Why Tallulah Bankhead From The United States Vs. Billie Holiday Looks So Familiar
Decades after her untimely death, Billie Holiday remains one of the most iconic and authentic vocalists in American history. A titan of jazz and swing, it's hard to pin down just a couple of her best songs and covers, but some of her most well-known include "I'll Be Seeing You," "The Very Thought of You," and the tragic "Strange Fruit."
Holiday's relatively short life (she passed away at age 44) was monumentally successful, but also came with monumental troubles. One of the greatest hurdles she had to overcome was that of the US court system, which put her on trial for narcotics possession in the late 1940s. The trial is the focus of Hulu's The United States vs. Billie Holiday, starring Andra Day in the titular role.
Holiday wasn't an island, though, and the film appropriately features other big names from her day, including actress and activist Tallulah Bankhead. Natasha Lyonne portrays Bankhead, and if she seems familiar to you, here's where else you may have seen her before.
Lyonne grew up poor in Slums of Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills: a land of celebrity housing, luxurious living, and palm trees far as the eye can see. The Los Angeles County city isn't all perfect, though (what place is?), as Slums of Beverly Hills sets out to convey. The 1998 film is set in 1976, focusing on the Abromowitz family and its struggles to stay afloat. Murray (Alan Arkin) could always move somewhere else with his kids, but he wants to ensure that they have a decent education, and the Beverly Hills school district is hard to compete with. So when they do move, it's between cheap apartments within the city.
Despite his best intentions, his daughter Vivian (Lyonne) isn't a fan of the lifestyle. Her uncle Mickey (Carl Reiner) helps them out to an extent, but nothing much changes until her cousin Rita (Marisa Tomei) moves in with them. Both cousins have problems of their own, but they're still very close and support one another in times of need. The film is an early showing of Lyonne's comedy and drama chops alike — a sign of a long and successful career to come.
Lyonne had a recurring role in beloved teen film franchise American Pie
Not all of American Pie's humor still lands today, but it remains a comedy favorite and cult classic to many nonetheless. Lyonne plays Jessica, an intelligent, sexually experienced young woman who serves as a sort of go-between for Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas) and Vicky Lathum's (Tara Reid) relationship. She's arguably the best character in the film, always locked and loaded with a quip, some timely advice, or a mix of both, and Lyonne plays her to perfection.
Lyonne reprises her role as Jessica for American Pie 2, as well as the fourth installment in the (main) series, American Reunion. She doesn't play as major a role in either sequel as she does in the original; a deleted scene from American Reunion reveals that she actually would've had a bit more screen time with Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), but it feels right to have her back in some capacity regardless.
Lyonne livened up life behind bars in Orange Is the New Black
Famously based on Piper Kerman's memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, Jenji Kohan's Orange Is the New Black received much critical and viewer acclaim over the course of its six-year, seven-season run. It all begins when Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) is incarcerated on suspicion of harboring a suitcase stuffed with money her girlfriend Alex Vause (Laura Prepon) earned from drug deals.
The tattooed Nicole "Nicky" Nichols (Lyonne) is one of the first inmates that Piper befriends. Quick-witted and impulsive, she proves to be quite a handful to everyone around her, but she's actually got a lot going for her deep down. Indeed, when push comes to shove, Nicky is as loyal as they come, ready to lend whatever sort of helping hand she can or provide surprisingly sage advice to her friends. Lyonne earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her intricate and intimate portrayal of the character. It's little wonder Nicky was elevated to main character status come season 2.
Lyonne experienced psychedelic horror in Antibirth
The best horror movies — the ones that go beyond jump scares and cheap thrills — are not for the faint of heart. The scares stick with you long after the screen goes black, and you may even begin jumping at things that, to others, seem mundane. The 2016 body horror film Antibirth arguably achieves this level of post-credits fear in spades. It stars Lyonne as Lou, a thirtysomething woman from rural Michigan.
After a typical night of partying hard and getting stoned out of her mind, Lou wakes up to find she's experiencing the same symptoms a pregnant woman might. She hasn't been with a guy in forever, though, so... what the heck is going on? That's the question Antibirth poses, and the answers Lou finds aren't pretty — not to mention they take the audience on what feels like a drug trip. The film delves deeply into body horror, and Lou experiences the brunt of the grotesquery. Props to Lyonne for grounding this extremely wild ride — and for not fainting on set.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Lyonne has the worst birthday party ever in Russian Doll
Time travel stories can be difficult to pull off — especially since audiences are relatively used to all the tropes that come with them at this point — but when they're done well, they're done really well. Such is the case with Russian Doll, the critically-acclaimed Netflix series Lyonne co-created, wrote and directed episodes for, and stars in.
Lyonne is Nadia Vulvokov, a video game developer celebrating her 36th birthday in the too-crowded New York City apartment of her friend Maxine (Greta Lee). The thing is, she's not really down with the party, but little does she know her life's about to get a whole lot worse than just being bummed out. Nadia... dies. That's not where her story ends, however: She finds herself in a time loop, and sets out to both escape it and keep on living.
Time loop stories are the subgenre of time travel stories that have probably been done to death the most, but Russian Doll's continual ability to surprise, crisp writing, and phenomenal performances keep it three steps ahead of the curve. Lyonne was nominated not only for a Primetime Emmy for her acting, but for her writing and the show as a whole — all that on top of a Golden Globe nomination, too. Season two of Russian Doll can't come soon enough.