Is Argo’s Kerry Bishé Oscar’s Next It Girl?
by James Patrick Herman Photography by Jeff Vespa
Jennifer Lawrence may take home the gold at this year’s Academy Awards, but who is the next Jennifer Lawrence? Kerry Bishé—remember her as an American evacuated from Iran in the CIA-meets-L.A. mission impossible known as Argo?—gets our vote as the most likely actress to succeed at the 2014 Oscars. With three movies set for release this year (and a five-star rating among foot fetishists online!), this young theater vet is ready to step into Hollywood’s spotlight.
Where are you from?
“I grew up in suburban New Jersey.”
When did the acting bug first bite?
“I was 12-years-old when I got a part in MacBeth at my middle school—and that was it from then on!”
You’ve done everything from Shakespeare to Shaw on stage. What was your first big break in theater?
“Alan Rickman gave me my first job out of college. I did a one woman show, My Name is Rachel Corrie, that Alan directed himself. It was a phenomenal experience—one of those things that seemed impossible until I just did it. I remember feeling like I would never be able to learn ninety minutes of lines. But it was an educational—and incredibly empowering—experience.”
You’ve worked other actor-directors almost exclusively since then. Was that a deliberate decision?
“I have worked with a lot of actor-directors over the past couple years: Ben Affleck, Zach Braff, Kevin Smith, Pete Berg and Ed Burns numerous times. I don’t know if it’s just a funny coincidence or if there’s some through line that ties actor-directors together. But I wonder if there is something about our approach to filmmaking that they recognize a sympathetic soul in another actor.”
What would be your dream role?
“When I think of great roles I’d like to play someday, they’re usually from classic plays. I’d love to play [George Bernard Shaw’s] Saint Joan one day. Or, you know, Hamlet. In college played Mercutio [from Romeo & Juliet], which was thrilling because that’s a role I’ll never get to play professionally.”
Tell me about filming Argo in Turkey.
“What’s great about working with an incredibly talented team of people [such as recent Verge cover boy, Scoot McNairy] is that everyone trusts everyone else so much to do their job, so the atmosphere was very relaxed. We all filmed in Istanbul together for two weeks and that was professionally and personally a wonderful learning experience for me. But this was never supposed to happen—my plan was always to perform Chekhov plays in parking lots.”
What about before you became a full-time actress?
“When I first moved to New York, I got a job temping. I remember thinking I was going to be a professional actor right away, but after three months, I didn’t get any acting jobs. So I was like: I guess I need to get like a real job now! I was hanging up clothes at the GAP showroom, and I was so sad and uncomfortable and upset about it that I literally made myself sick. I threw up in the bathroom at work—but at least I got to go home early. It was so awful. And later that week, Alan Rickman cast me in my first play in New York. I had real motivation!”
Do you realize that you’re already a superstar among foot fetishists on the Internet? Part of your body of work has earned a five-star rating on WikiFeet, the “celebrity feet website.”
“You’re making that up.”
Nope. It’s true.
“I really have five stars on the WikiFeet website? I’m shocked. My feet are sort of grotesque—I think all feet are. But I’m very flattered. Honored, really.”
Producer Bailey Reise
Stylist Katie Bofshever
Make-up Sage Maitri at The Wall Group (@TheWallGroup)
Hair Michael Long at The Wall Group (@TheWallGroup)