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When Anna Faris' college roommate
first saw Faris in her breakthrough role in "Scary Movie," the ex-roomie
called the actress in surprise and told her "That's so weird that you were
cast, because you are not funny." Hollywood has continually disagreed with
that assessment, casting Faris in several projects where her comedic
skills—subtle or, if Faris is to be believed, even unintentional--were
allowed to shine.
An actress and performer since age six, the naturally blond, Seattle-bred
beauty began her acting career in the independent horror feature, "Lover's
Lane." In 2000, she received her breakout role as the hapless Cindy
Campbell in the Wayans Brothers' horror spoof feature "Scary Movie". It
was during the filming of "Scary Movie" that Faris decided to dye her
blond tresses to black in an attempt to make her character look more like
Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt in the "Scream" and "I Know What
You Did Last Summer" features, the already-self-aware slasher hits "Scary
Movie" was primarily parodying. The consistently amusing, often crude but
good-natured spoof was a surprise hit--with much deserved credit going to
Faris for her vanity-less performance (an admiring Hewitt sent her a
bouquet of roses after seeing the film)—and the actress returned again
under director Keenan Ivory Wayans' guidance for the lesser 2001 sequel
"Scary Movie 2" and its 2003 non-Wayans follow-up, "Scary Movie 3" (with
her clueless character promoted to the full lead and parodied Courteney
Cox rather than Campbell).
Faris' performance in the low-brow Rob Schneider comedy "The Hot Chick"
(2002) was also singled out as one of the film's few redeeming features,
and she bowled critics and audiences over with her brief but potently
hilarious supporting turn as the vacuous actress Kelly, who visits Japan
in director Sophia Coppola's "Lost In Translation" (2003). Faris admitted
to basing her improved, empty-headed performance on a real-life Hollywood
actress, but emphatically denied much-circulated Internet rumors that
Cameron Diaz was her inspiration. While hoping to avoid Hollywood flavor
of the month labels and explore more challenging and dramatic indie fare,
the actress also shrewdly took on another major comedic role with much
mainstream exposure when she was cast in a three-episode stint during the
final season of "Friends" in 2003-2004, playing the birth mother of the
baby Monica and Chandler plan to adopt. In the low-budget comedy “Waiting”
(2005), Faris played a seductive waitress at a restaurant full of misfits,
including two cooks (Luis Guzman and Dane Cook) who do disgusting things
to the food, a waiter (Ryan Reynolds) whose only care in life is partying,
a dishwasher (Chi McBride) who likes to wax philosophical and another
waiter (Justin Long) who hates his dead-end job.
Weeks after the release of “Waiting,” she reunited with Reynolds in "Just
Friends" (2005) for another brilliantly funny out-there character, the
spoiled socialite, diva and magazine pin-up girl Samantha James, whom
formerly fat Reynolds is charged with turning into a pop-singing sensation
just as he's reunited with the high school best pal (Amy Smart) he's pined
for all his life. She then had a brief but scene-stealing turn as the
too-chatty Southern trophy wife LaShawn in director Ang Lee's award
winning and much ballyhooed "Brokeback Mountain" (2005). She next revived
the clueless Cindy Campbell for the inevitable sequel, “Scary Movie 4”
(2006), this time seeking a career in home healthcare that leads her to a
creepy old lady in a creepy old house where she encounters innumerable
phenomena—horrific plane crashes, alien sphincters and even Oprah. “Scary
Movie 4” took the number one spot on an opening weekend with little
competition, taking in a whopping $40 million only to drop almost 60% the
following week. |
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"I try to keep my head on
straight and take nothing for granted."
I don't really like to go out to clubs or anything. It's just not my
style. I'd much rather go to a dive bar or a local place. I just
don't love feeling awful, having to tell people, "Hi, yeah, I was in
Scary Movie (2000). Do you mind if we come in?" I mean, it's so
awkward.
"I never imagined being able to make money from acting - and now I
can."
"They've [the Scary Movie series] given me a career but they've also
sort of boxed me in. What really surprised me when I first moved
here is that the industry thought of actors as either comedic or
dramatic. And I'm still confused. I understand that maybe some
people are better at one or the other, but I can't understand why
it's so divided. I've been able to chip away at that a bit; I think
it gets easier as my body of work expands."
"Blythe Danner is somebody whose career I admire. She's a great
actress and does good work, but also has a life of her own. I love
my job but, at the end of the day, I want to come home and watch a
movie and drink a bottle of wine with my husband". |
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Scary Movie 5 (2008)
(announced) (rumored) .... Cindy Campbell
Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2008) (filming)
Kids in America (2007) (filming) .... Wendy Franklin
Mama's Boy (2007) (completed) .... Nora Flannigan
Smiley Face (2007) .... Jane
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) .... Hannah Lewis
Scary Movie 4 (2006) .... Cindy
Just Friends (2005) .... Samantha James
... aka Simplement amis? (Canada: French title)
... aka Wild X-mas (Germany)
3 & 3 (2005) .... Jane Conelly
Brokeback Mountain (2005) .... Lashawn Malone
Waiting... (2005) .... Serena
Southern Belles (2005) .... Belle Scott
Blue Skies (2005) (TV) .... Sarah
"Friends" .... Erica (4 episodes, 2004)
- The Last One: Part 1 (2004) TV Episode .... Erica
- The One with Rachel's Going Away Party (2004) TV Episode ....
Erica
- The One Where Joey Speaks French (2004) TV Episode .... Erica
- The One with the Birth Mother (2004) TV Episode .... Erica
"King of the Hill" .... Lisa / ... (2 episodes, 2002-2004)
- Phish and Wildlife (2004) TV Episode (voice) .... Stoned Hippie
Chick/Teen Girl Hippie
- Fun with Jane and Jane (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Lisa
Spelling Bee (2004) .... Jane Connelly
Scary Movie 3 (2003) .... Cindy Campbell
... aka Scary Movie 3.5 (USA: DVD box title)
Lost in Translation (2003) .... Kelly
Winter Break (2003) .... Justine
... aka Snow Job (USA)
The Hot Chick (2002) .... April
May (2002) .... Polly
Scary Movie 2 (2001) .... Cindy Campbell
... aka Scarier Movie (UK)
Scary Movie (2000) .... Cindy Campbell
Lovers Lane (1999) .... Jannelle Bay
... aka I'm Still Waiting for You (UK: DVD title)
Eden (1996) .... Dithy
Deception: A Mother's Secret (1991) (TV) .... Liz
... aka Tell Me No Lies |
