Why Karen From Halloween Kills Looks So Familiar
The 2018 "Halloween" may have been known for bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and for ignoring any of the other films in the franchise other than the 1978 original, but it also introduced a plethora of original and memorable characters in its own right. One of these characters is Karen Nelson (Judy Greer), Laurie's daughter. Their relationship in "Halloween" is less than stellar, as Karen resents her mother for her overbearing paranoia over her near-death experience with Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney/Nick Castle).
Greer is set to reprise her role in "Halloween Kills," which arrives on October 15 in theaters and on streaming service Peacock. Prior to that, however, the actress has had a wide and varied career. This includes starring and supporting roles on both movies and long-running television shows. It wouldn't be surprising if some viewers find that she looks familiar when they sit down to watch "Halloween Kills" in the coming weeks. Here are some of Greer's more notable roles.
Judy Greer works as a fashion magazine editor in 13 Going on 30
While not exactly a huge critical success at the time, only garnering a 65% on Rotten Tomatoes, "13 Going on 30" was nevertheless a win for those involved, grossing over $96 million at the worldwide box office (per Box Office Mojo). The film focuses on a 13-year-old Jenna Rink (Christa B. Allen) making a wish to become 30 and, because of movie magic, she actually does. Jennifer Garner steps into the role for most of the rest of the film, and what unfolds is a pretty standard but oddly charming romantic comedy film.
Greer appears as Lucy Wyman in "13 Going on 30," Jenna's childhood best friend and co-editor of the fashion magazine where they both now work. It's something of a villainous role for Greer, and the actress chews up the scenery whenever she can, truly helping the audience despise her character. This was a nice early indication of the character actor that Greer would one day become.
She portrayed a lovelorn woman in The Village
Director M. Night Shyamalan is perhaps best known for his horror and thriller movies, which usually always contain some kind of big twist ending, for better or worse. While this worked well for two of his first high profile films, "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable," the technique eventually started to wane on some critics. This probably led to a less-than-stellar reaction to "The Village" when it released in 2004. Critics were divided on the twist ending, feeling that it didn't live up to the director's earlier efforts.
Still, the cast involved in "The Village" was stacked, with A-listers like Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Sigourney Weaver involved in the project. Once again proving her character actor skills, however, was Greer as Kitty Walker, a lovelorn woman who turns in a purely dramatic performance. It's completely unlike her role in "13 Going on 30," and she absolutely holds her own against the other big names in the film.
Greer was a mother in Jurassic World
The cast for the "Jurassic World" movies is nothing short of stacked in the best way. The first film stars Chris Pratt in the lead role of Owen Grady, Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, Ty Simpkins as Gray Mitchell, and Nick Robinson as Gray's brother Zach Mitchell. It's also filled with supporting actors like Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, and BD Wong. Still, also included in the cast, admittedly in a much smaller role than others in "Jurassic World," is Greer as Karen Mitchell, mother of Zach and Gray and sister to Claire.
Greer only appears in a handful of scenes, and they're usually via phone conversation with Zach, Gray, or Claire. Still, it's a role that's very much connected to the bigger stars of the film, and one has to wonder why they haven't brought her back for the two succeeding films. Either way, it's just further proof of the actor's versatility. Also, a fun little factoid is that she has the same first name in "Jurassic World" as her character in the recent "Halloween" films.
She played a superhero's ex-wife in Ant-Man
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with odd superheroes, but there's perhaps no one odder than the title character in "Ant-Man." Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a career criminal, becomes the titular Ant-Man to pull off a heist for Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), who was once the original Ant-Man. While most MCU films contain some element of comedy, "Ant-Man" embraced the comedy thanks to leading star Rudd's charms. The film was a pretty big success, grossing $519 million at the global box office.
As has been a pattern for the actress, Greer stepped into a supporting role as the mother of their child and Lang's ex-wife, Maggie. It was something of a subdued role for the character actress, seeing her express disappointment over and over again at Lang's continued criminal activity, whatever his reasons. In fact, as much as the film relied on comedy, not a lot of it came from Greer, which was pretty unusual given her past experience with comedy. Either way, this was yet another big project for Greer, and she also returned to the role for 2018's "Ant-Man and the Wasp."