Leslie Mann
In the past, the media has often been dismissive of Leslie Mann as an actress, suggesting that she owes her success to her husband – writer/producer/director Judd Apatow. While it is certainly true that many of her roles have been in his projects, you just have to watch them to understand that it is not marital obligation that has delivered her to the uppermost branches of the Hollywood comedy tree, but stellar talent.
After an early role in 1996’s She’s The One, Mann landed the third lead in Ben Stiller’s The Cable Guy (her first collaboration with producer Apatow), and proved to be an able foil for Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey. After appearances in George Of The Jungle and Big Daddy, Mann stole the show with her brief appearance in The 40 Year Old Virgin as drunken Nicky, who meets Steve Carrell’s Andy in a bar.
Rising in status, Mann was soon occupying leading roles in films such as Funny People, The Change-Up, This Is 40 and The Other Woman – proving repeatedly that she can more than hold her own opposite fellow comedy successes, such as Adam Sandler, Melissa McCarthy, Paul Rudd and Jason Bateman.
Published: Aug 12, 2014 11:22 am