A saavy actress with a sharp sense of role selection, Clarkson spent much of 2002 working with numerous darlings of the independent film world. In "Welcome to Collinwood," Anthony and Joe Russo placed Clakson in a Sundance all-star lineup that included William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell and Luis Guzman for their light-hearted heist comedy and in Rose Troche's follow up to "Go Fish" (1994) and "Bedrooms and Hallways" (1999) she played Annette Jennings, a financially struggling suburban mom of two in the film adaptation of A.M. Holmes' darkly satiric collection of short stories, "The Safety of Objects." She reteamed with "Safe" (1999) director Todd Haynes and actress Julianne Moore in "Far From Heaven" as Eleanor Fine, the closest friend of a woman (Moore) in 1957 Connecticut whose idyllic life is shattered when she learns that her husband is having a homosexual affair. ).

At the 2002 Emmy Awards, Clarkson won for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of the free-spirited Sarah in the HBO hit series "Six Feet Under." The award was the first for Clarkson, whose string of memorable television appearances include: a stint on the first season of the Randy Quaid/Jonathan Winters' sitcom "Davis Rules" (ABC, 1991); as defense lawyer Ted Hoffman's patient wife in the captivating drama series "Murder One" (ABC, 1995-96); as well as recurring appearances on "Frasier" and "Law & Order."

Clarkson earned rave reviews with two keen performances in late 2003: first as Olivia Harris, a lonely soul mourning for the death of her child who forms a unique bond with the dwarf Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) in "The Station Agent"; and next as Joy, the hyper-critical, terminally ill mother who will do anything to avoid Thanksgiving dinner at the apartment of her disappointing eldest daughter April (Katie Holmes) in the digitally filmed "Pieces of April." She collected critical plaudits for both films and earned her first Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for "Pieces of April." Just prior to the Oscar ceremony, Clarkson was in theaters again playing the patient, sometimes-suffering wife of real life hockey coach Herb Brooks in the Cinderella sports film "Miracle" (2004), the story of the gold-medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team--the actress was again spot-on, though in a slightly underutilized capacity. She next appeared alongside Nicole Kidman and Stellan Skarsgard in Lars Von Trier's 1930s moody period thriller, "Dogville" (2003). Clarkson had a nicely etched supporting turn in George Clooney's second directorial effort "Good Night and Good Luck" (2005), evidencing warm chemistry with Robert Downey, Jr., as a pair of members of broadcast journalists on Edward R. Murrow's news team who try to keep their marriage a secret.