TMC
2012-12-14 07:37:04 UTC
http://lebeauleblog.com/2012/09/30/what-the-hell-happened-to-jennifer-jason-leigh/
Posted by lebeau
Jennifer Jason Leigh first caught audience’s attention as part of the
talented cast of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the early 90′s, she
became a critical darling and flirted with mainstream success. But
she became bored with the roles she was offered in typical Hollywood
movies and gravitated towards edgier fare. As a result, she never
quite caught on with the general public. What the hell happened?
Actually, there’s not a big mystery here. The intro gives it all
away. Leigh eschewed standard “girlfriend” roles in favor of the kind
of movies she found more interesting. But let’s walk through her
career anyway to see how it all went down.
Jennifer Jason Leigh was born Jennifer Leigh Morrow. Early in her
career, she changed her stage name to honor family friend, Jason
Robards. If that last name seems familiar, it’s because Leigh is the
daughter of actor Vic Morrow. Tragically, Morrow was killed in a
helicopter accident while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1982.
Leigh and her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Warner
Brothers, director John Landis and producer Stephen Spielberg for
Morrow’s death. The suit was settled out of court. Leigh was 20
years old at the time.
Leigh started acting herself when she was 16. She started with roles
in TV shows like Baretta and The Waltons. This led to a number of TV
movies. Most notably, Leigh starred as an anorexic teen in The Best
Little Girl in the World in 1981. Leigh replaced Jodie Foster who was
originally slated to star. At the time, Leigh weighed 98 pounds, but
she dieted to get down to 86 pounds for the role.
In 1982, Leigh appeared in the teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont
High opposite the likes of Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates,
Forest Whitaker, Nicolas Cage and Anthony Edwards.
Fast Times was written by Cameron Crowe based on his book of the same
name. Crowe based the book on his experiences going undercover at a
San Diego high school. As a result, it’s much edgier than your
average John Hughes high school comedy.
Fast Times got good reviews and is still well-regarded today. It was
a hit at the box office and propelled many of its young cast on to
stardom.
In 1983, Leigh tried to earn some respect (sorry, couldn’t resist)
playing Rodney Dangerfield’s spoiled daughter in the comedy, Easy
Money. The critics were not kind to Easy Money. But Leigh’s part was
small anyway. She was paying her dues.
Leigh continued dues paying opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze
and C. Thomas Howell in the 1984 comedy-drama Grandview USA.
In 1985, Leigh starred opposite Rutger Hauer in Paul Verhoven’s Flesh
and Blood. I am kicking myself for having passed this little gem up
in the video store all those times. I had no idea it was Verhoven. I
am going to have to track this one down.
In 1986, Leigh had a small role in the appropriately titiled drama,
The Men’s Club. She had a higher profile role in the cult thriller,
The Hitcher.
The Hitcher reunited Leigh with two former co-stars. C. Thomas Howell
starred with Leigh in Grandview USA and Rutger Hauer was in Flesh and
Bone. Leigh agreed to make The Hitcher largely because she wanted to
work with Hauer again.
At the time of its release, The Hitcher was seen as an exploitation
film and was panned by critics. It was not especially successful at
the box office either. But over time, it developed a following on
video. Years later, Howell returned for a direct-to-video sequel.
And in 2007, it was re-made.
Leigh’s next significant role was opposite Kevin Bacon in Christopher
Guests’s show biz comedy, The Big Picture.
Throughout the 80′s, Leigh struggled to find a place in mainstream
Hollywood fare. But that would change as the 90′s rolled in.
In 1990, Leigh starred in two films that got her a reputation for
brave performances in edgy movies. The first was Last Exit to
Brooklyn, an English-language German film that adapted a controversial
novel. Leigh played a prostitute in the midst of a labor dispute.
The movie dealt with drugs, alcohol, prostitutes and drag queens.
Last Exit to Brooklyn got mostly positive reviews. But reviews for
Leigh’s performance were univerally positive.
Leigh followed that up with another turn as a prostitute opposite Alec
Baldwin in the crime drama, Miami Blues.
Neither film was a big hit at the box office. But they were both
popular with critics who took notice of Leigh’s raw performances. She
was still an unknown with audiences. But she was becoming a darling
of film critics.
In 1991, Leigh tried to break into mainstream Hollywood with a role in
Ron Howard’s summer blockbuster, Backdraft.
The firefighter drama had a talented ensemble that included Kurt
Russell, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Donald Sutherland and Robert
De Niro. Leigh played a more conventional role as William Baldwin’s
supportive girl friend. She expressed disappointment with the
limitations of the part.
She would go on to call Backdraft her least favorite movie role
stating, ”In mainstream movies, the woman’s role is mostly just to
prove that the leading man is heterosexual. I’m not good at that, and
I’m not interested in that.”
Later that year, Leigh returned to her gritty roots opposite Jason
Patric in the crime drama, Rush.
Leigh and Patrick played undercover cops who get in over their heads.
Their narcotics investigation turns them into addicts.
Rush proved too dark for audiences. But once again, the critics took
notice of Leigh’s performance.
In 1992, Leigh starred in another mainstream movie. This time it was
opposite Bridget Fonda in Barbet Schroeder’s thriller, Single White
Female.
Single White Female was released during a glut of stalkerish thrillers
following the success of Fatal Attraction. There was nothing
especially original about SWF, but Leigh’s performance as an unstable
roommate was truly disturbing. It set the movie apart from most of
the other formula thrillers of its day.
Reviews were mixed, but SWF was a modest hit. And Leigh didn’t have
to prove anyone was heterosexual.
In 1993, Leigh appeared as part of a star-studded ensemble in Robert
Altman’s drama, Short Cuts.
Short Cuts adapted several short stories and a poem by author, Raymond
Carver. As such it told several loosely connected stories featuring a
staggering 22 principle characters. Leigh’s segment co-starred Robert
Downey Jr., Chris Penn and Lili Taylor.
Leigh played a phone sex operator who diapers her newborn while
talking to clients. She reportedly interviewed phone sex operators as
part of her research for the role. Leigh imporvised most of her own
dialogue for the phone sex scenes.
The film won a special Golden Globe for the best ensemble and got good
reviews from critics. But it was not a box office hit.
In 1994, Leigh starred opposite Tim Robbins in the Coen brother’s
screwball comedy, The Hudsucker Proxy.
Hudsucker was the Coen brother’s first real bid at mainstream
success. Like Leigh, Joel and Ethan Coen had become favorites of the
critics with independent movies like Miller’s Crossing and Barton
Fink. They collaborated with their old friend Sam Raimi on what they
hoped would be their first mainstream box office hit.
Leigh had auditioned for the Coen brother before but never been cast.
Winona Ryder and Bridget Fonda were both considered for Leigh’s role
in Hudsucker, but the previous auditions gave Leigh an advantage and
she was eventually cast.
Unfortunately for Leigh and the Coens, Hudsucker was not the box
office hit they had been hoping for. It got mixed reviews from
critics who thought it was all style and no substantce. And it bombed
at the box office. It has gone on to acquire a cult following with
the subsequent success of the Coens.
Later that year, Leigh went on to star in Alan Rudolph’s biopic, Mrs.
Parker and the Vicious Circle.
Leigh played Dorothy Parker, a short story writer from the early 20th
century. Rudolph had a difficult time convincing studios to make a
movie about literate women in the 1900′s. So Leigh’s Short Cuts
director, Robert Altman, stepped in as producer.
Rudolph encouraged his talented cast to improvise their dialogue which
led to a chaotic shoot. The film opened to mixed reviews and was a
failure at the box office.
In 1995, Leigh starred opposite Kathy Bates in Taylor Hackford’s
adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, Dolores Claiborne.
Unlike most King novels, Dolores Claiborne was not a supernatural
horror story. It was more of a gothic thriller telling the story of a
family mystery. Bates played a mother who may or may not have killed
her employer and Leigh played her estranged daughter who returns to
town to help her mother in her hour of need.
Dolores Claiborne received positive reviews and was a modest hit at
the box office.
Later that year, Leigh starred as a self-destructive punk singer
opposite her real-life friend, Mare Winningham in the drama, Georgia.
Georgia was a deeply personal movie for Leigh. It was written by her
mother, Barbara Turner. Leigh and her mother co-produced the film and
cast family friend, Winningham, as Leigh’s older sister.
The movie was expected to earn Leigh her first-ever Oscar nomination.
But instead, Leigh was passed over by the Academy and Winningham was
nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Despite good reviews and some
awards attention, Georgia was a failure at the box office.
In 1996, Leigh reunited with director Robert Altman for the jazz-
infused crime drama, Kansas City. She also starred in a Showtime
original movie about child abuse, Bastard Out of Carolina directed by
Angelica Huston. Neither film was noticed by mainstream audiences.
In 1997, Leigh appeared in a supporting role opposite Michelle
Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange in A Thousand Acres.
A Thousand Acres came out during what I call Pfeiffer’s Oprah Book
Club period. Pfeiffer starred in quite a few adaptations of popular
women’s novels during this time. But most of them were failures both
critically and commercially. A Thousand Acres was no exception.
That same year, Leigh starred opposite Albert Finney in Washington
Square. Once again, critics raved and audiences stayed home.
In 1999, Leigh starred opposite Jude Law in David Cronenberg’s trippy
sci-fi thriller, Existenz.
In the past, I have gotten grief for recommending Existenz to
friends. I have finally come to the conclusion that there are two
kinds of people in the world; those who “get” Cronenberg and those who
don’t. If you’re a Cronenberg fan, odds are you have already seen and
enjoyed Existenz. Otherwise, it’s probably not going to be your cup
of tea.
Leigh plays a video game designer who has created a virtual reality
game that uses an organic interface instead of a controller. The
movie blurs the line between what is real and what isn’t.
While critics generally liked Existenz, it was a bomb at the box
office.
Leigh had also filmed a scene for Stanley Kubrick’s erotic drama, Eyes
Wide Shut. The film, which starred Tom Cruise, was in development for
years and was released after the legendary director’s death. Leigh’s
scene was cut from the final film.
Leigh continued working in smaller and smaller movies. In 2001, she
had an uncredited role in the Coen brothers’ drama, The Man Who Wasn’t
There. She also co-starred, co-wrote and co-produced The Anniversary
Party with Alan Cumming.
The Anniversary Party was very well reviewed and was nominated for
several Independent Spirit Awards. But it was not noticed by
mainstream audiences.
In 2002, Leigh returned to mainstream movies with a small role
opposite Tom Hanks in Sam Mendes’ crime drama, The Road to Perdition.
Leigh played Hanks’ doomed wife whose death sets Hanks on a path of
bloody revenge. On the upside, Perdition was a rare mainstream hit
for Leigh. Unfortunately, her role in it is very small.
The next year, Leigh starred opposite Meg Ryan in Jane Campion’s
erotic thriller, In the Cut.
In the Cut was a last ditch effort by Ryan to reinvent herself after
tabloid scandal cut short her career in romantic comedies. It is a
fascinating movie to watch for the raw performances by Ryan, Leigh and
Mark Ruffalo. But it is also a messy and disjointed movie. Frankly,
it can be hard to watch.
Audiences and critics alike were ready to savage both Ryan and
Campion. In the Cut was a failure. But an interesting one.
In 2004, Leigh starred opposite an emaciated Christian Bale in The
Machinst.
The Machinst was another small, critically acclaimed drama. Bale’s
dramatic weight loss got the movie some attention. But it was not a
mainstream hit.
In 2005, Leigh appeared opposite Adrien Brody and Kiera Knightley in
the pshchological thriller, The Jacket. Reviews were mixed and the
movie flopped.
In 2007, Leigh starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Jack Black in the
arthouse tragicomedy, Margot at the Wedding.
You can probably guess by now that the movie was a hit with critics
even if most audiences have never heard of it. For her part, Leigh
received several awards nominations from various film critics’ groups.
In 2008, Leigh appeared opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie
Kaufman’s drama, Synecdoche, New York.
Kaufman has a history of writing bizarre movies that are beloved by
critics. Synecdoche was Kaufman’s directorial debut and it polarized
critics. Generally, reaction was favorable. But it was far from the
love-fest of Kaufman’s earlier scripts.
From 2009-2012, Leigh has been appearing as a guest star on Showtime’s
hit cable series, Weeds.
And in 2010, Leigh co-produced and co-starred in the comedy-drama,
Greenberg, which starred Ben Stiller in a rare dramatic role.
Greenberg got mostly favorable reviews. It was a small film, but
Stiller’s presence brought it some attention at the box office.
So, what the hell happened to Jennifer Jason Leigh? Nothing really.
She’s still making the kinds of movies she prefers to make. She’s
still beloved by critics even if most audiences are unfamiliar with
her work. It is really surprising how consistent her career has
remained over such a long period of time. And nobody seems to notice
that she’s still going strong.
Posted by lebeau
Jennifer Jason Leigh first caught audience’s attention as part of the
talented cast of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In the early 90′s, she
became a critical darling and flirted with mainstream success. But
she became bored with the roles she was offered in typical Hollywood
movies and gravitated towards edgier fare. As a result, she never
quite caught on with the general public. What the hell happened?
Actually, there’s not a big mystery here. The intro gives it all
away. Leigh eschewed standard “girlfriend” roles in favor of the kind
of movies she found more interesting. But let’s walk through her
career anyway to see how it all went down.
Jennifer Jason Leigh was born Jennifer Leigh Morrow. Early in her
career, she changed her stage name to honor family friend, Jason
Robards. If that last name seems familiar, it’s because Leigh is the
daughter of actor Vic Morrow. Tragically, Morrow was killed in a
helicopter accident while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1982.
Leigh and her family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Warner
Brothers, director John Landis and producer Stephen Spielberg for
Morrow’s death. The suit was settled out of court. Leigh was 20
years old at the time.
Leigh started acting herself when she was 16. She started with roles
in TV shows like Baretta and The Waltons. This led to a number of TV
movies. Most notably, Leigh starred as an anorexic teen in The Best
Little Girl in the World in 1981. Leigh replaced Jodie Foster who was
originally slated to star. At the time, Leigh weighed 98 pounds, but
she dieted to get down to 86 pounds for the role.
In 1982, Leigh appeared in the teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont
High opposite the likes of Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates,
Forest Whitaker, Nicolas Cage and Anthony Edwards.
Fast Times was written by Cameron Crowe based on his book of the same
name. Crowe based the book on his experiences going undercover at a
San Diego high school. As a result, it’s much edgier than your
average John Hughes high school comedy.
Fast Times got good reviews and is still well-regarded today. It was
a hit at the box office and propelled many of its young cast on to
stardom.
In 1983, Leigh tried to earn some respect (sorry, couldn’t resist)
playing Rodney Dangerfield’s spoiled daughter in the comedy, Easy
Money. The critics were not kind to Easy Money. But Leigh’s part was
small anyway. She was paying her dues.
Leigh continued dues paying opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, Patrick Swayze
and C. Thomas Howell in the 1984 comedy-drama Grandview USA.
In 1985, Leigh starred opposite Rutger Hauer in Paul Verhoven’s Flesh
and Blood. I am kicking myself for having passed this little gem up
in the video store all those times. I had no idea it was Verhoven. I
am going to have to track this one down.
In 1986, Leigh had a small role in the appropriately titiled drama,
The Men’s Club. She had a higher profile role in the cult thriller,
The Hitcher.
The Hitcher reunited Leigh with two former co-stars. C. Thomas Howell
starred with Leigh in Grandview USA and Rutger Hauer was in Flesh and
Bone. Leigh agreed to make The Hitcher largely because she wanted to
work with Hauer again.
At the time of its release, The Hitcher was seen as an exploitation
film and was panned by critics. It was not especially successful at
the box office either. But over time, it developed a following on
video. Years later, Howell returned for a direct-to-video sequel.
And in 2007, it was re-made.
Leigh’s next significant role was opposite Kevin Bacon in Christopher
Guests’s show biz comedy, The Big Picture.
Throughout the 80′s, Leigh struggled to find a place in mainstream
Hollywood fare. But that would change as the 90′s rolled in.
In 1990, Leigh starred in two films that got her a reputation for
brave performances in edgy movies. The first was Last Exit to
Brooklyn, an English-language German film that adapted a controversial
novel. Leigh played a prostitute in the midst of a labor dispute.
The movie dealt with drugs, alcohol, prostitutes and drag queens.
Last Exit to Brooklyn got mostly positive reviews. But reviews for
Leigh’s performance were univerally positive.
Leigh followed that up with another turn as a prostitute opposite Alec
Baldwin in the crime drama, Miami Blues.
Neither film was a big hit at the box office. But they were both
popular with critics who took notice of Leigh’s raw performances. She
was still an unknown with audiences. But she was becoming a darling
of film critics.
In 1991, Leigh tried to break into mainstream Hollywood with a role in
Ron Howard’s summer blockbuster, Backdraft.
The firefighter drama had a talented ensemble that included Kurt
Russell, Scott Glenn, Rebecca De Mornay, Donald Sutherland and Robert
De Niro. Leigh played a more conventional role as William Baldwin’s
supportive girl friend. She expressed disappointment with the
limitations of the part.
She would go on to call Backdraft her least favorite movie role
stating, ”In mainstream movies, the woman’s role is mostly just to
prove that the leading man is heterosexual. I’m not good at that, and
I’m not interested in that.”
Later that year, Leigh returned to her gritty roots opposite Jason
Patric in the crime drama, Rush.
Leigh and Patrick played undercover cops who get in over their heads.
Their narcotics investigation turns them into addicts.
Rush proved too dark for audiences. But once again, the critics took
notice of Leigh’s performance.
In 1992, Leigh starred in another mainstream movie. This time it was
opposite Bridget Fonda in Barbet Schroeder’s thriller, Single White
Female.
Single White Female was released during a glut of stalkerish thrillers
following the success of Fatal Attraction. There was nothing
especially original about SWF, but Leigh’s performance as an unstable
roommate was truly disturbing. It set the movie apart from most of
the other formula thrillers of its day.
Reviews were mixed, but SWF was a modest hit. And Leigh didn’t have
to prove anyone was heterosexual.
In 1993, Leigh appeared as part of a star-studded ensemble in Robert
Altman’s drama, Short Cuts.
Short Cuts adapted several short stories and a poem by author, Raymond
Carver. As such it told several loosely connected stories featuring a
staggering 22 principle characters. Leigh’s segment co-starred Robert
Downey Jr., Chris Penn and Lili Taylor.
Leigh played a phone sex operator who diapers her newborn while
talking to clients. She reportedly interviewed phone sex operators as
part of her research for the role. Leigh imporvised most of her own
dialogue for the phone sex scenes.
The film won a special Golden Globe for the best ensemble and got good
reviews from critics. But it was not a box office hit.
In 1994, Leigh starred opposite Tim Robbins in the Coen brother’s
screwball comedy, The Hudsucker Proxy.
Hudsucker was the Coen brother’s first real bid at mainstream
success. Like Leigh, Joel and Ethan Coen had become favorites of the
critics with independent movies like Miller’s Crossing and Barton
Fink. They collaborated with their old friend Sam Raimi on what they
hoped would be their first mainstream box office hit.
Leigh had auditioned for the Coen brother before but never been cast.
Winona Ryder and Bridget Fonda were both considered for Leigh’s role
in Hudsucker, but the previous auditions gave Leigh an advantage and
she was eventually cast.
Unfortunately for Leigh and the Coens, Hudsucker was not the box
office hit they had been hoping for. It got mixed reviews from
critics who thought it was all style and no substantce. And it bombed
at the box office. It has gone on to acquire a cult following with
the subsequent success of the Coens.
Later that year, Leigh went on to star in Alan Rudolph’s biopic, Mrs.
Parker and the Vicious Circle.
Leigh played Dorothy Parker, a short story writer from the early 20th
century. Rudolph had a difficult time convincing studios to make a
movie about literate women in the 1900′s. So Leigh’s Short Cuts
director, Robert Altman, stepped in as producer.
Rudolph encouraged his talented cast to improvise their dialogue which
led to a chaotic shoot. The film opened to mixed reviews and was a
failure at the box office.
In 1995, Leigh starred opposite Kathy Bates in Taylor Hackford’s
adaptation of Stephen King’s novel, Dolores Claiborne.
Unlike most King novels, Dolores Claiborne was not a supernatural
horror story. It was more of a gothic thriller telling the story of a
family mystery. Bates played a mother who may or may not have killed
her employer and Leigh played her estranged daughter who returns to
town to help her mother in her hour of need.
Dolores Claiborne received positive reviews and was a modest hit at
the box office.
Later that year, Leigh starred as a self-destructive punk singer
opposite her real-life friend, Mare Winningham in the drama, Georgia.
Georgia was a deeply personal movie for Leigh. It was written by her
mother, Barbara Turner. Leigh and her mother co-produced the film and
cast family friend, Winningham, as Leigh’s older sister.
The movie was expected to earn Leigh her first-ever Oscar nomination.
But instead, Leigh was passed over by the Academy and Winningham was
nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Despite good reviews and some
awards attention, Georgia was a failure at the box office.
In 1996, Leigh reunited with director Robert Altman for the jazz-
infused crime drama, Kansas City. She also starred in a Showtime
original movie about child abuse, Bastard Out of Carolina directed by
Angelica Huston. Neither film was noticed by mainstream audiences.
In 1997, Leigh appeared in a supporting role opposite Michelle
Pfeiffer and Jessica Lange in A Thousand Acres.
A Thousand Acres came out during what I call Pfeiffer’s Oprah Book
Club period. Pfeiffer starred in quite a few adaptations of popular
women’s novels during this time. But most of them were failures both
critically and commercially. A Thousand Acres was no exception.
That same year, Leigh starred opposite Albert Finney in Washington
Square. Once again, critics raved and audiences stayed home.
In 1999, Leigh starred opposite Jude Law in David Cronenberg’s trippy
sci-fi thriller, Existenz.
In the past, I have gotten grief for recommending Existenz to
friends. I have finally come to the conclusion that there are two
kinds of people in the world; those who “get” Cronenberg and those who
don’t. If you’re a Cronenberg fan, odds are you have already seen and
enjoyed Existenz. Otherwise, it’s probably not going to be your cup
of tea.
Leigh plays a video game designer who has created a virtual reality
game that uses an organic interface instead of a controller. The
movie blurs the line between what is real and what isn’t.
While critics generally liked Existenz, it was a bomb at the box
office.
Leigh had also filmed a scene for Stanley Kubrick’s erotic drama, Eyes
Wide Shut. The film, which starred Tom Cruise, was in development for
years and was released after the legendary director’s death. Leigh’s
scene was cut from the final film.
Leigh continued working in smaller and smaller movies. In 2001, she
had an uncredited role in the Coen brothers’ drama, The Man Who Wasn’t
There. She also co-starred, co-wrote and co-produced The Anniversary
Party with Alan Cumming.
The Anniversary Party was very well reviewed and was nominated for
several Independent Spirit Awards. But it was not noticed by
mainstream audiences.
In 2002, Leigh returned to mainstream movies with a small role
opposite Tom Hanks in Sam Mendes’ crime drama, The Road to Perdition.
Leigh played Hanks’ doomed wife whose death sets Hanks on a path of
bloody revenge. On the upside, Perdition was a rare mainstream hit
for Leigh. Unfortunately, her role in it is very small.
The next year, Leigh starred opposite Meg Ryan in Jane Campion’s
erotic thriller, In the Cut.
In the Cut was a last ditch effort by Ryan to reinvent herself after
tabloid scandal cut short her career in romantic comedies. It is a
fascinating movie to watch for the raw performances by Ryan, Leigh and
Mark Ruffalo. But it is also a messy and disjointed movie. Frankly,
it can be hard to watch.
Audiences and critics alike were ready to savage both Ryan and
Campion. In the Cut was a failure. But an interesting one.
In 2004, Leigh starred opposite an emaciated Christian Bale in The
Machinst.
The Machinst was another small, critically acclaimed drama. Bale’s
dramatic weight loss got the movie some attention. But it was not a
mainstream hit.
In 2005, Leigh appeared opposite Adrien Brody and Kiera Knightley in
the pshchological thriller, The Jacket. Reviews were mixed and the
movie flopped.
In 2007, Leigh starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Jack Black in the
arthouse tragicomedy, Margot at the Wedding.
You can probably guess by now that the movie was a hit with critics
even if most audiences have never heard of it. For her part, Leigh
received several awards nominations from various film critics’ groups.
In 2008, Leigh appeared opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie
Kaufman’s drama, Synecdoche, New York.
Kaufman has a history of writing bizarre movies that are beloved by
critics. Synecdoche was Kaufman’s directorial debut and it polarized
critics. Generally, reaction was favorable. But it was far from the
love-fest of Kaufman’s earlier scripts.
From 2009-2012, Leigh has been appearing as a guest star on Showtime’s
hit cable series, Weeds.
And in 2010, Leigh co-produced and co-starred in the comedy-drama,
Greenberg, which starred Ben Stiller in a rare dramatic role.
Greenberg got mostly favorable reviews. It was a small film, but
Stiller’s presence brought it some attention at the box office.
So, what the hell happened to Jennifer Jason Leigh? Nothing really.
She’s still making the kinds of movies she prefers to make. She’s
still beloved by critics even if most audiences are unfamiliar with
her work. It is really surprising how consistent her career has
remained over such a long period of time. And nobody seems to notice
that she’s still going strong.