Judy Greer is in everything. And that’s only a slight exaggeration. With over 150 credits to her name, the character actress/lead actress hybrid has been killing it on screen since the late 1990s. When she pops up in a show or movie, you know it’s going to be fabulous. Whether it’s a handful of scenes, a recurring role in a sitcom or drama, as part of an ensemble, or as the leader of the pack, one thing is certain: Judy Greer gives her all. She even acknowledges the fact that she’s in most things, but that you probably can’t always pinpoint what it is exactly that you know her from in her aptly titled memoir, I Don’t Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star.
Greer’s time on screen is sure to impress and elevate whatever the project may be. She played a lead role in the short-lived comedy Reboot on Hulu, starred alongside Renée Zellweger in the crime drama limited series The Thing About Pam, and will continue the drama as G. Gordon Liddy’s (Justin Theroux) wife Fran in the HBO historical drama project White House Plumbers which will be released later this year. She’s also incredibly skilled at being herself. That might sound strange, but in Hollywood especially, crafting your public persona (either intentionally or unintentionally) is very important and can play a part in the longevity of your career. Greer brings a “showbiz is weird, isn’t it?” energy to her talk show appearances, and is unapologetically her unfiltered self. No wonder Greer is always working. She’s fun, she’s talented, and she “gets” it.
Judy Greer Has Popped Up in Many Successful Franchises
Before we dive into the juicy roles and performances that have made Greer the icon that she is, let’s acknowledge the fact that she has managed to sneak herself into some of the biggest franchises as of late. (And the world is better for it.) In Chris Pratt’s Jurassic World era of the dinosaur franchise, Greer plays Karen Mitchell, the sister of lead actress Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire and mother of Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins). She also joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Maggie Lang in 2015’s Ant-Man, the ex-wife of Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang, the tiny but mighty Avenger.
When the Halloween franchise was revived, Judy Greer stepped into the bloody world of Michael Myers to play the trustworthy and protective daughter of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Final Girl Laurie Strode. And if that isn’t enough, she also plays the ape Cornelia, wife of Andy Serkis’ ape Caesar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, proving she can capture our hearts and motion in equal measure. Even though these roles don’t show off Greer’s many strengths, they serve as fun entries in the star’s long filmography. And hey, maybe she’ll lead a franchise of her own one day.
Judy Greer Is So Much More Than "Just" the Best Friend
Okay, yes, so she is sometimes quite literally the “best friend” in a lot of movies. Like, a lot. She even starred in a Funny or Die sketch called “Judy Greer is the Best Friend” poking fun at this very reality. Why is that the case? “I don’t know, I can’t really put my finger on it. Maybe because I seem like someone that would have no other life besides boosting the ego of someone who is slightly more attractive than me, but less funny?” Greer hilariously deadpans during a talk show appearance on Conan while brainstorming why she’s been relegated to such a role. She’s played the best friend of Jennifer Aniston in Love Happens, Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner, Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, and most famously as Lucy Wyman to Jennifer Garner (also her real-life best friend) in 13 Going on 30. Although she plays a dual role in the latter, proving to be the film's main antagonist.
But she’s not “just” the best friend. She’s the glue holding the entire project together. Without her, our boringly flawless and seemingly "perfect" protagonists would be lost. “No one can really be the star, but, we can all potentially be the best friend of the star,” Greer explained to Sam Jones on an episode of Off Camera with Sam Jones. “[The star in the movie] needs to have someone there to kind of help carry the load of the storytelling…a best friend is a good person who can sort of, like, give exposition to push the story along, to remind the friend of all the things that they’re doing wrong or doing right, or their past.” Greer brings a spunk to what could easily be a flat, purely functional role intended to keep the story’s ball rolling and buoy the lead, but her commitment and effervescence shine through many best friend and non-best friend characters alike.
She also led the FX series Married with Nat Faxon, played Lily Tomlin’s younger lover in Grandma, an Antebellum ghost named Lady Wadsworth in Lady of the Manor, and the dim-witted, high-maintenance Cheryl Tunt in the animated series Archer. An early, and perhaps career-defining role for the powerhouse performer is featured in the 1999 film Jawbreaker, a cult-favorite teen movie about three toxic popular high schoolers who accidentally kill the prom queen with a jawbreaker candy. (Yes, really.) She plays Fern Mayo - the name alone is impressive. Fern is next-level shy and socially awkward, bangs, retainer, and all. But when she witnesses the aftermath of a murder, the popular girls give her a makeover and turn her into one of their kind so she keeps quiet. Greer physically and emotionally transforms into Vylette, a shamelessly confident, cigarette-toting, pink-clad menace who becomes someone you fear and also enjoy watching dance on a Corvette. Plus, there is a slow-motion walk down the hallway moment to die for.
Sitcom Scene-Stealer Extraordinaire
Judy Greer is arguably at her best when she swoops into a sitcom and snatches scenes from the mainstays. She’s had epic one-episode appearances on a number of your favorite sitcoms, from The Big Bang Theory, Mom, and Two and a Half Men, to Portlandia, How I Met Your Mother, and two episodes on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as Ingrid "Fatty Magoo" Nelson. Aside from being hilarious, these characters are always intense in some way and can’t help but command your attention. In fact, these characters demand it. Perhaps the best was when she played Phil Dunphy’s (Ty Burrell) recently divorced ex-girlfriend Denise who comes to visit—and hopefully get her hands on—Phil in Modern Family. At first, she acts like a sweet and benign blast from the past, but as soon as Julie Bowen’s Claire is out of sight, she goes in for the kill on Phil.
She plays a similarly seductive and aggressive character on The Big Bang Theory. In Season 3, her character Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton is so important that she’s featured in the title of the episode, an honor she most definitely earns. Her performance as the sex-crazed physicist is one you won’t forget, or stop laughing at. On Mom, she plays a drunk woman that Christy (Anna Faris) and Bonnie (Allison Janney) try to recruit to their Alcoholics Anonymous group. Greer not only plays drunk well (a feat in itself) but slams on the piano keys and (poorly) belts out Freddie Mercury. She manages to amp up the outrageous on 13 episodes of Arrested Development as Kitty Sanchez, an assistant at the Bluth’s company who, well, flashes Michael (Jason Bateman), often angrily. It’s kind of her “thing,” followed by saying, “say goodbye to these.”
These characters—like the actress playing them—always go all in. Greer is truly one of the most reliable, versatile, and entertaining artists working. She’s not just "the best friend!" she's Judy Greer, and she never disappoints.
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