Why Rory From Accepted Looks So Familiar

There's a lot of anxiety associated with going to college these days. From the rising cost of tuition to the competition of vying for a limited number of spots, it's easy to understand why some people would just want to avoid higher learning in general. A truly underrated comedy flick from 2006 called Accepted taps into this aspect of the zeitgeist — and years later, the film has now cracked into Netflix's list of ten most-watched movies in the U.S.

One thing that may catch a lot of new viewers by surprise is how many of the actors look familiar. Watching Accepted today introduces you to a young Jonah Hill in one of his earliest film roles pre-Superbad. Blake Lively also makes an appearance in one of the few film roles she had before she landed a spot on Gossip Girl. There's a host of other extremely funny actors who lend their talents to Accepted, and while you may not immediately be able to place her name, Maria Thayer, who plays Rory in the movie, has an exceptional résumé – with credits in everything from 30 Rock to You're the Worst. Here are some of Thayer's most recognizable roles over the years.

Comedy is a fickle thing. Some shows and movies get released with minimal audience reception due to having sensibilities that are out of sync with what everyone else is doing at the time, but manage to find a fanbase years later. Such was the case for a little Comedy Central series that ran for 30 episodes from 1999 to 2000: Strangers with Candy, which follows a woman in her 40s returning to high school after she previously dropped out and pursued a life of crime. Looking back at the series today, it's pretty astonishing to see how much comedic talent was present. Its cast includes the likes of Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, Alan Tudyk, and, of course, Maria Thayer. 

Thayer plays Tammi Littlenut, one of the regular high school students who befriends Jeri (Sedaris) over the course of the series and often serves as the straight man to Jeri's wackier personality. Strangers with Candy may not have lasted long, but over time, it found a larger audience. In 2005, the series got its own prequel movie, in which much of the original cast, including Thayer, returned to show what Jeri was like earlier in her high school career. 

Forgetting Sarah Marshall tells the story of composer Peter Bretter (Jason Segel), who dated famous actress Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) five years before she breaks up with him unexpectedly. To get over the split, Peter travels to Hawaii for a relaxing vacation. The only problem is that Sarah has booked a stay at the same resort with her new boyfriend, bad-boy musician Aldous Snow (Russell Brand). Awkwardness is the name of the game, but Peter isn't the only one with problems, as he meets the not-so-blissful newlywed couple Darald (Jack McBrayer) and Wyoma (Maria Thayer).

The two waited until marriage to get intimate physically, and Darald is pretty horrified to discover his new wife is a nymphomaniac. She wants to try all kinds of crazy things in bed, which Darald reluctantly agrees to in order to make her happy. Their characters may not have been compatible, but it was abundantly clear there was comedic chemistry between the two actors playing them. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Maria Thayer and Jack McBrayer would reunite shortly after Forgetting Sarah Marshall in an episode of 30 Rock in which NBC page Kenneth (McBrayer) dates a blind woman, played by Thayer, and has Tracy (Tracy Morgan) do all the talking for him.

If you're a fan of sitcoms, then you've probably seen Maria Thayer on your television screen frequently over the years. She's made appearances in the likes of Arrested Development, Man Seeking Woman, and New Girl, but anyone who tuned into NBC for the final season of Superstore likely knows her as Hannah, the lawyer who forges a brief romance with Jonah (Ben Feldman) right before the series finale. While she starts off as an attorney for Carol (Irene White), who sues the company after getting injured, Hannah proves she's not as duplicitous as she first let on — and it makes for a bit of awkwardness once Jonah's ex Amy (America Ferrera) comes back into the picture after initially leaving for California. 

From movies to TV, Maria Thayer has maintained a strong, consistent screen career for better part of two decades now. Suffice to say she'll be making audiences laugh for some time to come.