Two Young Women

As I was strolling through IMDb, I started thinking about What Women Want (2000), starring Helen Hunt (b. 1963) and Mel Gibson (b. 1956).  It was not a bad movie.  There are a couple of Bit Actresses in it that should be mentioned here.

Ashley Johnson (b. 1983) played the teenage daughter of Nick Marshall (Gibson).  As a father, I would NOT have wanted to know what my daughter was thinking when she was a teenager, so I give Marshall credit for handling the situation so well.

Ashley has quite a career going at this point.  She is now in her late 20s, and ahe already has 78 titles listed on IMDb.  Her first movie was Lionheart (1990) when she was just seven.  It stars Jean-Claude Van Damme (b. 1960) as a fighter.  (Hmmm.  Imagine that!) 

Following that she has a headlining part in "Growing Pains" with Alan Thicke (b. 1947).  Several more TV series' in regular parts, plus a few guest spots, and we see her in the Hugh Grant rom-com, Nine Months (1995).  Keep in mind, she is now only 12.

Ashley also has a flexible voice so it was natural for her to do voice-overs and even video game parts.  She continues to score TV shows and movies, although most of her work doesn't fit into the genres I tend to watch.  Her last film to date, was last year's Alleged, which is a romantic drama based around the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.  I may look for that one, if only for the rest of the cast, including Colm Meaney, Brian Dennehy and Fred Thompson.  My guess is that these stars all have Bit Parts in it.

Next is Judy Greer (b. 1975).  Judy played Erin, the office worker with self-esteem problems.  Judy doesn't seem to have the same problem as her character, since she also has 78 titles listed on IMDb. 

Her first few roles were nothing to write home about, but then she got a better part in Three Kings (1999) and had a good scene with George Clooney.  What girl wouldn't want that?

After What Women Want, we see Greer in The Wedding Planner (2001) with J. Lo and Matthew McConaughey.  In 2004 she is in 13 Going On 30, which I haven't seen, but it sounds strangely like Big (1988) for girls. 

Many more TV and movie roles continue to come up for Judy.  She gets to work with many stars and future stars.  She always seems to play the 'best friend' and I guess that's why she is a popular Bit Actress.  You don't need to be a star, just be talented.