Ep 164. Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Mary Elizabeth Winstead\u2019s first true love was the ballet, but her body had other plans, and she grew a bit too tall for the grande jet\xe9. Luckily, her favorite parts about ballet\u2014performing, telling a story, playing different characters\u2014are all essential tenets of acting, and Mary found herself in love anew.\n\nHer early experiences acting reinforced her love of the craft, but as she got older, she struggled to find her artistic place in an industry where women are often saddled with objectification and unwanted sexual attention. But it was when Mary faced the prospect of quitting that she found her voice, and became willing to say no. She also started choosing roles that weren\u2019t based on her beauty or desirability. \u201cI\u2019d always prefer to take a great role in a weird horror film over playing somebody\u2019s girlfriend in another actor\u2019s big vanity piece.\u201d\n\nHer dedication is evident in her work. She\u2019s turned in incredible performances in films like Smashed, Alex of Venice, and in Noah Hawley\u2019s hit television series Fargo. That trend continues in her newest film All About Nina in which she plays a standup comedian who is struggling to grapple with her own emotional turmoil.\n\nMary joins Off Camera to talk about the challenges she\u2019s faced as a woman in Hollywood, why making a performance human and believable is so essential to storytelling, and why she\u2019ll never step foot in a casting office bathroom.