Molly Gordon
Gordon in 2018
Born (1995-12-06) December 6, 1995 (age 28)[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, director, writer
Years active2001–present
Parents

Molly June Gordon is an American actress, screenwriter and director.

She is best known for her roles in the drama TV series Animal Kingdom (2016–2018), and comedy films Life of the Party (2018), Booksmart (2019), and Good Boys (2019). In 2023, she played the recurring character Claire on the FX series The Bear.

Early life

Gordon was born and raised in Venice, Los Angeles, to Jewish parents.[2][3][4] She is the daughter of director Bryan Gordon and writer-director Jessie Nelson.[5][2] She performed on the LA stage from a young age, and grew up with actor Ben Platt, with whom she starred in productions of Fiddler on the Roof at age four and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying at age five.[6] Along with Platt and Beanie Feldstein, another childhood friend, Gordon formed a group called the Theater Geeks of America, which often performed at local retirement homes.[3] She regularly watched the sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live and attended performances by comedy troupe The Groundlings, leading her to an interest pursuing comedic acting.[5][7] She portrayed Dot in her high school's performance of Sunday in the Park with George when she was 17.[8] She briefly attended New York University, leaving after two weeks due to dissatisfaction with her program, and instead enrolled in night classes and worked as a hostess at Balthazar.[6][4][9]

Career

Gordon's first film appearance was in Nelson's 2001 drama film I Am Sam as Callie,[10][11] followed by her portrayal of a trick-or-treater in Nora Ephron's 2005 film Bewitched.[11]

Gordon moved to New York City in 2014 to attend New York University and to pursue acting as a profession.[5] After leaving NYU, she performed in various minor roles in off-Broadway, television, and film productions. In August 2015, she was cast as Nicky in the TNT pilot Animal Kingdom, based on the 2010 Australian film of the same name.[12] The pilot was picked up with a 10-episode order in December 2015,[13] and the series debuted on June 14, 2016,[14] with Gordon as a series regular.[12]

She played Maddie, the daughter of Melissa McCarthy's character, in the 2018 comedy film Life of the Party.[10]

Gordon began rehearsals to portray Alice Spencer in the Off-Broadway production of Alice by Heart in December 2018. The musical was directed and co-written by her mother, Jessie Nelson, and Steven Sater, and opened at the MCC Theater on February 26, 2019.[15] The show's run concluded in May 2019.[8] Gordon portrayed Annabelle, or "Triple A," in the 2019 comedy film Booksmart, directed by Olivia Wilde. The film attracted Gordon due to its "kooky" characters that she found to "have such a grounded realism in them."[8] In 2019, she also appeared in three episodes of Ramy Youssef and Chris Storer's Ramy.[4][9]

In 2021, Gordon appeared in Emma Seligman's debut feature film Shiva Baby, playing Rachel Sennott's ex-girlfriend, Maya.

On June 9, 2022, it was announced that Gordon would produce, star in, and codirect the musical comedy film Theater Camp, inspired by the 2020 short film of the same name cowritten with Noah Galvin, Ben Platt, and Nick Lieberman.[16][17] In the film, Gordon portrays Rebecca-Diane, the musical director at AdirondACTS, a children's summer camp.[4] The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023.[18] While editing the film, Gordon was offered the role of Jeremy Allen White's love interest, Claire, in the second season of The Bear, which premiered in June 2023.[19]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2001 I Am Sam Callie
2005 Bewitched Trick-Or-Treater
2015 Ithaca Mary Arena
Love the Coopers Lauren Hesselberg
2018 Life of the Party Maddie Miles
2019 Booksmart Annabelle "Triple A"
Good Boys Hannah
2020 Theater Camp Silvia Ray Short film; also writer and producer[20]
Shiva Baby Maya
The Broken Hearts Gallery Amanda
2022 Am I OK? Kat
There There Unnamed
2023 You People Liza
Theater Camp Rebecca-Diane Also co-director, screenwriter, and producer[21]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2015 Sin City Saints Megan Episode: "Because Vegas"
Orange Is the New Black Stacy Episode: "Don't Make Me Come Back There"
2016–2018 Animal Kingdom Nicky Belmont Main role (Seasons 1–3); 26 episodes
2018 Our Cartoon President Sarah Huckabee Sanders (voice) Recurring role; 9 episodes
2019–2022 Ramy Sarah Recurring role; 3 episodes
2022–2023 Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Linda Zafrani Main role
2023 The Bear Claire Recurring role

Podcasts

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2022 The Big Lie Young Woman [22]

Theatre

Year Title Role Venue Notes
2019 Alice by Heart Alice Spencer MCC Theater Off-Broadway

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Project Result Ref.
2023 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Best Music Themed Film or Musical Theater Camp Nominated [23]
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Breakout Filmmaker of the Year Nominated [24]
Locarno Film Festival Prix du public UBS (Audience Award) Nominated [25]
Seattle International Film Festival Best Film First runner-up [26]
Best Futurewave Feature Nominated
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) Nominated [27]
Jury Award Won
2024 Astra Film Awards Best Song "Camp Isn't Home" (from Theater Camp) Nominated [28]
Independent Spirit Awards Best First Screenplay Theater Camp Pending [29]
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Bear Pending [30]

References

  1. ^ Imbornone, Carina (August 20, 2019). "Molly Gordon has never done molly". Interviewmagazine.com. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "18 Things to Know About Molly Gordon". Alma. 20 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b Handler, Rachel (March 26, 2021). "Molly Gordon Didn't Mean to Steal That Scene". Vulture. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Schama, Chloe (July 10, 2023). "The Molly Gordon Moment is About to Begin". Vogue. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Nordstrom, Leigh (March 21, 2019). "Molly Gordon". Women's Wear Daily. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Sutton, Samantha (June 4, 2018). "Molly Gordon Is the Actress Everyone in Hollywood Is Talking About". Coveteur. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  7. ^ Gohd, Shana (March 26, 2021). "Molly Gordon Didn't Mean to Steal That Scene". Vulture. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Zuckerman, Esther (May 9, 2019). "What It's Like Playing Mortal Enemies in 'Booksmart' for Three Real-Life Best Friends". Thrillist. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Rankin, Seija (July 14, 2023). "Molly Gordon on Making Directorial Debut 'Theater Camp' and Reuniting with Ayo Edibiri on 'The Bear'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Kit, Borys (July 28, 2016). "Animal Kingdom' Star Joins Melissa McCarthy Comedy 'Life of the Party' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Molly Gordon List of Movies and TV Shows". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  12. ^ a b Petski, Denise (August 25, 2015). "Molly Gordon Rounds Out 'Animal Kingdom' Cast; 'Orange Is The New Black' Adds 3 Recurring". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (December 10, 2015). "Animal Kingdom,' 'Good Behavior' Nab TNT Series Orders". The Hollywood Reporter. Valence Media. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  14. ^ Petski, Denise (May 11, 2016). "TNT Pushes 'Animal Kingdom' Premiere, Expands To Two Hours – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  15. ^ Moynihan, Caitlin (December 17, 2018). "Down the Rabbit Hole! The Cast and Creative Team of Alice by Heart Prepare for Off-Broadway". Broadway.com. John Gore Organization. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  16. ^ Grobar, Matt (June 9, 2022). "Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Amy Sedaris & More Set For Musical Comedy 'Theater Camp' From Picturestart, Topic Studios And Gloria Sanchez Productions". Deadline.
  17. ^ Galuppo, Mia (June 9, 2022). "Ben Platt, Molly Gordon Team for Comedy 'Theater Camp'". Hollywood Reporter.
  18. ^ Major, Michael (December 7, 2022). "THEATER CAMP Starring Ben Platt, Noah Galvin & More to Premiere at Sundance". Broadway World. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  19. ^ Jackson, Hannah (July 13, 2023). "Molly Gordon Wears Her Heart on Her Sleeve". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  20. ^ Meyer, Dan (April 1, 2020). "Watch Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, and More in Their Short Film Theater Camp". Playbill. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  21. ^ HALL, MARGARET (June 10, 2022). "Ben Platt and Noah Galvin-Penned Theater Camp Begins Production". Playbill. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
  22. ^ Todd Spangler (June 1, 2022). "Audible Drops Trailer for 'The Big Lie' Podcast Drama Starring Jon Hamm, Set in '50s Hollywood Blacklist Era". Variety. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "Nominations unveiled for Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2023". Shoot Online. November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS) Nominations: 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer' Lead". AwardsWatch. 2023-12-08.
  25. ^ Roxborough, Scott (2023-07-05). "Locarno Film Festival Unveils 2023 Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  26. ^ "20,000 Species of Bees, Dancing Queen, Next Sohee, The Fishbowl, Mutt, Against The Tide, and 26.2 to Life win top awards at 49th Annual Seattle International Film Festival". Seattle International Film Festival. May 21, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  27. ^ Erbland, Kate (2022-12-07). "Sundance 2023 Lineup: New Films from Nicole Holofcener, Brandon Cronenberg, Jonathan Majors, & More". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  28. ^ "Newly Rebranded Hollywood Creative Alliance Announce Nominations for the 2024 Astra Awards". Awardsdaily. 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
  29. ^ Keates, Emma (December 5, 2023). "Here are all the nominees for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit awards". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  30. ^ "Nominations Announced for the 30th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®" (Press release). Screen Actors Guild. January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.

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