The Best Of Allison Janney

29th January 2015

Allison Janney has made her name in scene-stealing roles across critically acclaimed dramas, awards season blockbusters and charming indie comedies. To celebrate the release of romantic comedy The Rewrite, out digitally from the 2^nd February 2015 and on Blu-ray and DVD from the 9^th February 2015 courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment, we count down her best roles to date…

The Rewrite (2014)

This charming romantic comedy reunites Hugh Grant with director Marc Lawrence, and sees the king of rom-coms take the role of Keith Michaels, a fading screenwriter who takes a teaching job at a backwater campus and finds himself falling for Holly Carpenter (Marisa Tomei), a mature student. Janney steals every scene she’s in as the Jane Austen-loving, feminist head of the ethics committee, who takes issue with Michaels womanising and remains impervious to his charms.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

This teenage classic stars Janney as quirky guidance counsellor, Ms Perky, alongside Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the comedy sees student Cameron (Gordon-Levitt) desperately searching for someone to date Kat Stratford (Stiles), the meanest girl in school… who happens to be the older sister of his crush, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik). Bianca can only date if her sister does… which results in Kat being thrown together with the school bad boy, Patrick Verona (Ledger).

American Beauty (1999)

Sam Mendes’ razor-sharp satire on suburban life picked up five Oscars and focuses on the mid-life crisis of Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey). Janney plays his neighbour Barbara Fitts, the put-upon wife of homophobic, volatile Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper), who finds himself at odds with Burnham after misunderstanding the nature of his relationship with his son, played by Wes Bentley.

The Hours (2002)

This multi-strand story based on the Pulitzer-winning play by Michael Cunningham focuses on how the novel Mrs Dalloway affects three women’s lives across the decades- Laura Brown (Julianne Moore), a pregnant and unhappily married 1950s California housewife; Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep), a New Yorker preparing an award party for her AIDS-stricken friend Richard (Ed Harris) in 2001; and Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) herself in 1920s England, struggling with her mental illness and overprotective husband. Janney takes the role of Sally Lester, Clarissa’s lover.

The West Wing (1995-2006)

Janney played Press Secretary C.J Cregg in this multi-award winning political drama series, considered by many to be the best TV series ever written. Following the lives of President Josiah ‘Jed’ Bartlet (Michael Sheen) and his staff in the White House, the series ran for six seasons and garnered countless awards, with a cast that also included Rob Lowe, Stockard Channing, Leo McGarry and Josh Lyman.

Hairspray (2007)

This film adaptation of the wildly successful musical boasted a stellar cast that included Janney alongside John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Nikki Blonsky and Amanda Bynes. The film follows the exploits of Baltimore teenager Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky), who lands a spot on a local dance TV show, and with the help of her new friends educates the conservative residents, including Prudy Pringleton (Janney), about integration.

Juno (2007)

Jason Reitman’s charming coming of age drama managed to effortlessly bring a fresh, optimistic outlook to a difficult subject matter, in no small part due to the fantastic cast. Ellen Page pays the titular character- a teenager faced with an unexpected pregnancy, who decides to give the child up for adoption, and sets about finding the perfect parents. Janney and J.K Simmons play her parents, who offer a wonderfully supportive, trusting and often hilarious approach to their daughter’s predicament.

The Help (2011)

The bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett was adapted by Tate Taylor and recounts the story of maids Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis) and Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), and their friendship with aspiring author Skeeter Phelan (Emma Stone), who decides to write a book detailing the African-American maids’ experiences of the white families they work for. Janney plays Charlotte Phelan, Skeeter’s weak-willed but good-hearted mother, alongside a supporting cast that also includes Jessica Chastain and Bryce Dallas Howard.

The Way Way Back (2013)

This feel-good indie comedy was nominated for several Critics Choice awards and follows a summer in the life of Duncan (Liam James), where he reluctantly goes on summer vacation with his mother (Toni Collette) and her overbearing boyfriend (Steve Carrell). Meeting a host of dysfunctional characters, including outgoing neighbour Betty (Janney), and struggling to fit in, Duncan finds unexpected solace in his friendship with Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the local water park.

Masters of Sex (2013-2014)

Janney’s heartbreaking turn as Margaret Scully, the spurned wife of closeted Professor Scully, stood out as a highlight in season one of Masters of Sex– no small feat in a series that boasts incredible performances from the entire cast, including Lizzy Caplan and Michael Sheen. While the series focuses on the relationship between Dr William Masters (Sheen) and Virginia Johnson (Caplan), they are arguably the least likeable characters- with the emotional core provided by supporting players including Caitlin FitzGerald and Janney.

The Rewrite is available on digital platforms from 2 February, 2015 and on Blu-ray and DVD from 9 February, 2015, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

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