Clea DuVall

Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall (born September 25, 1977) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director.[1] She is known for her appearances in the films The Faculty (1998), She's All That; But I'm a Cheerleader; Girl, Interrupted (all 1999), Identity, 21 Grams (both 2003), The Grudge (2004), Zodiac (2007), Conviction (2010), and Argo (2012).

Clea DuVall
DuVall in 2019
Born	Clea Helen D'Etienne DuVall September 25, 1977 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress filmmaker
Years active	1996–present

On television, she played Sofie in Carnivàle (2003–05), Audrey Hanson in Heroes (2006–2007), Wendy Peyser in American Horror Story: Asylum (2012–2013), Emma Borden in The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015), Marjorie in Veep (2016–2019), and Sylvia in The Handmaid's Tale (2018–2019).

In 2016, DuVall made her feature directorial debut with The Intervention, which she also wrote and co-produced. She co-wrote and directed the holiday romantic comedy Happiest Season in 2020.[2]

Early life

DuVall was born in Los Angeles, California.[1] She once worked in a coffee shop and studied at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.[3]

Career

DuVall made her debut in the low-budget horror film Little Witches (1996). This was followed by roles in several independent films and guest appearances on episodes of ER and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, before her breakthrough in 1998 as a goth high school student in Robert Rodriguez's The Faculty. She also had a supporting role in the cult teen comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998),[4] which included appearances by Jason Segel and Selma Blair before they were well-known.[5]

In 1999, she had prominent roles in several films, including The Astronaut's Wife alongside Johnny Depp; Girl Interrupted opposite Winona Ryder; the hit romantic comedy She's All That; and the independent features Wildflowers and But I'm a Cheerleader. For her performance in Wildflowers, DuVall received rave reviews from critics.[6][7] The latter film, in which she played a lesbian undergoing conversion therapy, has since developed a cult following and is often cited as a favorite among fans of LGBT cinema.[8][9]

Over the next few years, DuVall had roles in a variety of films, including John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (2001); Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001) with Matthew McConaughey; The Laramie Project (2002); The Slaughter Rule (2002) with Ryan Gosling; Identity (2003); and the Academy Award-nominated 21 Grams (2003), opposite Sean Penn. She then appeared as part of the main cast of HBO's Carnivàle, which ran from 2003–05 and received several Creative Arts Emmy Awards.[10] During that time, she also starred in the television film Helter Skelter (2004), which earned her a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress, and in the box office hit The Grudge (2004),[11] with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Subsequent projects included a guest role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2005); supporting roles in the films Two Weeks (2006), opposite Sally Field, and David Fincher's critically acclaimed Zodiac (2007); and a recurring character on NBC's popular science fiction series, Heroes (2006–2007).

Next, she appeared in the thrillers Anamorph (2007), with Willem Dafoe; Passengers (2008), with Anne Hathaway; and The Killing Room (2009), with Chloë Sevigny. This was followed by guest roles on Lie to Me (2009), Numb3rs, Bones, and Law & Order (all 2010).

In 2012, she co-starred in Ben Affleck's Oscar-winning film Argo, based on the Iran hostage crisis. DuVall played Cora Lijek, a Japanese-American who was one of the six American diplomats rescued from Iran in 1980. She, along with the rest of the Argo cast, received the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Also in 2012, DuVall appeared in a recurring role on the second season of the FX anthology series American Horror Story, as Wendy Peyser.

In 2014, DuVall starred as Emma Borden, sister of Lizzie Borden (played by Christina Ricci), in the Lifetime television film, Lizzie Borden Took an Ax. She then reprised the role for the limited series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015). The latter received mixed reviews, but critics praised the performances of Ricci and DuVall. Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Keith Uhlich said the actresses "have a delectable rapport not too far removed from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford at their hag-horror peak in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"[12]

In 2016, DuVall made her feature directorial debut with the comedy-drama The Intervention, which she also wrote, starred in, and produced.[13][14] The film had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was later acquired by Paramount Pictures.[15] The Intervention received positive reviews; Andy Webster of The New York Times noted that "DuVall juggles the emotional dynamics with fluid editing and light comic touches".[16] The same year, she starred in the independent features Zen Dogs and Heaven's Floor, and guest starred on AMC's Better Call Saul.

From 2016 to 2019, she played Marjorie on the HBO series Veep, for which she was twice nominated—along with her co-stars—for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, winning in 2018.[17]

In 2018, DuVall appeared in an episode of the Hulu drama series The Handmaid's Tale. She also starred in the independent comedy All About Nina, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead.

Personal life

DuVall is a lesbian.[18][19]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Little Witches	Kelsey
1997	The Alarmist	Suzy
1997	Niagara, Niagara	Convenience store clerk
1998	How to Make the Cruelest Month	Bell Bryant
1998	Girl	Gillian
1998	Can't Hardly Wait	Jana
1998	The Faculty	Stokely "Stokes" Mitchell
1999	A Slipping-Down Life	Nurse
1999	She's All That	Misty
1999	Wildflowers	Cally
1999	Sleeping Beauties	Clea	Short film
1999	The Astronaut's Wife	Nan
1999	But I'm a Cheerleader	Graham Eaton
1999	Girl, Interrupted	Georgina Tuskin
2000	Committed	Mimi
2000	Bear to the Right	Waitress	Short film
2001	See Jane Run	Jane Whittaker
2001	Ghosts of Mars	Bashira Kincaid
2001	Thirteen Conversations About One Thing	Bea
2001	How to Make a Monster	Laura Wheeler
2002	The Slaughter Rule	Skyla Sisco
2003	Identity	Ginny Isiana
2003	21 Grams	Claudia
2004	The Grudge	Jennifer Williams
2005	Two Weeks	Katrina
2006	Champions	Billy
2007	Zodiac	Linda del Buono
2007	Ten Inch Hero	Jen
2007	Itty Bitty Titty Committee	Singer
2007	Anamorph	Sandy Strickland
2008	Passengers	Shannon
2009	The Killing Room	Kerry Isalano
2010	Conviction	Brenda Marsh
2010	Lez Chat	Librarian	Short film
2012	Argo	Cora Lijek
2013	Armed Response	Lena	Also executive producer; original title of film was In Security
2014	Jackie & Ryan	Virginia
2014	Zen Dog	Marlene Meeks
2015	Ma/ddy	Dana
2015	Addicted to Fresno	Regina
2016	The Intervention	Jessie	Also writer, director, and executive producer
2016	Heaven's Floor	Julia
2018	All About Nina	Paula
2020	Happiest Season	N/A	Co-writer and director

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	Dangerous Minds	Nina	Episode: "Evolution"
1997	ER	Katie Reed	2 episodes
1997	Crisis Center	Laura Thomas	Episode: "Where Truth Lies"
1997	Buffy the Vampire Slayer	Marcie Ross	Episode: "Out of Mind, Out of Sight"
1997	On the Edge of Innocence	Ann	Television film
1997	The Defenders: Payback	Jessica Lane	Television film
2000	Popular	Wanda Rickets	2 episodes
2001	The Fugitive	Lynette Hennessy	2 episodes
2001	How to Make a Monster	Laura	Television film
2002	The Laramie Project	Amanda Gronich	Television film
2003–2005	Carnivàle	Sofie Agnesh Bojakshiya	Main role
2004	Helter Skelter	Linda Kasabian	Television film
2005	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Abigail Spencer	Episode: "Shooting Stars"
2005	Fathers and Sons	Laura	Television film; uncredited
2006–2007	Heroes	Audrey Hanson	7 episodes
2008	Grey's Anatomy	Jennifer Robinson	2 episodes
2008	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Mia Latimer	Episode: "Persona"
2008	The Watch	Cassie	Television film
2009	Virtuality	Sue Parsons	Unsold TV pilot
2009	Saving Grace	Maura Darrell	Episode: "Looks Like a Lesbian Attack to Me"
2009	Lie to Me	Michelle Russell	Episode: "Blinded"
2010	Private Practice	Natasha	Episode: "Fear of Flying"
2010	Bones	McKenna Grant	Episode: "The Bones on the Blue Line"
2010	Numb3rs	Melanie Bailey	Episode: "Devil Girl"
2010	Law & Order	Amanda Green	Episode: "The Taxman Cometh"
2010–2011	The Event	Maya	3 episodes
2011	CSI: Miami	Lyla Moore	Episode: "About Face"
2011	And Baby Will Fall	Melinda White	Television film
2012–2013	American Horror Story: Asylum	Wendy Peyser	5 episodes
2014	The Newsroom	Lilly Hart	2 episodes
2014	Lizzie Borden Took an Ax	Emma Borden	Television film
2015	The Lizzie Borden Chronicles	Emma Borden	Main role
2015–2017	Better Call Saul	Dr. Cruz	3 episodes
2016	Brooklyn Animal Control	Madeleine Holmlund	Unsold TV pilot
2016	New Girl	Camilla	Episode: "Wig"
2016–2019	Veep	Marjorie Palmiotti	Recurring role (seasons 5–6); main role (season 7)
2018	Take My Wife	Audience Member	Episode #2.3
2018–2019	The Handmaid's Tale	Sylvia	4 episodes
2018	The Romanoffs	Patricia Callahan	Episode: "End of the Line"
2019	Broad City	Lesley Marnel	3 episodes
2019	RuPaul's Drag Race	Herself	Episode: "Snatch Game at Sea"
2019	Looking for Alaska	N/A	Director; episode: "I'll Show You That It Won't Shoot"

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
2012	Hollywood Film Awards	Best Cast	Argo	Won	[20]
2013	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Argo	Won	[21]
2016	Sundance Film Festival	Grand Jury Prize	The Intervention	Nominated	[22]
2017	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Veep	Nominated	[23]
2018	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Veep	Won	[24]

See also

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women

References

1. Riggs, T. (2005). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Gale. p. 59. ISBN 978-0-7876-7102-0. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
2. "Happiest Season Director Made LGBT Holiday Rom-Com Because 'I've Never Seen My Experience Represented'". TheWrap. November 25, 2020.
3. "Clea DuVall". This Distracted Globe. September 24, 2008.
4. "The Beer Has Not Gone Bad: How Can't Hardly Wait Became a Teen Cult Classic". The Ringer. June 11, 2018.
5. "13 Stars Who Were in Can't Hardly Wait Before They Were Famous". ETOnline.com. August 29, 2014.
6. Scott, A. O. (September 1, 2000). "Film Review; A 60's Marin County Map With Vietnam Left Off". The New York Times.
7. Johnson, Barry (March 10, 2000). "SXSW Film Festival: Five in Focus". The Austin Chronicle.
8. "Top Ten Best Lesbian Movies: 10 Queer Movies That Don't Suck". Autostraddle. August 19, 2009.
9. Dry, Jude (May 8, 2017). "The 15 Best Lesbian Movies of All Time, Ranked". IndieWire.
10. "Carnivale nets five creative arts Emmys". Today.com. September 13, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
11. "Grudge tops box office". Box Office Mojo. October 20, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2006.
12. "The Lizzie Borden Chronicles: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. April 5, 2015.
13. McNary, Dave (July 20, 2015). "Clea DuVall Making Directorial Debut With Film Starring Cobie Smulders, Melanie Lynskey". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
14. "The Intervention". Sundance.org. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
15. Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 28, 2016). "Paramount Acquires The Intervention In $2.5 Million+ WW Rights Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
16. Webster, Andy Jr. (August 25, 2016). "Review: In The Intervention, There's a Big Chill in the Air". The New York Times.
17. "Veep wins best comedy cast at SAG Awards". Entertainment Weekly. January 21, 2018. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
18. Reynolds, Daniel (July 1, 2016). "Clea DuVall Is Finally Playing 'The Gay That I Feel Like I Am'". The Advocate. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
19. Ferber, Lawrence (August 24, 2016). "Clea DuVall: Out actress turns writer-director with The Intervention". Windy City Times. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
20. "Hollywood Film Awards – Honorees Database". Hollywood Film Awards. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
21. "SAG-AFTRA Honors Outstanding Film and Television Performances at the 19th Annual SAG Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. January 27, 2013. Archived from the original on November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
22. "Sundance Film Festival 2016 – Sundance Institute". Archived from the original on January 21, 2016.
23. "Nominations Announced for the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Screen Actors Guild. December 14, 2016. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
24. "SAG Awards Winners: Complete List". Variety. January 21, 2018. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2020.

External links

• Clea DuVall at IMDb 
• Clea DuVall on Twitter
• Clea DuVall at Rotten Tomatoes