Natasha Lyonne has graced our screens since she was six years old. Now 43 years old, Lyonne has built up a beyond impressive and truly eclectic filmography. Ranging from Netflix originals to Marvel movies to cult classics, there is no doubt about Lyonne’s coolness.
Beyond her acting career, Lyonne has taken to roles behind the camera, most recently writing, starring, and directing the second season of the Netflix original series Russian Doll. Time and time again, beloved indie queen Lyonne showcases her ability to humorously captivate and entertain us in a lifetime of outstanding and rebellious roles.
'Anti-Birth' (2016)
One of the more sinister entries of Lyonne's career, Anti-Birth, is a gruesome drug-fuelled horror film written and directed by Danny Perez. Reckless stoner Lou (Lyonne) finds herself spiraling after a mysterious illness and hallucinations alluding to a small town conspiracy consume her life.
A non-stop horror fest from start to finish, Anti-Birth throws Lyonne into the harsh limelight as she stars alongside career comrade Chloë Sevigny yet again, both actresses delivering fearsome performances as Lou’s mind and body begin to change. Not a film to watch on a full stomach.
'Orange Is The New Black' (2013-2019)
One of Netflix’s earliest and most successful shows, Orange Is The New Black, initially follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a seemingly “normal” thirty-something-year-old who is sentenced to fifteen months in Litchfield, a women’s minimum security prison, for a crime she committed ten years prior. The series features fantastic performances from Laura Prepon, Danielle Brooks, Uzo Aduba, and Laverne Cox, to cite merely a few.
Spanning the course of seven seasons, the core of OITNB's greatness lies in the incredible women’s stories it portrays episode after episode, season after season. The ensemble cast showcases a ray of talent, with iconic Lyonne as charming as ever in her role as Nicky Nicholas, a Jewish, lesbian recovering drug addict who provides more than enough comic relief as events unfold and prison life worsens.
'Blade Trinity' (2004)
The third and final installation in the Blade cinematic series, Blade Trinity, follows Wesley Snipes as he reprises his role as the legendary comic book vampire. Now a wanted man by the FBI, Blade is forced to team up with a group of monster hunters to defeat his biggest threat yet, vampire king Dracula. With the MCU’s new adaption of Blade set to start filming in the next few weeks, the original films are considered one of the most notable pre-Marvel cinematic universe adaptations.
Like any good naughties film, Blade Trinity features a random array of talent, from Ryan Reynolds to a stellar performance by Jessica Biel and even including a cameo from notable wrestler Triple H. Lyonne is cast as a blind single mother and power suit-wearing scientist named Sommerfield. An essential member of the vampire resistance, this performance results in yet another crazy addition to her decades-long filmography.
'Party Monster' (2004)
In the 90s, Michael Alig, a "Club Kid" organizer, finds his life shattered to pieces after he murders his drug-dealing boyfriend and brags about it on television, Party Monster is a naughties queer cult classic. Macaulay Culkin gives his all as Michael, backed up by a stellar performance by Seth Green as James St James, Alig’s former best friend.
Lyonne features only as a small part, a club kid recruited for the group’s chaotic journey of debauchery and criminality. She stars alongside iconic indie it girl Chloë Sevigny as Party Monster displays the glittery, gruesome consequences of Michael’s actions. One of the coolest and queerest forgotten films of the past, Lyonne again features in a beloved cult classic.
'But I'm A Cheerleader' (1999)
One of the best coming-of-age comedies the nineties has to offer, But I’m A Cheerleader focuses on the ridiculousness of conversion therapy and the importance of queer self-acceptance. Directed by Jamie Babbit, But I’m A Cheerleader follows Megan, an unaware teenager sent to a conversion therapy center for “treatment.” Cute, comical, and beyond charismatic, this teen flick is heart-warming from start to finish.
Of all the roles Lyonne has dedicated herself to, none are quite as comical and wondrously satirical as her performance as closet lesbian Megan in this queer cult classic. Babbit’s colorful, witty approach to the horrifying subject of queer rehabilitation instantly made this film an unforgettable classic, one that is impossible without the gracious presence of Lyonne.
'Slums of Beverly Hills' (1998)
Written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, Slums Of Beverly Hills is a wisecracking coming-of-age comedy that deals with class, sexuality, and late '70s American culture. A fantastic forgotten piece of cinema, Slums Of Beverly Hills features Lyonne in one of her most notable break-out roles.
Set in the summer of 1976, Vivian (Lyonne), a lower-middle-class teenager, struggles to cope with her neurotic nomad family and their traveling lifestyle. Dealing with the woes of teenhood, poverty, and no permanent home, Lyonne shines as the most important character throughout.
'Russian Doll' (2019-2022)
Perhaps one of the coolest Groundhog Day riffs in recent years, Russian Doll centers on cynical party animal Nadia (Lyonne), doomed to die and repeat the same party every night. Bending time travel and trauma, Lyonne proclaims her talent and charms through this raw, real story of self-realization.
With an all-star cast, Lyonne works again alongside Sevigny. The series also features phenomenal supporting performances from Charlie Barnett as Alan, Nadia’s anxiety-ridden, time-traveling counterpart, and Elizabeth Ashley as Ruth, Nadia’s much-needed support and acting surrogate mother.