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12 postsDriver plays Grace Briggs, a young woman with a potentially fatal heart condition, in this romantic comedy written and directed by Bonnie Hunt. Grace receives the heart of a woman who died in a car accident and then meets and becomes close to the widower, Bob (David Duchovny). Co-starring Bonnie Hunt, Jim Belushi, Robert Loggia, Carroll O’Connor, and David Alan Grier.
Driver plays Mona Hibbard, a young single mother desperate to become Miss American Miss, in this dramedy directed by Sally Field. When Mona becomes pregnant again, her friend Ruby (Joey Lauren Adams) agrees to raise the child so Mona can continue her quest uninterrupted. Co-starring Kathleen Turner.
I like Mona’s weaknesses. They’re far more interesting to play than strength and nobility and that whole routine. I mean, that’s wonderful and all, but in terms of pushing the envelope in your craft, this was great. What I’m often asked to do is play very straightforward, intelligent, sweet, funny, nice women. To get a chance to play something so different from that, it was awesome.
Driver plays Shannon, a broke NHS nurse, in this action comedy directed by Mel Smith. After Shannon overhears a phone conversation between thieves discussing a bank robbery, she and her friend Frances (Mary McCormack) decide to blackmail the thieves into sharing some of the ill gotten gains with them. On why there aren’t more female buddy movies:
Because usually they don’t make money. Buddy films for actresses just don’t, that’s all. The industry doesn’t value funny women – and Julia Roberts is about the only female star who gets paid as much as her male counterparts. It’s also all about who takes who to the movies to see what – do guys want to take their girlfriends to see a film about two other women, or do their girlfriends take their reluctant men? It’s strange.
Driver plays Carlotta, the diva of the Paris Opera House, in this musical drama directed by Joel Schumacher from the stage musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Carlotta’s place as diva is usurped by Christine (Emmy Rossum), a chorus singer, after the Phantom (Gerard Butler) paves the way for his protege. Co-starring Patrick Wilson and Miranda Richardson.
It was very fun. Very weird to get rid of all the filters, all the behavioral stuff, to start behaving like Carlotta. It was good. It was what Joel wanted.
Driver plays Dahlia Malloy, aka Cherien Rich, in this dark FX comedy from creator Dmitry Lipkin. Dahlia and her husband Wayne (Eddie Izzard) are Irish Travellers in the American South who take advantage of the opportunity to impersonate a wealthy, normal couple, H. Douglas and Cherien Rich, after the real Riches die. Together they find that suburban life isn’t all they imagined.
Yeah, my god, it’s just the best job ever for all of us, I think. I mean, I really think I can say that for all of us because everyone keeps saying it. Everybody loves it.
Driver plays Naomi, Nat’s sister, in this comedy written and directed by Dan Mazer. Naomi, long married, gives advice to her newlywed sister, Nat (Rose Byrne) about how to make a marriage work. Co-starring Stephen Merchant. On why she accepted the role:
It’s Dan Mazer. I would say 98 per cent of the directors I’ve worked with, I’ve fallen in love with them. You go on a journey with that person, and he’s funny and clever, which is my favourite combination. I also knew I wasn’t going to have the burden of being one of the four leads in this film, which is always brilliant, because you get to be completely relaxed.
Driver plays Fiona, a single mom living in San Francisco, in this NBC comedy from creator Jason Katims and based on the novel by Nick Hornby. Fiona and her son Marcus move in next door to Will, a happily single and childless man living off the income from his one hit song. Will and Marcus become friends as Fiona juggles them both and her own life. On Fiona:
She’s broken, conflicted, fragile and funny. There were extremes to her that are really interesting to explore. She’s neurotic and she over-parents. She’s already a funny person to me. Her sincerity is funny. Her earnestness is funny. Anyone that couches their life in some form of fanaticism is funny to me. She’s a fanatical vegan. That’s funny. That’s always hiding something else, or it’s always an excuse for something else.
Driver plays Maggie Royal, a woman expecting her first child, in this drama written and directed by Sean Hanish, based on his own family. Maggie and her husband Aaron are devastated to learn that the baby they thought was due at any time, has actually died in utero. Co-starring Paul Adelstein and Alfred Molina.
I am a fundamentally better person for having had my son, no matter what. And this was the worst thing I could ever think about. This was the one thing we don’t talk about. We watch all manner of horror porn. But death is not a part of our culture. But it’s a part of life. This is a hard story because it’s a hard story. It doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be told. Go ahead and apply your humanity, actor, go ahead and tell a story that’s hard.
Driver plays Kylie Swanson, a Broadway diva, in this comic horror musical written and directed by Jerome Sable. Swanson is murdered backstage after a performance of The Haunting of the Opera by a masked assailant. Ten years later, her children face the same assailant at theatre camp. Co-starring Meat Loaf. Sable on Driver:
She’s never been in a horror movie and I don’t think she’s ever seen a horror movie, but she was able to access it because of the wink factor. That just speaks to her openness and sophisticated approach to things. Then after doing it, she was so appalled at the gruesome nature of her scene that she couldn’t even watch it.
Driver is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards for portraying Maggie Royal on Return to Zero.
Driver expresses her sadness over the death of her Good Will Hunting co-star:
My Heart's broken. Robin was a beautiful, kind soul. Can't bear that he's gone. So incredibly sorry for his family.
— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) August 11, 2014
Driver plays Macy Jean, single mother of Noni, in this drama written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Macy Jean has Noni when she is 17 and begins grooming her for pop stardom almost immediately. Co-starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Prince-Bythewood on Driver:
People forget how good Minnie is. She’s a gift to this film. She came onboard a week before we went into production and it’s interesting because a lot of actors, and her character had a baby at 17, and she’s a mother, but they (producers) balked at the thought of her being Gugu’s mom. Minnie didn’t care. She just loved the part and she brought so much great stuff to it and so many unexpected things as well. They favor each other and in one scene, anyone can see that they are mother and daughter.
