Anna Faris
Those who are familiar with Anna Faris from her breakout role as Cindy in Scary Movie and its many sequels are sometimes confused to see her transform from the brunette she plays in the first two movies to the blonde she plays in the last two. Faris dyed her hair dark while trying to parody Neve Campbell in the first movies. In the following two sequels of Scary Movie and her other movie and television roles, she appears with her natural hair color, blonde.
Faris was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 29, 1976, yet grew up just north of Seattle in Edmonds, Washington . Once her parents found she enjoyed putting on plays with the neighborhood kids, they encouraged her to pursue acting. Faris was nine when she received her first acting role at the Seattle Repertory Theatre. Due to her desire to get an education, she put her acting dreams on hold and attended the University of Washington , graduating with a degree in English Literature. She then moved to London to pursue acting and writing work, and filmed the movie Lover’s Lane.
After living in London for a short time, Faris moved to Los Angeles and immediately found her big break, being cast as Cindy in the first film in the Scary Movie series, which had her starring with Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, and Shannon Elizabeth. Not only was it her first major success, but the movie brought her even more success, and Faris went on to film three sequels, Scary Movie 2, Scary Movie 3, and Scary Movie 4. These sequels were also filmed with The Wayans brothers, as well as other celebrated actors such as James Woods, Pamela Anderson, Charlie Sheen, and Carmen Electra.
Using the Scary Movie franchise to prove that she could pull off comedy, Faris’ next role was as one of Rob Schneider’s friends in The Hot Chick. Moving away from “campy” type of comedic roles, Faris starred with Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and Giovanni Ribisi in Lost in Translation. This movie, written and directed by Sofia Coppola, has been rumored to echo the people and situations in Coppola’s life. Faris’ role is said to equal that of Cameron Diaz, who had worked with Coppola’s ex-husband, Spike Jonze.
Faris guest-starred occasionally in television comedies, most notably King of the Hill, as two separate characters in two separate episodes, and also on Friends, as the birth mother to the baby Monica and Chandler wish to adopt. A few forgettable comedic movies followed such as Southern Belles and Waiting, and then Faris found herself trying her luck with drama. She found success with the surprise hit, Brokeback Mountain, a movie about two cowboys that harbor a secret romantic relationship. The movie starred Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and was directed by Ang Lee.
With the knowledge that she could act in drama, Faris filmed 3 & 3 with Kathy Bates, and then returned to comedy with Just Friends, starring as a singer with a crush on her record producer. In the romantic comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Faris starred as one of the love interests of Luke Wilson, competing for his attention with Uma Thurman.
Rumors exist that in the future Faris could be filming Scary Movie 5. She has been named to the Maxim Hot 100 List and was also the inspiration for the song, “Hello Anna,” by Autopunch. The lead singer says that the song isn’t about Anna Faris, it’s simply written for her.
September 2008 saw Anna gracing the cover of Playboy magazine after appearing as a Playboy Playmate House Bunny in the movie of the same name. |
