Jessica Szohr
Szohr in 2019
Born
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active2003–present
Children1

Jessica Szohr (/ˈzɔːr/[1]) is an American actress. She started her screen career appearing on television shows such as My Wife and Kids (2003), Joan of Arcadia (2004), What About Brian (2007) and CSI: Miami (2007). She gained recognition in 2007 with her breakthrough role as Vanessa Abrams on The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl (2007–2012). She has appeared in feature films including the horror film Piranha 3D (2010), the comedy film I Don't Know How She Does It (2011), the comedy film The Internship (2013) and the comedy film Ted 2 (2015). Her recent television credits include Complications (2015), Kingdom (2015), Twin Peaks (2017) and Shameless (2017–18). Since 2018, she has been a main cast member of the Fox/Hulu science fiction series The Orville, as Talla Keyali.

Early life

Szohr was born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.[2] She is of Hungarian and one-quarter African-American descent.[3][4] The oldest of five children (Megan, Danielle, Nick and Sadie),[5] She started a cleaning company with a friend, cleaning their teachers' houses.[6]

Szohr started modeling as a child. She appeared in print ads for Kohl's department store.[7] Subsequent modeling gigs followed, including prints for Crate & Barrel, Mountain Dew, Sears, Jockey and JanSport.[8] Szohr graduated from Menomonee Falls High School a semester early[9] and moved to Los Angeles with her mother at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career. She told Seventeen magazine that she "almost moved home like five times."[6] She initially aspired to become an interior designer[10] and had enrolled in Columbia College Chicago, but her agent ultimately convinced her to try pilot season auditions.[5]

Career

Szohr made her debut as an actress in 2003 in an episode of the third season of My Wife and Kids, titled "Not So Hostile Takeover". Her first film was Uncle Nino (2003), playing a minor role as The MC. She appeared in numerous guest roles in teen television series such as That's So Raven, Drake & Josh, What I Like About You, and Joan of Arcadia. She also appeared in three episodes of CSI: Miami as Samantha Barrish.

Szohr in 2007

In 2007, she appeared in a major recurring role as Laura for six episodes in the ABC dramedy series What About Brian. Along with Stacy Keibler, she played a neighbor to the leading role, Brian O'Hara (Barry Watson).[11] She also appeared in the music videos for "Best Days" by Matt White and "Over You" by Daughtry, in which she played Sarah.

In the same year, Szohr earned her breakthrough role on the hit CW teen drama series Gossip Girl.[12] She plays Vanessa Abrams.[13] Szohr said of her character: "Vanessa doesn't change for other people. She says what she thinks. [...] she's just a badass girl from Brooklyn". The portrayal of Vanessa has drawn criticism from Cecily von Ziegesar, author of the original Gossip Girl novels.[14] Originally cast as a recurring role,[15] Szohr was promoted to series regular after the season one episode "The Blair Bitch Project" in April 2008.[16] In May 2011, it was confirmed Szohr would not be returning for the fifth season.[17] She returned in for a cameo appearance on the series finale, "New York, I Love You XOXO", on December 17, 2012.[18]

Szohr has appeared in small roles in films such as Somebody Help Me, The Reading Room and Fired Up. She signed on to Dimension Films' horror Piranha 3D,[19] in the role of Kelly.[20] The role required her to be underwater; Szohr later told the New York Daily News filming was difficult because she was "not the best swimmer."[21] Filming began in June 2009, and the film was pushed back from its original release date in March to August 2010.[22] She also appeared in a Funny or Die video promoting the film alongside Kelly Brook and others.[23]

Szohr was awarded the Breakthrough Actress in Film award at the 2010 Breakthrough of the Year awards for her work in Piranha 3D.[24]

In April 2010, Szohr joined the cast of the romantic comedy Love, Wedding, Marriage, along with Mandy Moore and Kellan Lutz. The film began principal photography in April 2010 and was filmed in New Orleans.[25] That same year, Szohr was included on People magazine's "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" list.[3]

Szohr has a role in the 2012 independent post-apocalyptic sci-fi film Hirokin.[26] Her role as Orange has been described as a "cunning temptress".

Szohr starred in the 2012 indie drama Art Machine as an outlaw hipster and a pyrotechnic artist.[27] In October 2011, she finished filming a horror comedy film in East Lothian, Scotland titled Love Bite with co-star Ed Speleers. In November 2011, Szohr filmed the drama Light Years in Los Angeles.

In 2012, Szohr helped Hayden Panettiere punk Glee actress Dianna Agron.[28]

Szohr appeared in Taylor Swift's 2013 music video for the song "22". In March 2013, she was cast as the female lead in the Fox drama pilot The List, playing FBI agent Natalie Voss.[29] However, it was reported on May 8, 2013, that Fox had passed on the pilot.[30] In November 2013, Szohr was cast as Gretchen in USA Network's medical drama pilot Complications.[31]

In June 2015, Szohr was set as a recurring on the upcoming second season of DirecTV’s MMA drama Kingdom. Szohr will play Laura Melvin, an artist/photographer who has "read everything, been everywhere," and immediately intrigued by Jay (Jonathan Tucker) whom she wants to hire for a photo shoot.[32]

On February 12, 2018, Szohr was cast as a regular for the second season of the science fiction comedy-drama series The Orville, as Talla Keyali.[33]

On January 26, 2022, Szohr launched the podcast XOXO with Jessica Szohr, a walk down memory lane with the cast and crew of Gossip Girl featuring behind-the scenes stories, on-set memories, and more with interviews and occasional episode rewatches.

Personal life

Szohr enjoys snowboarding, hiking, yoga, and football. She describes her hobbies as a result of her being from Wisconsin.[21] She also is a Green Bay Packers fan.[34]

She is currently engaged to former professional ice hockey player Brad Richardson. Szohr gave birth to a daughter on January 11, 2021.[35][36] The two got engaged in May 2022.[37]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2003 Uncle Nino The MC
2007 Somebody Help Me Nicole
2009 Fired Up! Kara
2010 Piranha 3D Kelly Driscoll
2011 Love, Wedding, Marriage Shelby
2011 I Don't Know How She Does It Paula
2011 Tower Heist Sasha Gibbs
2012 Hirokin Orange
2012 Art Machine Cassandra Moon
2012 Love Bite Juliana
2013 Pawn Bonnie
2013 The Internship Marielena
2013 Brightest Star Lita Markovic
2014 House at the End of the Drive Krista
2014 10 Cent Pistol Chelsea
2014 Two Night Stand Faiza
2015 Club Life Tanya
2015 Ted 2 Allison
2020 Clover Angie Post-production

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2003 My Wife and Kids Dee-Jay Episode: "Not So Hostile Takeover"
2004 What I Like About You Liz Episode: "Lunar Eclipse of the Heart"
2004 Drake & Josh Episode: "Two Idiots and a Baby"
2004 Joan of Arcadia Nikki Episode: "Double Dutch"
2005 That's So Raven Jordache Hilltopper Episode: "The Big Buzz"
2005 The Reading Room Dayva Television film
2007 What About Brian Laura 6 episodes
2007 CSI: Miami Samantha Barrish 3 episodes
2007–2012 Gossip Girl Vanessa Abrams Main role (seasons 1–4); special guest star (season 6)
2007 Somebody Help Me Nicole Television film
2010 The City Herself Episode: "The Belle of Elle"
2012 Punk'd Herself Episode: "Hayden Panettiere"
2013 Men at Work Jenny Episode: "Long Distance Tyler"
2014 Lucky in Love Mira Simon Television film
2015 Complications Gretchen Polk Main role
2015 Kingdom Laura Melvin 5 episodes
2015 CSI: Cyber Carmen Lopez / Blaze / Det. April Castilla Episode: "Gone in 6 Seconds"
2017 Twin Peaks[38] Renee 3 episodes
2017–2018 Shameless[39] Nessa Chabon 11 episodes
2019–present The Orville Talla Keyali Main cast (seasons 2–present)

Music videos

Year Title Artist(s) Role
2007 "Best Days" Matt White
2007 "Over You" Daughtry Sarah
2011 "Sunday" Hurts Eurydice
2013 "22" Taylor Swift Swift's best friend
2014 "Already Home" A Great Big World
2016 "Where's the Love?" The Black Eyed Peas featuring The World Cameo

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Workstation Result
2011 MTV Movie Award Best Scared-As-S**t Performance Piranha 3D Nominated

References

  1. ^ Madeleine Marr (March 16, 2009). "Jessica Szohr isn't a glamour girl". The Miami Herald. p. A8.
  2. ^ Engelking, Carl (May 12, 2011). "Menomonee Falls' Jessica Szohr Dropped From 'Gossip Girl'". Patch.
  3. ^ a b "World's Most Beautiful 2010! – Jessica Szohr". People. Time. April 28, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2010.
  4. ^ "Jessica Szohr Bakes with Grandma - Jessica Szohr : People.com". Archived from the original on December 7, 2012.
  5. ^ a b Bialek, Nan (March 7, 2011). "Girl, uninterrupted". gmtoday.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Seventeen Interviews Jessica Szohr from Gossip Girl!". Seventeen. March 13, 2009. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2010.
  7. ^ "Jessica Szohr". US Magazine. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  8. ^ "JESSICA SZOHR as VANESSA ABRAMS". The CW. Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  9. ^ "Gossip Girl Transformations". InStyle. Archived from the original on May 5, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2010.
  10. ^ Eichinger, Elle (July 23, 2015). "Jessica Szohr: It's complicated". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on July 27, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  11. ^ "Stacy Keibler and Jessica Szohr Join What About Brian". Movie Web. December 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  12. ^ Ausiello, Michael (September 16, 2007). "Exclusive Girl Gossip: Brian Babe Joins Cast!". TV Guide. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
  13. ^ Byrne, Fiona (November 20, 2007). "The Night We Met Vanessa From 'Gossip Girl' and Didn't Kill Her". New York Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  14. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (October 15, 2008). "'Gossip Girl' Author Is A 'Faithful Watcher' Of The TV Series — Although One Thing Was 'Ruined' …". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  15. ^ Dodd, Stacy (September 23, 2007). "Jessica Szohr". Variety. PMC. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  16. ^ "The Blair Bitch Project". Gossip Girl. Season 1. Episode 14. April 21, 2008. The CW.
  17. ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 9, 2011). "Gossip Girl Exclusive: Taylor Momsen and Jessica Szohr Not Returning For Season 5". TVLine. PMC. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  18. ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (December 17, 2012). "'Gossip Girl' series finale: Talk about it here! (Updated)". Entertainment Weekly. Time. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 26, 2009). "Jessica Szohr added to 'Piranha 3-D'". Variety. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  20. ^ "Jessica Szohr to Be Devoured by Piranhas". New York Magazine. June 5, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  21. ^ a b E. Osterhout, Jacob (August 15, 2010). "'Gossip Girl' star Jessica Szohr battles her fear of deep lakes in 'Piranha 3D'". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  22. ^ Connelly, Brendon (January 15, 2010). "Piranha 3D Pushed Back At Least Four Months, Might Not Even Be 3D". Slash Film. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  23. ^ "Piranha 3D: For Your Consideration". Funny or Die. August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  24. ^ "Agron & Szohr Land Top Breakthrough Honors". W.E.N.N. August 16, 2010. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  25. ^ Scott, Mike (April 27, 2010). "Dermot Mulroney to try directing with new Orleans-shot romantic comedy". Nola. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  26. ^ McNary, Dave (May 26, 2009). "Thesps join 'Hirokin' list'". Variety. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
  27. ^ Kit, Borys (October 25, 2010). "EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Cross, Jessica Szohr Starring in Indie 'Art Machine'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2010.
  28. ^ "Dianna Agron gets Punk'd by Jessica Szohr and Hayden Panettier!". Facebook. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  29. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 5, 2013). "Jessica Szohr To Star In Fox's 'List', Camille Guaty & Elizabeth Pena Join ABC Comedies". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
  30. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (May 8, 2013). "Fox Picks Up Dramas 'Rake', 'Gang Related', 'Sleepy Hollow' And 'Almost Human'". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  31. ^ Ausiello, Michael (November 22, 2013). "Pilot Scoop: Alums of Grey's, Leverage, Gossip Girl Join Jason O'Mara in USA's Complications". TVLine. PMC. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  32. ^ Petski, Denise (June 4, 2015). "Natalie Martinez & Jessica Szohr Join DirecTV's 'Kingdom'". Deadline. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  33. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 12, 2018). "'The Orville': Jessica Szohr Cast As Series Regular For Season 2 Of Fox Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  34. ^ Frederick, Brendan (October 22, 2008). "Jess is More". "Complex". Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  35. ^ Cardoza, Riley (January 13, 2021). "Jessica Szohr Gives Birth". Usweekly.com. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  36. ^ Boucher, Ashley (September 23, 2020). "Gossip Girl's Jessica Szohr Expecting First Child With Brad Richardson". People.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  37. ^ Beard, Lanford (May 16, 2022). "Jessica Szohr Is Engaged to NHL Player Brad Richardson: 'I Said Yes!'". People.com. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  38. ^ "'Twin Peaks': Here is the Full Cast of David Lynch's Showtime Reboot". April 25, 2016.
  39. ^ "'Shameless' Enlists Jessica Szohr for Season 8 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 22, 2017.

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