Parker Posey
Parker Posey | |
---|---|
Posey at Fox Upfronts in 2007 | |
Born |
Parker Christian Posey November 8, 1968 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
Occupation | Actress, musician |
Years active | 1991–present |
Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress and musician. Following her role in Richard Linklater's 1993 cult hit Dazed and Confused, she became known during the 1990s after a series of roles in independent films such as Party Girl (1995) and The House of Yes (1997) that gained her the nickname "Queen of the Indies".[1] She later played improvisational roles in Christopher Guest mockumentaries, including Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006).[2] Her other film appearances include You've Got Mail (1998), Scream 3 (2000), Superman Returns (2006), and the Woody Allen films Irrational Man (2015) and Café Society (2016). On television, Posey has guest-starred in series such as Will & Grace, Boston Legal, The Good Wife, Louie, and Search Party.
Early life
Posey was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Lynda (née Patton),[3][4] a chef, and Chris Posey, owner of a car dealership. She has a twin brother, Christopher. Posey's first name was a tribute by her father to 1950s model Suzy Parker. After Posey's birth, her family lived in Monroe, Louisiana for 11 years.[5] They later moved to Laurel, Mississippi, where her mother worked as a chef and culinary instructor for the Viking Range Corporation in Greenwood, and her father operated a car dealership, Chris Posey Chevrolet, in Laurel. Posey was raised as a Catholic.[6]
Career
Acting
Posey attended the State University of New York at Purchase, where she studied drama and roomed with actresses Sherry Stringfield[7] and Orlagh Cassidy.
Posey got her first break in television with the role of Tess Shelby on the daytime soap opera As the World Turns. Posey's first major role in a feature film was in Dazed and Confused (1993) with Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, and Jason London.[8] The film received favorable reviews from critics and has been identified as a cult classic. In 2003, Entertainment Weekly ranked the film #17 on their list of "The Top 50 Cult Films",[9] third on their list of the 50 Best High School Movies,[10] 10th on their "Funniest Movies of the Past 25 Years" list,[11] and ranked it #6 on their "The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83" list.[12]
In 1994, she appeared in Hal Hartley's short film Opera No. 1, with Adrienne Shelley. Throughout the late 1990s, Posey co-starred in 32 independent films and was nicknamed "Queen of the Indies".[1] These films include Personal Velocity, Basquiat, Clockwatchers, The Daytrippers, Party Girl and The House of Yes, for which she received positive reviews for her role as a delusional woman in love with her own brother.[13][14] In an interview in January 2012, Parker said that the unofficial title has sometimes been a hindrance:
I'm trying to work in studio movies, but they won't hire me. I get feedback from my agent saying, 'She's too much of an indie queen.' And then on the other side, my name doesn't get the financing to do a movie over $1 million. And I'm called 'the indie queen.' So it's really a challenging path because I know so much about the indie side of the business. Because I grew up in it... But it's different times. And this stuff gets projected onto me. People are like, 'You're here [at the Sundance film festival] every year, you do so many indie movies.' And I'm like, 'No, I did Broken English five years ago.'[15]
She has co-starred in Christopher Guest's films, including five of his mock documentaries, the first being Waiting for Guffman in 1996. In 1998, Posey appeared in Hartley's film Henry Fool, and the big budget studio film You've Got Mail.
In 2000, she starred in Guest's third mock documentary Best in Show, and in the big budget horror film Scream 3. Critical reaction to Posey's performance in the latter film was highly positive, and earned her an MTV Movie Award nomination. However, she lost to Adam Sandler, who won it for his performance in Big Daddy. The next year she played the antagonist in Josie and the Pussycats. From 2001-2002, she appeared in a supporting role in the popular NBC sitcom Will & Grace.
In 2003, she starred in Guest's A Mighty Wind. The next year she appeared in Sisters of Mercy, Laws of Attraction, and Blade: Trinity. Posey then co-starred in the 2005 film Adam & Steve.[16]
In 2006, Posey appeared in Superman Returns as Kitty Kowalski, Lex Luthor's ditzy sidekick,[8] a character based on Eve Teschmacher from the 1978 film Superman. Posey was the only actress considered for the role.[17][18] Superman Returns was a box office success.[19] The film was also successful at the 33rd Saturn Awards, Posey, a few fellow cast members, and the visual effects department were all nominated.[20] Later the same year she played the title character in Fay Grim, the sequel to Henry Fool, and appeared in For Your Consideration.
In 2007, Posey was cast in the lead role on the TV series The Return of Jezebel James.[21] The show was originally given 13 episodes, but, the show was cut to seven episodes in anticipation of the pending writers strike.[22][23] It premiered on the Fox television network in 2008 as a mid-season replacement. However, the show was officially canceled after the third episode aired due to unacceptably low ratings.[24] She starred in Zoe Cassavetes' 2007 film Broken English.[25] Broken English screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.[26] It was also entered into the 29th Moscow International Film Festival.[27] The film was nominated at the 23rd Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Screenplay and Posey was nominated for Best Female Lead.[28] She was set to co-star in John Waters' film Fruitcake with Johnny Knoxville. The film was to be set in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.[29] However, Waters announced that he has canceled Fruitcake, saying "I can't get it made...I thought it would do well, but it's not. In this economy, I'm going to have to do a puppet show."[30]
In 2012, Posey starred in four episodes of the third season of Louie as Liz, Louis C.K.'s love interest. She received positive reviews for her stint on the show. The website Vulture stated "Posey is superb in a brilliantly written role."[31] Lindsay Bahr of Entertainment Weekly said "Posey used her arsenal of talent and the material written and directed by C.K. to bring Liz to life".[32] Andy Greenwald of GrantLand felt Posey was "funny, engaging, and breathless", and went on to call Posey "one of the most gifted actors alive".[33] Later the same year she was honored with the Excellence in Acting Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival.
Posey appeared in Ned Rifle, the third and final film in Hartley's Henry Fool trilogy, again reprising her role of Fay Grim.[34] On November 6, 2013, Hartley launched a fundraising campaign through Kickstarter to produce the film, netting a total of $384,000. Posey, Liam Aiken, James Urbaniak, and Thomas Jay Ryan, as well as some crew members, appeared in several videos promoting the campaign.[35] The film premiered on September 7, 2014 at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.[36] It was also screened in the Panorama section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival on February 6, 2015.[37]
In July 2014, it was announced that Posey had signed on to co-star in Woody Allen's mystery drama Irrational Man with Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Jamie Blackley.[38] The film had its world premiere on May 16, 2015, at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.[39][40] In July 2015, Parker revealed that before being cast in the film, she had considered quitting acting, as she feared that she "saw the independent film movement go away from me... it's a world market now. They're made from real star power. Whoever's hot at the moment." When Allen cast her, she cried, as "the independent film way of working is something that was in my bones. It's like being a part of a punk band but no one’s singing punk rock anymore. Only a few bands are able to play, and Woody Allen is one of them. That's why I cried. It was a relief."[41]
In 2018, she will appear as Dr. Smith in Lost in Space, the Netflix remake of the 1965 TV series.[42]
Stage and music
Posey made her stage debut in 2001. She learned to play the mandolin to prepare for her role in A Mighty Wind (2003),[8] a film in which she also sang. She provided vocals on several of her ex-boyfriend Ryan Adams' records. She also played the mandolin on The Dandy Warhols track "I Am Sound" from their Welcome to the Monkey House LP.[43]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Coneheads | Stephanie | |
1993 | Joey Breaker | Irene Kildare | |
1993 | The Wake | Beachgoer | uncredited |
1993 | Description of a Struggle | Wanda | |
1993 | Dazed and Confused | Darla Marks | |
1994 | Mixed Nuts | Rollerblader | |
1994 | Amateur | Girl Squatter | |
1994 | Opera No. 1 | Fairy # 1 | Short film |
1994 | Iris | Short film | |
1994 | Final Combination | Denise | |
1994 | Sleep with Me | Athena | |
1995 | Party Girl | Mary | |
1995 | An Eviction Notice | Short film | |
1995 | Drunks | Debbie | |
1995 | Flirt | Emily | |
1995 | The Doom Generation | Brandi | |
1996 | Frisk | Fergie | |
1996 | Kicking and Screaming | Miami | |
1996 | subUrbia | Erica | |
1996 | Basquiat | Mary Boone | |
1997 | The House of Yes | "Jackie-O" Pascal | Sundance Film Festival Award for Special Recognition Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
1997 | The Daytrippers | Jo Malone | |
1997 | Waiting for Guffman | Libby Mae Brown | |
1997 | Clockwatchers | Margaret Burre | |
1998 | Henry Fool | Fay Grim | |
1998 | What Rats Won't Do | Mirella Burton | |
1998 | You've Got Mail | Patricia Eden | |
1998 | The Misadventures of Margaret | Margaret Nathan | |
1999 | Dinner at Fred's | Celia | |
1999 | The Venice Project | Myra | |
1999 | Gunshy | Short film | |
2000 | Best in Show | Meg Swan | |
2000 | Scream 3 | Jennifer Jolie | Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance |
2001 | The Anniversary Party | Judy Adams | |
2001 | Josie and the Pussycats | Fiona | |
2002 | The Sweetest Thing | Judy Webb | |
2002 | Personal Velocity | Greta | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female Nominated—New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress (2nd place) |
2003 | A Mighty Wind | Sissy Knox | Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast Nominated—Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast |
2003 | The Event | Nick | |
2004 | Blade: Trinity | Danica Talos | |
2004 | The Sisters of Mercy | Short film | |
2004 | Laws of Attraction | Serena Jamison | |
2005 | Adam & Steve | Rhonda | |
2006 | For Your Consideration | Callie Webb | Nominated—Gotham Award for Best Ensemble Cast |
2006 | Fay Grim | Fay Grim | |
2006 | The OH in Ohio | Priscilla Chase | |
2006 | Superman Returns | Kitty Kowalski | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
2007 | Broken English | Nora Wilder | Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female |
2008 | The Eye | Helen Wells | |
2009 | Spring Breakdown | Becky St. Germaine | Direct-to-DVD |
2010 | Happy Tears | Jayne | |
2011 | Inside Out | Claire Small | |
2011 | The Love Guide | Angelica Lovecraft | |
2012 | Price Check | Susan Felders | |
2013 | Highland Park | Shirley Paine | |
2013 | HairBrained | Shelia Pettifog | |
2013 | And Now a Word From Our Sponsor | Karen Hillridge | |
2014 | Grace of Monaco | Madge Tivey-Faucon | |
2014 | Ned Rifle | Fay Grim | |
2015 | Irrational Man | Rita Richards | |
2016 | Café Society | Rad | |
2016 | Mascots | Cindi Babineaux | |
2016 | The Brits Are Coming | Gina | Post-production |
2016 | The Architect | Drew |
Television
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | First Love, Fatal Love | Television film | |
1991–1992 | As the World Turns | Tess Shelby | Soap opera |
1993 | Tales of the City | Connie Bradshaw | 4 episodes |
1993 | Tracey Ullman Takes On New York | Libby | TV Special |
1998 | More Tales of the City | Connie Bradshaw | Episode "1.1" |
2000 | Futurama | Umbriel (voice) | Episode: "The Deep South" |
2000 | The Simpsons | Becky (voice) | Episode: "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge" |
2001 | Further Tales of the City | Connie Bradshaw | 3 episodes |
2001 | Will & Grace | Dorleen | 2 episodes |
2002 | Hell on Heels: The Battle of Mary Kay | Jinger Heath | Television film Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
2004 | Frankenstein | Detective Carson O'Conner | Television film |
2006 | Boston Legal | Marlene Stanger | 4 episodes |
2008 | The Return of Jezebel James | Sarah Tompkins | 7 episodes |
2009 | Bored to Death | Michelle Whiting | Episode: "The Case of the Stolen Skateboard" |
2011 | Parks and Recreation | Lindsey Carlyle-Shay | Episode: "Eagleton" |
2011 | The Big C | Poppy Kowalski | 3 episodes |
2011–2012 | The Good Wife | Vanessa Gold | 3 episodes |
2012 | Hemingway & Gellhorn | Mary Welsh Hemingway | Television film |
2012 | Louie | Liz | 4 episodes |
2012 | New Girl | Casey | Episode: "Re-Launch" |
2014 | Inside Amy Schumer | Parker Posey | Episode: "Allergic to Nuts" |
2015 | Portlandia | Episode: "Fashion" | |
2015 | Granite Flats | Alice White | 8 episodes |
2015 | Drunk History | Mary Phelps Jacob | Episode: "Inventors" |
2016 | Skylanders Academy | Dreamcatcher | Episode: "Dream Girls" |
2016 | Search Party | Brick | Recurring |
References
- 1 2 Corliss, Richard (1997-02-17). "Queen of the Indies". Time.
- ↑ Stern, Marlow (January 29, 2012). "Parker Posey on Her Comeback Role in 'Price Check'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
Posey is a key member of filmmaker Christopher Guest’s movie comedy troupe
- ↑ "Obituaries for Friday, March 28, 2008 March 28, 2008, Leader Call
- ↑ "Now, We're Just Parker Posey's Parents - Humor Keeps Actress's Popularity In Perspective" July 2006, Jackson Mississippi Clarion-Ledger
- ↑ "A Woman of Independent Means".
- ↑ "Index magazine interview". Indexmagazine.com. Retrieved 2010-09-24.
- ↑ Smith, Chris (October 6, 1997). "Ring Around the Posey". New York Magazine: 42.
- 1 2 3 Carr, David (May 6, 2007). "An Indie Star Whose Life Is an Indie Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 23, 2012.
- ↑ "The Top 50 Cult Films". Entertainment Weekly. May 23, 2003.
- ↑ "50 Best High School Movies". Entertainment Weekly. 2008-07-31. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ↑ "The Comedy 25: The Funniest Movies of the Past 25 Years". Entertainment Weekly. August 27, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
- ↑ "The Cult 25: The Essential Left-Field Movie Hits Since '83" list". Entertainment Weekly. September 3, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
- ↑ Baker, Bob (July 21, 2003). "Parker Posey still poised on the brink of broader fame". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Murray, Steve (December 15, 2002). "Parker Posey sees irony in 'queen of the indies' title". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Atlanta Journal Constitution.
- ↑ Peter Knegt (January 27, 2012). "Parker Posey on 'Price Check,' Sundance and the State of Independent Film". IndieWire. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ Holden, Stephen (March 31, 2006). "In 'Adam & Steve' a Second Chance for Lovers After a Disastrous Striptease the First Time Around". The New York Times.
- ↑ Scott Chitwood (2006-05-05). "Superman Returns Set Visit - Part 13". Superhero Hype!. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ↑ Jeff Jensen (2006-06-23). "Greatest American Hero?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ↑ "2006 Domestic Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
- ↑ "Past Saturn Awards". Saturn Awards.org. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-08.
- ↑ Olsen, Mark (2007-06-17). "Parker Posey's secret? 'It's all hair and shoes'". Archived from the original on 2007-09-01. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
- ↑ "Fox Renews 'Death' Vows, Picks up Sextet". The Futon Critic.
- ↑ Ausiello, Michael (2007-10-12). "The Ausiello Report: Setback for AS-P's Jezebel James?". TV Guide.
- ↑ "The Return of Jezebel James Cancelled". Gilmore Girls News. 2008-03-26.
- ↑ Scheck, Frank (June 25, 2007). "Parker Posey just the fix for "Broken English"". Archived from the original on September 23, 2012.
- ↑ Buchanan, Kyle (January 2012). "Parker Posey on the Glory Days of Sundance and the Perils of Modern-Day Indie Filmmaking". Vulture.
- ↑ "29th Moscow International Film Festival (2007)". MIFF. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
- ↑ Kay, Jeremy (November 7, 2007). "Haynes, Schnabel, Reitman films lead Independent Spirit nominations". Screen International.
- ↑ Lawson, Liz (May 9, 2008). "Parker Posey, Johnny Knoxville join Waters' Fruitcake". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ↑ "Waters' Kids Movie Scrapped", January 16, 2009
- ↑ What to Stream Now. ""Parker Posey Has Revealed the Even Greater Show Hiding Within Louie", July 27, 2012". Vulture.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ Bahr, Lindsey (2013-06-26). ""EW speaks with Posey about her theories on Liz and the brilliance of Louis C.K.", June 26, 2013". Ew.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ "Parker Posey Talks About Her Role on Louie, the Fine Line Between Sad and Funny, and What Louis C.K. Looks Like in a Dress «". Grantland.com. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
- ↑ McNary, Dave (March 13, 2014). "Aubrey Plaza Joins Hal Hartley's 'Ned Rifle' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ↑ "NED RIFLE by Hal Hartley". Kickstarter. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
- ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin (July 22, 2014). "TIFF 2014 Lineup Includes 'The Imitation Game,' 'While We're Young,' 'Nightcrawler,' 'Men, Women & Children' & More". Indiewire. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- ↑ "Panorama 2015: Probing the Past to Shape the Future". Berlinale. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (July 24, 2014). "Parker Posey and Jamie Blackley Join Woody Allen's Next Film". variety.com. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ↑ Scott Foundas (2015-05-06). "Irrational Man Review: Woody And Joaquin Plot The Perfect Murder". Variety. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
- ↑ Maane Khatchatourian (2015-04-11). "[PHOTO] Emma Stone in Woody Allen's 'Irrational Man'". Variety. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
- ↑ Kevin Fallon (July 17, 2015). "Why Parker Posey Almost Quit Acting: 'I Saw the Independent Film Movement Go Away From Me'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (November 22, 2016). "'Lost In Space': Parker Posey Joins Netflix Series Remake". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Dandy Warhols - Welcome to the Monkey House CD". CD Universe. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
External links
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