SCREEN
Because I didn't pursue film and television while I was raising my daughter, my screen credits are admittedly light. Working with my theatre company sustained my artist's heart during that time, and now that my daughter is exploring her own path, I am able to broaden my scope and flex my movie muscles again. I have no archival footage of any of my ancient TV stuff, being that it occurred during the last Ice Age. You'll have to trust me that it was genius.
The Jury - ABC pilot - 2016
In this mash-up between 'Serial' and 'Twelve Angry Men,' I play a distraught woman whose son would have died from a drug overdose if not for the heroic actions of his friend Michael--who is now on trial for the murder of his girlfriend. (Exec. Prod: Carol Mendelsohn, Mark Bianculli; Director: Neil Burger)
Update: The pilot has been slated for 'redevelopment,' so it's still alive. The question is, is "Kirk's Mom"? My character was supposed to be recurring. Stay tuned...
The Frog Wife - AFI short film (selected clips) - 2017
This is the fist role I've played on camera that has nothing to do with being someone's mom! Instead, I'm the glammed-up, evil Vice-Deputy of the Shangri-la Home Owners Association in this 50's-style post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. That frog creature has another think coming if she thinks she can get past me with a little bit of Cover Girl. Great fun. (Director: Xindi Lou)
Grams - AFI short film (selected clips) - 2016
In this beautiful, quirky, off-beat 22-minute film, I play a woman struggling to come to terms with her mother's dementia, while trying to soften the blow for her own daughter. (Director: Douglas Cushnie)
Hair - short film - 2015
This continuous tracking shot follows me and my teenage daughter from the car to the yard to the porch to the living room to the hallway as we duke it out over a botched swim meet and unrealistic ideals of beauty. Ah, Motherhood. (Director: Juliet Devette).
Demo - four short clips - 2015
Tough-talking Eco-warrior Senator / Loose-lipped lounge lizard / Raw food-obsessed Warden / Distraught mother
The Comeback Kid - single-camera drama pilot - 2015
I play the mother of a young pharmaceutical rep who has become addicted to the merchandise. Sent home by her boss to get clean, she's definitely not thrilled about living under my roof again. (Director: Angie Browne).
The Moment I Was Alone - short film - 2015 (awaiting footage)
Official Selection, Carmel International Film Festival, Monarch Film Festival 2015 | NOMINATED: Best Supporting Actress in a Featurette,Idyllwild Festival of Cinema 2016 | WINNER: Best Score of an Independent Feature, Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2015
This evocative film follows a young girl as she's separated from her mother on a crowded street. When all life suddenly freezes, she's stranded in a world without human contact. I play the girl at middle-age who has come back to the frozen street to confront her unreachable, unknowable mother. (Writer/Director: Kellen Gibbs).
Rosethorn - short film - August 2015 (awaiting footage)
I play a caring psychologist whose unconventional methods in treating a sexually abused young girl attract the attention of an uptight psychiatrist who wants to medicate the girl.
A One Time Thing - independent feature - 2004
I play the wise-cracking best friend to Jane Sibbett, whose once-perfect life is in a death spiral. I enjoyed the sass, and I also loved the crazy get-ups my clothes-horse character trotted out in every scene. (Director: Karl Fink).
Selected Scenes
Screen Shots
The Housekeeper - short film - FXM: Movies From Fox - 1998
Frenetic scenes of a marriage in tatters are intercut with images of a magical housekeeper who not only makes beds but mends hearts. John Prosky and I had great fun playing for blood in the improvised kitchen fight scene. Has been shown in film festivals throughout the US, Europe and Japan. (Director: Nancy Keystone).
Screen Shots
Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey
The original title of this film was "Bill and Ted Go to Hell," but the studio nixed it, fearing public outrage. My, how times have changed. The seance scene was a hell of a lot of fun to shoot, (so to speak) since it was populated by many friends of the screenwriter, Ed Solomon (myself being one of them). That's me on the left, cringing in fear of the demons that have been unleashed by our charming hostess. Funny lady Carol Rosenthal on the far right.
