Why Megan From A Haunted House 2 Looks So Familiar
The latest horror comedy flop to dominate Netflix is "A Haunted House 2," a parody of popular horror franchises like "Paranormal Activity" and "The Conjuring." The goofy film stars Marlon Wayans as Malcolm, a man who hasn't had much luck as of late, considering his ex-girlfriend was possessed by a demon. When Malcolm, alongside his new girlfriend Megan and her children, move into a new house, it looks like Malcolm will finally get a fresh start. Unfortunately for him, more paranormal nonsense starts up again, and he realizes a demon has its eyes set on him this time.
The raunchy comedy didn't receive much critical acclaim, but it has remained a favorite for plenty of horror comedy fans thanks to the performances of its hilarious cast. Aside from Wayans, his movie girlfriend is played by the award-winning actress Jaime Pressly. Pressly is no stranger to comedies, as she has worked alongside huge stars like Paul Rudd, Allison Janney, and Chris Evans. Here's where you may have seen her before.
Jaime Pressly was in two iconic comedies in 2001
Before landing her big break, Jaime Pressly appeared in tons of movies, from blink-and-you-miss-it appearances to lead roles. 2001 was a big year for the budding actress, as she was in two cult classic comedies — the first being David Spade's "Joe Dirt." There, Pressly played the seductive Jill, who Joe Dirt meets on his journey to track down his parents.
That same year, Pressly was in the parody comedy movie "Not Another Teen Movie" as Priscilla, a popular high school cheerleader. Priscilla specifically parodied iconic characters from teen movies like "She's All That," "Bring It On," and "American Beauty," and according to IMDb, one of her lines was even nominated for an MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Line in a Movie — "Oh, it's already been broughten!"
In an interview with The GW Hatchet, Pressly discussed the purpose behind "Not Another Teen Movie," and what they aimed to critique about Hollywood's portrayal of teenagers. "All these movies have stereotypes," she explained. "Do you really think you could look at the [Not Another Teen Movie] poster and go 'I was the cocky blonde guy' or 'I was the fat stupid guy?' No, but Hollywood makes it out to be that way, as if there are stereotypes like that in high school, and for teens to be watching that is – excuse me – f***** up."
Jaime Pressly is best known for her role on My Name is Earl
Pressly started acting in the late nineties, but she finally got her breakthrough role in the 2005 sitcom "My Name Is Earl." She played the role of Joy Turner, the self-centered and stubborn ex-wife to the titular Earl Hickey (Jason Lee). Pressly earned several awards for her role on the popular sitcom, including a Gold Derby Award for TV Comedy Series Supporting Actress of the Year, the Online Film & Television Association award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series, and an Emmy award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (via IMDb).
Speaking about the series to Bella Magazine, Pressly described it as her saving grace: "It came at a time when I was questioning whether this was the path I wanted to continue following," she explained. "I was tired of living out of my suitcase, coming and going all the time. I wanted a little normalcy in my life."
Jaime Pressly was in I Love You, Man
Pressly landed a role opposite Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Jon Favreau in the 2009 comedy "I Love You, Man." She played Denise, the best friend of newly-engaged Zooey Rice (Rashida Jones). Denise is married to the temperamental Barry (Favreau), and the two constantly argue throughout the film. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers applauded the duo's on-screen chemistry, writing "Jaime Pressly is terrific as Zooey's BFF. Her battles with Jon Favreau, excellent as her blowhard husband, have genuine comic bite."
Pressly spoke with Cinema Blend about her time on set of "I Love You, Man," and how she felt going from her successful TV show to working in movies. "The only fear I had was it wasn't going to be as fun and amazing, and everyone wouldn't get along," she confessed. "In this business ego can run rampant on set sometimes. But I walked on set and it was like I was on the set of my show. Everybody was funny and brilliant in their own rights. There was a lot of improv, which made it even more fun to go [to] work. You never knew what each other was going to say. It was kind of like the Improv Olympics."
The cast's chemistry was obvious, and as recorded by IMDb, the heartwarming comedy went on to receive nominations for Teen Choice Awards, a GLAAD Media Award, and Golden Schmoes Awards.
Jaime Pressly was Jill on the Anna Faris sitcom Mom
From 2014 to 2021, Pressly played the role of an alcoholic socialite named Jill Kendall on the CBS sitcom "Mom" opposite Anna Faris and Allison Janney. According to an interview with Bella Magazine, the role was written specifically for Pressly by the show's producer Chuck Lorre, and Pressly confessed she was "honored and excited" for the opportunity. She went on to explain why the show was so successful, explaining "There have been episodes where our characters both laugh and cry, and it's an incredible opportunity to be able to do that. Great comedy comes from real-life drama, and that's why our show is as good as it is."
When "Mom" came to an end, Pressly shared an emotional tribute to the show on her Instagram page, writing: "Being able to tell the stories of these beautifully flawed women supporting each other through recovery from addiction, loss, love, failures, wins, getting older and learning to love themselves has been one of the greatest honors of my life [...] The unconditional love I have for everyone from the cast & writers to our crew is a love I'll take with me for the rest of my life."
Thankfully for us, we can still enjoy Pressly and the rest of the talented crew's performances on Hulu, where "Mom" is currently streaming.