Catherine Keener

Catherine Keener is one of the great faces of North American independent cinema, to which she has remained faithful for years of her career. These types of films have witnessed the good performance of her acting, although they have distanced her from the Hollywood firmament. However, they have enabled her to remain true to herself.

Catherine was born on March 23, 1959 in Miami. Her film debut was in 1986 as a high schooler, in the drama The Education of Allison Tate . Her first roles were of this type in titles such as Road of No Return (1989) or A Very Doubtful Blonde (1991). In fact, it’s safe to say that her career as an independent film muse didn’t begin until Tom DiCillo cast her as one of the leads in her first film, Johnny Suede (1991). The main role of her was played by an unknown Brad Pitt, but the most important thing about this title is that Tom noticed Catherine. The director is one of the most recognized in North American independent cinema and counted on Catherine for her first four projects. After Johnny Suede came Live Rolling (1995), Box of Moonlight (1996) and A Real Blonde (1997). In Live Rolling and Box of Moonlight he shared the bill with Dermot Mulroneywith whom he had married in 1990. The marriage lasted until 2007 and as a result a boy was born who is 9 years old today. Mulroney was also an independent film actor, although little by little he was abandoning these struggles to enter the more commercial field with titles such as My Best Friend’s Wedding . In Real Blonde , DiCillo paired her with Matthew Modine .

As an independent film actress, her resume is full of titles from different directors, to say the least. DiCillo’s peculiarities gave way to those of Steven Soderbergh , who shares his most commercial facet – the Ocean’s saga – with risky and experimental low-budget projects. Such is the case of A Very Dangerous Romance (1998) and Full Frontal (2002), titles in which Catherine participated, which include both aspects. She can also be defined as Neil LaBute , another of the most recognized filmmakers of independent cinema. For him she worked in Friends & Neighbors (1998), where she was the girlfriend of Ben Stiller .

In Catherine’s career there are also concessions to commercial cinema, although they can be considered rather as the exception that proves the norm. Such is the case of her interpretation of Nicolas Cage ‘s wife in the thriller Murder on 8 mm (1999), of her role as a law enforcement officer in The Interpreter (2005), and of the woman who falls in love with Steve Carell in the comedy Virgin at 40 (2005). She can also be considered a concession to commercial cinema for her supporting role of her in S1m0ne (2002), although curiously, the film is a harsh criticism of the Hollywood system.

However, it is in independent cinema where Catherine moves like a fish in water, as well as being the one that has most recognized her talent. Catherine has been nominated twice for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, both times for an independent film. The first was thanks to the great and surreal Being John Malkovich (1999), by Spike Jonze , where she was a femme fatale who lived an affair with the protagonist John Cusack . Her next nomination came from Harper Lee , Truman Capote ‘s Best Friend (2005), in the film directed by Bennett Miller .

If in her day she was a fetish actress for Tom DiCillo, now she is for director Nicole Holofcener . He worked for her in the family drama Lovely & Amazing (2001) and in Friends with Money (2006), where she once again had a disenchanted and lost character along the lines of Friends & Neighbors ; and she has just confirmed her presence in the director’s new project, still without a headline. Among her most recent work is her humane portrayal of hippy Jan Burres in Into the Wilderness ( 2007). She is now about to reach Spanish screens at the hands of a complex and extraordinary character, interpretively speaking. Catherine has starred alongside Ellen Pagethe hard-hitting drama based on real events An American Crime , where he has been a human monster who mistreats little girls.

How could it be otherwise, her future is still linked to independent cinema thanks to Nicole Holofcener, and Synecdoche, New York and Where the Wild Things Are . The first marks the directorial debut of Charlie Kaufman , original screenwriter of Being John Malkovich , with what the film promises. The second, for its part, involves the reunion of Catherine with Spike Jonze, director of How to be… However, this time, it is a family title, although it will surely have the house mark of the peculiar Jonze .

All these data confirm the important presence of Catherine Keener in independent cinema. Beyond the fact that she often plays secondary characters, it is impossible to get to know this cinematographic trend without noticing the excellent work of her muse.