Olivia Thirlby
Olivia Thirlby | |
|---|---|
 Thirlby on the set of New York, I Love You, 2008 | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Olivia Thirlby (born October 6, 1986) is an American actress best known for her role as Leah, the best friend of Ellen Page's character in the 2007 film Juno.[1]
In June 2008, Thirlby was described by Vanity Fair magazine as a member of "Hollywood's New Wave", along with young performers including the cast of Gossip Girl, The Jonas Brothers, Emma Roberts, Amanda Seyfried, Kristen Stewart, Josh Peck and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.[2]
Early life
Thirlby was born in New York City, to an advertising executive mother and a contractor father.[3][4] She was raised in Manhattan's East Village, attending school at Friends Seminary in the city's Gramercy neighborhood, where she graduated in a class of 57 students.[1] She also attended French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in upstate New York. She took classes at the American Globe Theatre, and briefly at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where she completed a stage combat course with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC).[5]
Movie career
While still at high school, Thirlby was offered a role in The Secret. In 2006, she made her film debut in United 93 and her television debut in Kidnapped.
In 2007 she starred as Leah, the best friend of the title character in the critically acclaimed Juno. Around this time, she and her Juno costar Ellen Page were slated to star as the respective title characters of "Jack & Diane". The film is a tale of two young women who fall in love, the heat of the romance unlocking lycanthropy in Thirlby's character, Jack. Both dropped out of the film before production, and the cast was replaced numerous times over. As of 2010 "Jack & Diane" has entered production with an entirely new cast and no involvement from Thirlby or Page.
In the Sundance Audience Award-winning film The Wackness, a mid-1990s period piece, she plays Stephanie, a marijuana smoking "popular girl" from New York City. Thirlby stars opposite Josh Peck, who plays a drug dealer. Ben Kingsley stars as her stepfather. The film was released in the U.S. on July 3, 2008.[1]
Thirlby was cast in the Judd Apatow-produced, David Gordon Green-directed stoner comedy, Pineapple Express, as Seth Rogen's girlfriend, but was replaced by actress Amber Heard after rehearsing for the film.[6] She will however reunite with Gordon Green on the animated TV pilot Good Vibes.[7]
She made her stage debut in Farragut North, a play by Beau Willimon at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. The Off Broadway production ran from October 22, 2008 – November 29, 2008 with official opening on November 12[8] and transferred to the Geffen Playhouse in June 2009.
Thirlby appears in the 2009 HBO series Bored To Death and voices promotional video excerpts from the novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which since October 2008 have regularly been posted to YouTube.[9]
Thirlby appears in the forthcoming film Margaret. She is attached to star in Christmas In New York for Arlen Faber director John Hindman[10] as well as For Ellen for Bradley Rust Gray,[11] She starred also in The No Game, The Manners of Madness and Parts Per Billion.[12] Thirlby will star in the Russian Science-Fiction film The Darkest Hour, which is directed by Chris Gorak and produced by Timur Bekmambetov.[13] Thirlby was also cast in the lead role of Max on the upcoming drama comedy The Other Side after Lindsey Lohan reportedly dropped the project.
Thirlby has been cast as Judge Cassandra Anderson, a PSI-Judge alongside Karl Urban in the remake of Judge Dredd.[14]
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 2006 | United 93 | Nicole Carol Miller | |
| Unlocked | Abby | ||
| 2007 | Snow Angels | Lila Raybern | |
| Juno | Leah | ||
| Love Comes Lately | Sylvia | ||
| Si j'étais toi | Samantha Marris | AKA, The Secret | |
| 2008 | The Wackness | Stephanie | |
| Eve | Kate | Short film | |
| 2009 | New York, I Love You | Actress | Segment, "Brett Ratner" |
| The Answer Man | Anne | ||
| Uncertainty | Sophie | ||
| Breaking Upwards | Erika | ||
| What Goes Up | Tess Sullivan | ||
| 2010 | Margaret | Monica | Completed |
| The No Game | Sara | Pre Production | |
| 2012 | The Darkest Hour | TBA | |
| 2012 | The Other Side | TBA | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Bored to Death | Suzanne | Episode: "Stockholm Syndrome" Episode: "The Alanon Case" Episode: "The Case of the Lonely White Dove" Episode: "The Case of the Stolen Sperm" |
| 2007 | Kidnapped | Aubrey Cain | Episode: "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" Episode: "Front Page" Episode: "Do Unto Others" |
| 2006 | Episode: "Special Delivery" Episode: "Sorry, Wrong Number" | ||
References
- ^ a b c Louie, Rebecca (June 28, 2008). "Olivia Thirlby is smoking in 'The Wackness'". NY Daily News. Retrieved on June 29, 2008.
- ^ "Blake Lively, Jonas Brothers Among 'Hollywood's New Wave' in Vanity Fair". June 30, 2008. Fox News. Retrieved on June 30, 2008.
- ^ Olivia Thirlby keeps busy with multiple movies
- ^ Olivia Thirlby: Life After 'Juno'
- ^ IMDb biography entry for Olivia Thirlby
- ^ Yuan, Jada (June 22, 2008). "Olivia Thirlby Spurns Pot, Embraces the Munchies". New York Magazine. Retrieved on June 24, 2008
- ^ Fox draws up cast for 'Good Vibes'
- ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 5, 2008). "Blumberg, Whitlock, Thirlby Join Atlantic's Farragut North". Playbill. Retrieved on September 8, 2008.
- ^ A Story of a Teenager’s Suicide Quietly Becomes a Best Seller
- ^ Cinema Blend
- ^ Massena gets ready for its film close-up
- ^ It's 'The Darkest Hour' for Young Actress Olivia Thirlby
- ^ Olivia Thirlby Fights Off Aliens in The Darkest Hour
- ^ Lesnick, Silas (September 3, 2010). "Olivia Thirlby Cast in Judge Dredd". Superherohype. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
External links
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Profile at Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces Of Independent Film 2006"