Jenna Mattison

Jenna Mattison, born Jenna Mattison Mirza (born August 7, 1976) is an American actress, screenwriter, producer, and director.

Jenna Mattison
Born
Jenna Mattison Mirza

(1976-08-07) August 7, 1976
India
Occupations
  • Actress
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active1995–present
Notable workFish Without a Bicycle
The Sound
SpouseRichard Gunn

Early life

Mattison was born in India, with her family moving to Chicago when she was 7 years old. From an early age, she became self conscious about her ethnicity, growing up in a mostly white neighborhood. She cited her name as one of the reasons she struggled to land acting roles in her early career, and opted to change her stage name to Jenna Mattison.[1]

Early career

Mattison moved to Hollywood in the late 90's, and would her dye her hair while avoiding any sort of natural tan in order to look white-passing.[1] Some of Mattison's early roles included bit parts in Married... with Children, Party of Five and Melrose Place.

While working at The Laugh Factory as a cocktail waitress, Mattison began working on a screenplay, which she viewed catharsis while dealing with an unhappy relationship at the time. After a chance encounter with a Hollywood producer, Mattison's script was greenlit, and the romantic comedy Fish Without a Bicycle was released and published as her first independent film, with Mattison as the lead writer, co-producer, and star of the film. Fish Without a Bicycle premiered at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2]

Career

Mattison made her directorial debut with the psychological horror film, The Sound, released by MGM Orion and Samuel Goldwyn in 2017.[3][4][5] Critics noted lead Rose McGowan's performance, as well as Mattison's focus on atmospheric direction.[6][7]

In 2021, Mattison was attached as a screenwriter for a film adaptation of Sophie Kinsella's novel Remember Me?[8]

Filmography

Actress
Year TitleRole
1995 Married... with Children Woman in Red
1997 The Single Guy Superwoman
2000 Party of Five Jennifer
2001 The Fighting Fitzgeralds Winnie (pilot)
2001 Alex in Wonder Summer
2003 Fish Without a BicycleJulianna Mercer
2005 The Third WishMaggie Malone
2006 Naked RunMrs. Liverton
2007 Death Walks the StreetsAnnie
2008 365 DaysJane

Producer
Year TitleRole
2003 Fish Without a BicycleCo-Producer
2005 The Third WishProducer
2008 365 DaysExecutive Producer
2011 For The Love of MoneyProducer
2017 The SoundProducer

Writer
Year Title
2003 Fish Without a Bicycle
2005 The Third Wish
2011 For the Love of Money
2017 The Sound

Director
Year Title
2017 The Sound

Personal life

Mattison married actor Richard Gunn in 2013. The two currently live in Los Angeles, California.

References
  1. "How I Faked My Race to Make It in Hollywood". Talkhouse. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  2. "New York Times Review by Anita Gate of Fish Without a Bicycle". The New York Times. October 22, 2004.
  3. Wyche2017-07-26T17:17:00+01:00, Elbert. "Orion Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Films board 'The Sound'". Screen.
  4. "EXCLUSIVE: Rose McGowan Teases the Most 'Intense' Scenes From Creepy New Thriller, 'The Sound'". Entertainment Tonight.
  5. "Rose McGowan investigates the paranormal in spooky 'The Sound' exclusive clip". EW.com.
  6. Anderson, John. "'The Sound' Review: Audible Horror". WSJ. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  7. "Jenna Mattison Pictures and Photos - Getty Images". www.gettyimages.com. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  8. Vlessing, Etan (2022-02-11). "'Confessions of a Shopaholic' Author Sophie Kinsella's Novel 'Remember Me?' Getting Movie Treatment (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
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