hands? Is that what “edgy” girls do now in Hollywood?

  27. Isa says:

    I can’t believe people think Kate is a good actress. I saw her in Shooter and she was so awkward!
    We watched 10 years recently and she was in it. As soon as she came on screen I asked me husband “wtf is up with her lips?!?” After a while it became apparent they were chapped from all the licking, biting, and pulling her top lip under her teeth. Every scene! It was so annoying.

  28. Roo says:

    Now that she’s grown out those fug bangs, I actually think Rooney is more interesting looking then her sister. I liked Kate in AHS, though.

  29. Eleonor says:

    I’ve forgotten she exists.

  30. Miss M says:

    Completely off-topic: Marion Cottilard is here and I cannot go to see her, 🙁

    http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/01/marion-cotillard-is-woman-of-the-year/?fb_ref=sidebar

  31. Mazunte says:

    I really like Rooney Mara. She is the only actress in their 20s who I truly like. An unusual-looking, pretty and talented actress with an unique style, who doesn’t fake smiles on the red carpet nor tries to please everybody like JLawrence. I think she pulls off that jumpsuit. She obviously wanted to wear something more discreet than her sister, because it was Kate’s night.

  32. Chelsea's handler says:

    In those photos Kate by a mile. But in other photos I’ve seen Rooney looks waay better.

  33. Sachi says:

    Kate has a very elegant, refined face. Classic features. She’s one of those people who rarely take bad photos, smiling or not.

    I don’t like her dress, though.

    Rooney’s face is more ‘haunting’ for me. I saw the cover for Vogue with her on it as well as her photo shoot, and I thought she looked very beautiful. She’s not conventionally pretty but she has something that catches your eye and keeps your attention.

    She looks chic and fashionable even with a simple jumpsuit.

  34. Meg says:

    kate has color to her face, skin, clothing. mara looks so extreme-she’s not ugly but man her styling really ramps up her weird features.
    she was so pretty in the social network, can’t believe this is the same girl

  35. Nikki says:

    I love Rooney Mara and just watched TGWTDT two nights ago, for the second time. I was/am entranced by her performance and her interpretation of the role. She is edgy, she is chic. I love her and her like her outfit. Sister, not so much.

  36. BuBu says:

    Team Kate

  37. Joanna says:

    Kate always looks cuter than Rooney

  38. Delilah says:

    Kate’s prettier. Loved her in Transiberian. I want her on the screen more, but maybe she’s lacking the je ne sais quoi that’s landing her sis the big roles. Kate’s niche is Indie while her sis’ is obviously commercial. Well done both!