THE DESCENDANTS of Judy Greer

Judy Greer wanted to be a ballerina, but instead ended up as George Clooney’s co-star in THE DESCENDANTS. When I spoke with her on November 14, 2011, she had just been given the Spotlight Award at the Napa Valley Film Festival. In addition to discussing how she felt being honored at this point in her career, she was ebullient on the subjects of how she switched careers, finding inspiration in an acting partner who is asleep, and avoiding sunburn when working on two films at roughly the same time. She also enthused about working with both Alexander Payne on THE DESCENDANTS and the DuPlass brothers on JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME.

THE DESCENDANTS is a film about family, fidelity, and muddling through. Greer plays Julie, the wife of a philandering husband whose indiscretion with a potential client’s wife leads Julie to an act of compassion, and to a startling catharsis all rolled into one. The client is played by George Clooney, the philandering husband by Matthew Lillard, and the rest of the cast includes Robert Forster, Beau Bridges, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, and Nick Krause. The film was directed by co-writer Alexander Payne and is based on the novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Greer has delighted audiences with many vivid comedic performances, including a physicist who likes to get physical on The Big Bang Theory, a bearded lady who teaches an invaluable lesson to early Hickey on My Name is Earl. She currently co-stars as Ashton Kutcher’s ex-wife on Two and A Half Men, and previously appeared in a truly iconic role as George Bluth’s psychotic surgically well-endowed secretary, Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development, perhaps the funniest television series ever. She can also be seen shortly in JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME directed by the divine DuPlass brothers. She is known in some circles as Chia Pet.