Olivia Thirlby

Olivia Jo Thirlby, born on October 6, 1986, is an American actress renowned for her diverse roles across various genres. One of her notable performances was as Leah in the acclaimed comedy-drama film "Juno" (2007), where she showcased her talent for bringing depth and authenticity to her characters.
Thirlby further demonstrated her versatility with her role as Natalie in "The Darkest Hour" (2011), showcasing her ability to engage audiences in thrilling and intense narratives.
In 2012, she portrayed the formidable Judge Cassandra Anderson in "Dredd," adding another dimension to her repertoire by delving into the realm of science fiction and action.
Her career continued to evolve, and in 2023, Thirlby portrayed Lilli Hornig in Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated biographical film "Oppenheimer," demonstrating her commitment to challenging and diverse roles across different cinematic landscapes.


Olivia Jo Thirlby was born on October 6, 1986, in New York City, to a mother who worked in advertising and a father who was a contractor. Raised in the vibrant neighborhood of Manhattan's East Village, Thirlby attended Friends Seminary for her education, graduating among a small class of 57 students. She also enriched her artistic pursuits by participating in programs such as the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts in upstate New York and the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts.
Thirlby's passion for acting led her to pursue further training, including classes at the American Globe Theatre and a stage combat course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she studied with the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat (BASSC). These experiences helped shape her craft and prepare her for the diverse roles she would undertake throughout her career.

During her high school years, Thirlby landed a role in The Secret. In 2006, she marked her film debut with a role in United 93 and her television debut in Kidnapped.
In 2007, Thirlby gained recognition for her portrayal of Leah in Juno. Additionally, she and her Juno co-star Elliot Page were initially set to star as the title characters in Jack & Diane, a film depicting two young women who fall in love, but both actors dropped out before production began. Thirlby also appeared as Stephanie, a marijuana-smoking "popular girl," in the Sundance Audience Award-winning film The Wackness, released in 2008. She was cast in Pineapple Express as the girlfriend of Seth Rogen's character but was later replaced by Amber Heard.


Thirlby made her stage debut in Farragut North, a play by Beau Willimon, at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. The production later transferred to the Geffen Playhouse in June 2009.
In addition to her film and stage work, Thirlby appeared in the HBO series Bored to Death in 2009. She also lent her voice to promotional video excerpts from the novel Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.
Thirlby's film credits include Margaret (2011), The Darkest Hour (2011), and Judge Dredd (2012), in which she portrayed Judge Cassandra Anderson. She also starred in the indie film Nobody Walks and portrayed the young attorney Lucy Kittridge in the Amazon Studios legal series Goliath in 2016. In 2017, she played a main character in the thriller Damascus Cover, followed by leading roles in The White Orchid (2018) and Above the Shadows (2019). Thirlby also appeared as MCC minister Rebecca Dowery in the 2019 Showtime drama series The L Word: Generation Q and portrayed Hero Brown, a main character, in the 2021 series Y: The Last Man.


In a 2011 interview with Brooklyn Magazine, Thirlby publicly came out as bisexual. That same year, she participated in iO Tillett Wright's Self-Evident Truths Project, which aimed to capture the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States through photography. Thirlby's portrait is featured in Wright's book Self-Evident Truths: 10,000 Portraits of Queer America, published by Penguin Random House in 2020.
In 2023, Elliot Page revealed that he and Thirlby were involved in a relationship while filming Juno.
Thirlby married Jacques Pienaar on December 28, 2014, whom she met on the set of her 2012 film Dredd. However, Pienaar filed for divorce in March 2021.

References

1.  AlloCine. "Olivia J. Thirlby – Recherche AlloCiné". AlloCiné. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
2. a b c Louie, Rebecca (June 28, 2008). "Olivia Thirlby is smoking in 'The Wackness' Archived May 7, 2009, at the Wayback Machine". Daily News. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
3. ^ "Thirlby, Olivia 1986-". Encyclopedia.com. Cengage. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
4. ^ "Famous birthdays for Oct. 6: Britt Ekland, Elisabeth Shue". MSN. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
5. ^ Johnson, G. Allen (August 19, 2010). "Olivia Thirlby keeps busy with multiple movies". The San Francisco Chronicle.
6. ^ "Olivia Thirlby: Life After 'Juno'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 11, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
7. ^ "Olivia Thirlby". IMDb. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
8. ^ Yuan, Jada (June 22, 2008). "Olivia Thirlby Spurns Pot, Embraces the Munchies". New York. Retrieved June 24, 2008
9. ^ Michael Schneider (October 20, 2008). "Fox draws up cast for 'Good Vibes'". Variety.
10. ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 5, 2008). "Blumberg, Whitlock, Thirlby Join Atlantic's Farragut North". Playbill. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
11. ^ Rich, Motoko (March 9, 2009). "Jay Asher's 'Thirteen Reasons Why,' About Teenage Suicide, Climbs Best-Seller List". The New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
12. ^ "Sundance Interview: Jeff Daniels, Olivia Thirlby, And John Hindman". Cinemablend.com. January 25, 2009. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
13. ^ "Massena gets ready for its film close-up". Watertowndailytimes.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
14. ^ "More Carrie Images – Pre and Post Bloody Carnage – Dread Central". Dreadcentral.com. August 27, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2017.