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Renowned as the “Queen of Indies,” Parker Posey is an esteemed American actress celebrated for her captivating portrayals in independent films. Her distinctive mix of charm and quirkiness has made a lasting impact on the indie film landscape, garnering devoted fans and widespread critical acclaim for her impressive body of work. She also appeared in Blade Trinity.
Parker Posey
However, Posey is no stranger to the challenges faced by an indie darling. Despite her breakout in Party Girl, she found herself typecast as an indie actress early in her career. This led to missing out on mainstream roles, which were instead awarded to stars like Sandra Bullock and Julia Roberts. Posey candidly shared how she auditioned for Speed, only to see the role go to Bullock, and even her own agent expressing that she was deemed “too indie.“
In the early 2000s, following her iconic role in Scream 3, Parker Posey candidly revealed, that she wasn’t really being offered anything substantial. Despite auditioning for remarkable roles, she found herself losing out to bigger names such as Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock, who ultimately claimed those coveted parts.
“I wasn’t really getting offered anything good,” Posey said. “I would audition for all these great parts that ended up going to bigger names like Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock.”
Matt Damon in a still from the Bourne franchise
In her quest for more significant roles, she humorously suggested to her agent about playing Matt Damon’s ex-wife in a couple of action movie scenes. However, even those opportunities eluded her. Curious about the feedback, she inquired, only to be informed that she was dismissed as “too indie” for such roles.
“‘Can’t I just be Matt Damon’s ex-wife in two or three scenes of some action movie?’ I would never get those either. I asked what the feedback was and my agent told me, ‘They say you’re too indie.’”
The characterization similarly impacted Posey’s standing in the world of Broadway.
The Label Haunted Parker Posey For Years
As a consequence of the label, Posey’s position in the Broadway realm suffered. Producers of the 2012 Yale Repertory Theater play The Realistic Joneses replaced her with Marisa Tomei when the production moved to Broadway. “It was not a very happy time,” Posey said. “But, hey, that’s how the industry works.“
Parker Posey
Throughout her extensive career spanning decades, Posey drew inspiration from her experience with Nora Ephron. Despite initially being cut from Sleepless in Seattle, she later had the opportunity to collaborate with Ephron on projects like Mixed Nuts, and You’ve Got Mail, which left a lasting impact on her artistic journey.
Posey fondly recalled Nora Ephron’s unwavering support and encouragement, mentioning how Nora bestowed upon her the praise of being a “gifted comedienne,” a compliment she had never received before.
Party Girl is available for streaming on Pluto TV.
