Why Dot Woods From The Interpreter Looks So Familiar
The Nicole Kidman drama flop "The Interpreter" is currently getting a second chance on Netflix. The thrilling crime film centers on an interpreter for the United Nations in New York City named Silvia Broome (Kidman), who overhears men discussing their intentions to assassinate the president of the fictional country of Matobo. Silvia goes into hiding after realizing the would-be killers know who she is, and two U.S. Secret Service agents are brought in to investigate, protect the president of Matobo, and find out who's behind the assassination plot.
"The Interpreter" is full of talented stars, including Kidman, Sean Penn as Secret Service agent Tobin Keller, Jesper Christensen as the Matoban U.N. Representative, and Earl Cameron as Edmond Zuwanie, the President of the Republic of Matobo. Keller's partner and fellow Secret Service agent is Dot Woods, played by the talented Catherine Keener — who also has tons of projects to her name. Here's where you've likely seen her before.
She was in tons of movies throughout the '90s
Catherine Keener started acting in the late '80s, but her career really kicked off in the '90s. She had small parts in the romantic thriller "Catchfire" and the fantasy comedy "Switch," and starred alongside Brad Pitt in "Johnny Suede" before he had reached superstardom, as well. According to Movie Habit, Keener also had a small role in "Thelma & Louise" as detective Hal Slocumb's (Harvey Keitel) wife, though her scene was cut from the film.
Keener was nominated for her first Film Independent Spirit Award for "Johnny Suede," and her second for her role in the 1996 cult-comedy film "Walking and Talking," directed by Nicole Holofcener (via IMDb). In 1999, she starred in "Being John Malkovich" as Maxine Lund, which earned her her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Keener made some huge strides in the '90s, and only continued to star in more great projects as the years went on.
She's director Nicole Holofcener's muse
Some select director-muse relationships have given us many of the greatest films ever created. From Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina to Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, there are dozens of pairs who seem to make amazing work every time they collaborate. Such is the case with director Nicole Holofcener and Catherine Keener. Keener appears in Holofcener's first five films: "Walking and Talking," "Lovely & Amazing," "Friends with Money," "Please Give," and "Enough Said," and the two have spoken about their mutual respect for one another's talents.
In an interview with Palm Beach ArtsPaper, Holofcener explained why she enjoys working with Keener, praising Keener's natural skills, like her timing and sense of humor. When asked if she sees Keener as a muse, Holofcener answered, "Yeah, sure, absolutely. I mean when I'm writing something and I hope that she's going to be playing it, I think it helps make me a better writer, when I think about how she would say it."
Keener added that "she is a muse for me as well, because when I'm reading (a script of hers) and I'm working for her, it just takes me to more creative places in my head."
Their working relationship has also proven to be critically appreciated, as their films have been nominated for and won several awards (via IMDb).
2005 was a busy year for Catherine Keener
Keener started making a name for herself in the '90s, and continued to do so well into the 2000s. 2005 specifically was a monumental year for the talented actress — she was in several great projects that earned her even more accolades. She played Kathleen in the drama "The Ballad of Jack and Rose," Secret Service agent Dot Woods in "The Interpreter," Trish Piedmont in the romantic comedy "The 40-Year-Old-Virgin," and Nelle Harper Lee in the biopic "Capote."
That year, Keener won Boston Society of Film Critics awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association awards, National Society of Film Critics awards, and New York Film Critics Circle awards for Best Supporting Actress for her roles (via IMDb). She also earned her second Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Harper Lee in "Capote," along with dozens of other award nominations and wins.
Author Zadie Smith of the Daily Telegraph wrote about Keener and her "Capote" co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman's performances, "It's the acting that sings, especially when Hoffman duets with luminous Catherine Keener, the lady with the loveliest laugh in film. Hoffman's writer is a self-serving egoist; Keener's a restrained, wise soul."
She was in one of the biggest horror films of 2017
Keener continued playing a wide variety of roles throughout the 2000s, from animated family characters to leading ladies in edgy indies. One of her more recent roles in the widely successfully racially themed horror film "Get Out" is particularly notable. In it, Keener plays Missy Armitage, a hypnotherapist whose family secretly preys on Black men to use their bodies for "immortality." The movie was widely praised for its cultural commentary, and earned the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes for the year 2017.
Keener's portrayal of a soft-spoken yet ruthless, evil figure was memorable to say the least. In a RogerEbert.com review, Odie Henderson wrote: "As Rose's mother, and the proprietor of moviedom's most evil piece of china, Catherine Keener uses her warmth and her open, inviting face against us, terrifying us without ever raising her voice."
A New York Times review similarly noted, "The nicer Rose's [Allison Williams] parents, Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy (Catherine Keener), behave, the greater the ripples. They don't blink at him or his race (Ms. Keener is a virtuoso of the deadeye stare), but instead adopt the forced geniality of people who seem anxious to hide their discomfort."
Her performance in "Get Out" — along with her dozens of other impressive roles — prove time and time again that Catherine Keener is one of the most talented stars in Hollywood.