Amy Lynne Seimetz (born November 25, 1981) is an American actress, writer, producer, director, and editor. She has appeared in several productions, including AMC's The Killing, HBO's Family Tree and Shane Carruth's Upstream Color. In 2015, she co-wrote, co-directed and executive produced the Starz series The Girlfriend Experience, based on the Steven Soderbergh film of the same name, which was released to positive reviews and critical acclaim.
Early life and education[]
Seimetz grew up in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area, and briefly attended film school before moving to Los Angeles. There she worked as a nanny, a waitress, and a seamstress while learning filmmaking.
Career[]
Seimetz began her film career by producing and directing short and independent films, including Barry Jenkins' Medicine for Melancholy, which was nominated for Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards after playing at South By Southwest and the Toronto International Film Festival. She acted in Joe Swanberg's Alexander The Last, which premiered at SXSW. She also worked with Swanberg on Silver Bullets and Autoerotic, continuing with acting roles in Gabi on the Roof in July, Tiny Furniture, Open Five, and Myth of the American Sleepover.
Seimetz's performance in A Horrible Way to Die won her the Best Actress award at Fantastic Fest. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to good reviews. She appeared in The Off Hours. About her, The Los Angeles Times wrote: "Every year, the Sundance Film Festival has a semi-official 'it girl' who encapsulates the festival's cocktail of discovery and buzz. But what about someone who embodies the independent film world's sense of community and the pitch-in spirit of collaboration, something like a most valuable player? That prize might well go to Amy Seimetz."
The Hollywood Reporter singled Seimetz out as one of the breakouts of Sundance that year: "As a late-night truck-stop waitress and orphaned lost soul, Seimetz invests Off Hours' dead-end world of tiny tragedies with a hidden, hard-won strength." She appeared in Revenge for Jolly!. In 2012, she made her feature directorial debut with the Florida-based thriller Sun Don't Shine, which she also wrote, produced, and co-edited. The film premiered at South By Southwest to rave reviews. Indiewire wrote: "Her terrific directorial debut was a brilliant noir exercise with less mumbling than raw brawls. She pinned me to my Alamo Drafthouse seat and the film kept me there for the next 82 minutes."
Seimetz is the star of Upstream Color and Pit Stop, both of which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. In February, she was added as a series regular to AMC's series The Killing. In season 3, she plays Danette Leeds, a "hard-living, financially strapped single mother whose 14-year-old daughter goes missing".
In June 2014, Starz announced that they had ordered a 13-episode anthology series of the film The Girlfriend Experience, co-written, co-directed, and executive produced by Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan. This came after the film's creator Steven Soderbergh stated: "I think if I were going to run a studio I'd just be gathering the best filmmakers I could find and sort of let them do their thing within certain economic parameters. So I would call Shane Carruth, or Barry Jenkins or Amy Seimetz and I'd bring them in and go, OK, what do you want to do?" The series was later renewed for a second season, Seimetz will continue to produce, write, and direct episodes.
In 2017, Seimetz appeared in Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, and also had roles in Lean on Pete, directed by Andrew Haigh, and My Days of Mercy, opposite Elliot Page.
Personal life[]
As of 2016, Seimetz is engaged to filmmaker Shane Carruth.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Leaving Baghdad | Short film | |
| 2004 | The 17th Man | Bookstore Patron | Short film |
| 2004 | Measure of Love | Short film | |
| 2005 | The Unseen Kind-Hearted Beast | Georgette | Short film; director, producer, writer, editor |
| 2005 | Black Dragon Canyon | Elizabeth Sterling | |
| 2006 | Wristcutters: A Love Story | Nina | |
| 2006 | Say It | Short film | |
| 2008 | Medicine for Melancholy | Associate producer | |
| 2008 | We Saw Such Things | Director, producer, editor | |
| 2009 | Alexander the Last | Hellen | |
| 2009 | Round Town Girls | Girl #1 | Short film; also director |
| 2009 | Time's Up | Deborah | Short film |
| 2009 | One Night Only | Anna | Short film |
| 2010 | Gabi on the Roof in July | Chelsea | |
| 2010 | Tiny Furniture | Ashlynn | |
| 2010 | Open Five | Lynn | |
| 2010 | The Myth of the American Sleepover | Julie Higgins | |
| 2010 | Bitter Feast | Katherine Franks | |
| 2010 | Incredibly Small | Samantha | |
| 2010 | Ruff Love | Amy | Short film |
| 2010 | Despedida | Leah | |
| 2011 | The Jonestown Defense | ||
| 2011 | The Off Hours | Francine | |
| 2011 | Silver Bullets | Charlie | Also producer |
| 2011 | The Dish and the Spoon | Emma's Friend | Also producer |
| 2011 | No Matter What | Laura | Also associate producer |
| 2011 | Small Pond | Katie | |
| 2011 | Coffee & Pie | Short film | |
| 2011 | Autoerotic | ||
| 2011 | You're Next | Aimee | |
| 2011 | Special Things to Do | Sandy | Short film |
| 2012 | Be Good | Mary Kutzman | |
| 2012 | Revenge for Jolly! | Vicki | |
| 2012 | Ghost of Old Highways | The Bridesmaid / Hairlot / Choir Girl | Short film |
| 2012 | Possession | Beth | |
| 2012 | #PostModem | Short film | |
| 2012 | Sun Don't Shine | Writer, producer, director, editor | |
| 2013 | When We Lived in Miami | Short film; Director & editor | |
| 2013 | Upstream Color | Kris | |
| 2013 | Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse | Rollerblading Death Dolphin | |
| 2013 | 9 Full Moons | Frankie | |
| 2014 | The Sacrament | Caroline | |
| 2014 | Lucky Them | Sara | |
| 2014 | I Believe in Unicorns | Clara | |
| 2014 | The Reconstruction of William Zero | Jules | |
| 2014 | Tehachapi | Short film | |
| 2015 | Entertainment | Woman in Bar | |
| 2015 | Ma | Misty | |
| 2016 | Lovesong | Chloe | |
| 2017 | Alien: Covenant - Prologue: Last Supper | Maggie Faris | Short film[1] |
| 2017 | Alien: Covenant | ||
| 2017 | Lean on Pete | Lynn | |
| 2017 | My Days of Mercy | Martha | |
| 2018 | Wild Nights with Emily | Mabel | |
| 2019 | Pet Sematary | Rachael Creed | Post-production |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Family Tree | Ally Keele | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Law and Order: Special Victims Unit | Lena Olsen | Episode: "Rapist Anonymous" |
| 2013–2014 | The Killing | Danette Leeds | 14 episodes |
| 2016 | Junior | Elliot | 10 episodes |
| 2016–present | The Girlfriend Experience | Annabel Reade | 5 episodes; also executive producer, writer, director |
| 2016–2017 | Stranger Things | Becky Ives | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Halt and Catch Fire | Michelle Lattimer | Episode: "NIM" |
| 2018 | Atlanta | Director, Episode: "Helen", "Champagne Papi" | |
| 2018 | Get Shorty | Jinny | Season 2, recurring role; in production |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Tiny Furniture | Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance | Nominated |
| The Myth of the American Sleepover | SXSW Film Festival Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast | WonI | |
| 2011 | A Horrible Way To Die | Fantastic Fest Award for Best Actress | Won |
| 2012 | Sun Don't Shine | SXSW Film Festival Special Jury Award - Emergent Narrative Woman Director | Won |
| Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You | Nominated | ||
| RiverRun International Film Festival Special Jury Prize - Spark Award | WonII | ||
| Indiewire Best of 2012 Best Undistributed Film | Won | ||
| 2013 | Upstream Color | Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2013 | Sun Don't Shine | Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director | Nominated |
External links[]
- Amy Seimetz on IMDb