Robin Wright Explained

Robin Wright
Birth Name:Robin Gayle Wright
Birth Date:8 April 1966
Birth Place:Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Other Names:Robin Wright Penn
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:1983–present
Spouse:
    Children:Dylan Penn
    Hopper Penn
    Awards:Full list

    Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for eight Primetime Emmy Awards.

    Wright first gained attention for her role as Kelly Capwell in the NBC Daytime soap opera Santa Barbara from 1984 to 1988. She transitioned to film with a starring role in the fantasy film The Princess Bride (1987), and she gained a nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the top-grossing drama Forrest Gump (1994). She had further starring roles in the romantic drama Message in a Bottle (1999) and the thriller Unbreakable (2000), as she gained praise for her performances in the independent films Loved (1997), She's So Lovely (1997), Nine Lives (2005) and Sorry, Haters (2006). She has since taken on supporting roles in the sports drama Moneyball (2011), the thriller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011), the adventure film Everest (2015), the superhero film Wonder Woman (2017), and the science fiction film Blade Runner 2049 (2017).

    On television, Wright starred in the HBO miniseries Empire Falls in 2005. From 2013 to 2018, she starred as Claire Underwood in the Netflix political drama series House of Cards. Her performance earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and six nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress. In 2016, Wright was named one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States, earning US$420,000 per episode for House of Cards.[1] She has also directed ten episodes of the series as well as two episodes of the Netflix crime series Ozark in 2022.

    Early life

    Wright was born April 8, 1966, in Dallas to Gayle Wright (née Gaston), a cosmetics saleswoman for Mary Kay, and Fred Wright, a pharmaceutical company employee. She has an elder brother, Richard (b. 1962), who is a photographer.[2] Her parents divorced when she was two, which led to her relocating to San Diego, California, with her mother. She grew up in Southern California, attending La Jolla High School in La Jolla and Taft High School in Los Angeles.[3]

    Career

    Wright began her career as a model, when she was 14.[4] [5] At the age of 18, she played Kelly Capwell in the NBC Daytime soap opera Santa Barbara, for which she received several Daytime Emmy Award nominations.[6]

    1980s–2000s: Transition into feature films

    Wright transitioned into feature film work with a role in Hollywood Vice Squad in 1986, followed by her breakthrough role as Princess Buttercup in the cult film The Princess Bride in 1987. She gained critical acclaim in her role as Jenny Curran in Forrest Gump (1994), receiving Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Supporting Actress.

    In 1996, she starred in the lead role of the film adaptation of Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders (1996), for which she received a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama. She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress for her role in She's So Lovely (1997), a film in which she co-starred with her then-husband Sean Penn. Wright received her third Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for her role in the television film Empire Falls (2005).

    2013–2018: House of Cards

    From 2013 to 2018, Wright appeared in the Netflix political drama streaming television series House of Cards in the role of Claire Underwood, the ruthless wife of political mastermind Frank Underwood. On January 12, 2014, she won a Golden Globe for the role, becoming the first actress to win the award for a streaming television series.[7] She was nominated for the same award in 2015. She received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award in 2013 and 2014 for the same role.[8]

    Following Season 4 in 2016, Wright stated that she felt Claire Underwood was the equal of Frank Underwood and demanded equal pay for her performance as her co-star Kevin Spacey. Netflix acquiesced.[8] In 2017, for her performance in the fifth season, Wright was nominated for her fifth consecutive Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. In 2014, 2016, and 2017, Wright received Best Actress in a Drama Series nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Awards, with her being the only nomination for the show in December 2017.

    In October 2017, she was the show's new lead for the final season, following the firing of Kevin Spacey due to sexual misconduct allegations. For her last appearance as Underwood, her performance was acclaimed - described as a "commanding performance [that] is more than enough to keep [the final season] standing strong"[9] - earning her her final nominations for the role at the Screen Actors Guild and Primetime Emmy Awards in 2019. For the latter, she became one of seven women to be nominated for the category six or more times for the same show, the first in 10 years since Mariska Hargitay for .[10]

    Further film and directorial work

    In 2017, Wright directed a short film, The Dark of Night, which starred Sam Rockwell and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.[11] Wright played General Antiope in Wonder Woman in 2017, and its 2020 sequel alongside Gal Gadot and Chris Pine. The film earned positive reviews and emerged as a financial success, grossing $822.8 million at the box office.[12] [13] She appears in the Blade Runner sequel Blade Runner 2049 alongside Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, and Jared Leto, directed by Denis Villeneuve.

    Her feature film directorial debut in the film Land was announced in April 2019.[14] Wright starred as its lead, Edee Mathis, a lawyer who retreats in grief to the Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. Sales for the film start at Cannes in May 2019. Filming began in October 2019 and the movie was picked up by distributor Focus Features.[15]

    Land premiered in January 2021 at the Sundance Film Festival to generally positive reviews, with specific praise towards the direction and the performances. Peter Debruge in a review for Variety wrote: "So bless Wright for paring “Land” down to a beautiful haiku, and for delivering a performance that's ambiguous and understated in all the right ways," and "in a directorial debut so pure and simple it speaks to enormous self-confidence, has better instincts than to reveal outright."[16]

    In 2022, Wright directed the final two episodes of the first part of season 4 of the Netflix show, Ozark. The episodes were titled: "Sangre Sobre Todo" and "Sanctified".[17] Kayla Cobb for Decider praised Wright's direction in the latter episode as "powerful" with the pairing of her direction, the script and actress Julia Garner's performance as a "masterful collaboration."[18]

    Wright will next star in and produce Ben Young's thriller Where All Light Tends to Go, an adaptation of the book of the same name by David Joy.[19] In April 2022, Wright joined the cast of Netflix's fantasy film Damsel directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo.[20] Wright will star in a Sony Pictures Classics and Miramax adaptation of Richard McGuire's Here in a Forrest Gump reteam with director Robert Zemeckis, actor Tom Hanks and writer Eric Roth for a 2023 release.[21]

    Personal life

    From 1986 to 1988, Wright was married to actor Dane Witherspoon, whom she met in 1984 on the set of the soap opera Santa Barbara.[22]

    In 1989, Wright became involved with actor Sean Penn following his divorce from Madonna. Wright was offered the role of Maid Marian in the film , but turned it down because she was pregnant.[23] Their daughter, Dylan Penn, was born in April 1991.[24] She backed out of the role of Abby McDeere in The Firm (1993) due to her pregnancy with her second child.[25] Their son, Hopper Jack, was born in August 1993.[26]

    After breaking up and getting back together,[27] Wright and Penn married in 1996. Their on-and-off relationship seemingly ended in divorce plans, announced in December 2007.[28] The divorce petition was withdrawn four months later at the couple's request.[29] In February 2009, Wright and Penn attended the 81st Academy Awards together, at which Penn won the Best Actor award. Penn filed for legal separation in April 2009,[30] but withdrew the petition in May.[31] In August 2009, Wright filed for divorce, declaring she had no plans to reconcile.[32] [33] [34] The divorce was finalized in July 2010.[35]

    In February 2012, Wright began dating actor Ben Foster.[36] Their engagement was announced in January 2014.[37] The couple called off their engagement in November 2014,[38] but reunited in January 2015.[39] In August 2015, they announced they were ending their second engagement.[40]

    In 2017, Wright began dating Clément Giraudet, a Saint Laurent executive. They secretly wed in August 2018 in La Roche-sur-le-Buis, France. Wright filed for divorce from Giraudet in September 2022.[41]

    Philanthropy and activism

    Wright is the honorary spokesperson for the Dallas, Texas–based non-profit The Gordie Foundation.[42]

    In 2014, she co-partnered with two California-based companies; Pour Les Femmes[43] and The SunnyLion.[44] The SunnyLion donates a portion of its profits to the Raise Hope For Congo movement.

    Wright is an activist for human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She is the narrator and executive producer of the documentary When Elephants Fight[45] which highlights how multinational mining corporations and politicians in the Democratic Republic of Congo threaten human rights, and perpetuate conflict in the region.[46]

    She is a supporter of Stand With Congo, the human rights campaign behind the film.[47] In 2016, Wright spoke publicly in support of the campaign at a film screening at the Tribeca Film Institute in New York City,[48] in media interviews,[49] [50] [51] [52] with journalists,[53] [54] [55] and across her social media accounts.[56] [57] [58]

    Filmography

    Film

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    1986 Hollywood Vice Squad Lori Stanton
    1987 The Princess Bride Buttercup
    1990 Denial Sara / Loon
    State of Grace Kathleen Flannery
    1992 The Playboys Tara Maguire
    Toys Gwen Tyler
    1994 Forrest Gump Jenny Curran
    1995 The Crossing Guard Jojo
    1996 Moll Flanders Moll Flanders
    1997 Loved Hedda Amerson starts being credited
    as Robin Wright Penn
    She's So Lovely Maureen Murphy Quinn
    1998 Hurlyburly Darlene
    1999 Message in a Bottle Theresa Osborne
    2000 How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog Melanie McGowan
    Unbreakable Audrey Dunn
    2001 The Pledge Lori
    The Last Castle Rosalie Irwin Uncredited
    2002 Searching for Debra Winger Herself Documentary
    White Oleander Starr Thomas
    2003 The Singing Detective Nicola / Nina / Blonde
    Virgin Mrs. Reynolds Also executive producer
    2004 A Home at the End of the World Clare
    2005 Nine Lives Diana
    Sorry, Haters Phoebe Torrence
    Max Mother Short film
    2006 Breaking and Entering Liv
    Room 10 Frannie Jones Short film
    2007 Hounddog Stranger Lady Also executive producer
    Beowulf Queen Wealtheow Motion-capture role
    (credited as Robin Wright-Penn)
    2008 What Just Happened Kelly
    New York, I Love You Anna
    2009 State of Play Anne Collins
    The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Pippa Lee
    A Christmas Carol Fan Scrooge / Belle Motion-capture role,
    last credit as Robin Wright Penn
    2010 The Conspirator
    2011 Moneyball Sharon Beane
    Rampart Linda Fentress
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Erika Berger
    2013 The CongressRobin Wright Also producer
    Adoration Roz
    2014 A Most Wanted Man Martha Sullivan
    2015 Everest Peach Weathers
    2017 Wonder Woman
    Blade Runner 2049 Lieutenant Joshi
    Justice League General Antiope Uncredited cameo
    2018 André the Giant Herself Documentary
    2020 Wonder Woman 1984General Antiope
    2021 Land Edee Holzer Also director and executive producer
    2021 Zack Snyder's Justice League General Antiope
    2023Devil's Peak VirgieAlso producer
    2024 DamselQueen Isabelle
    Here Margaret Post-production

    Television

    YearTitleRoleNotes
    1983–1984 The Yellow Rose Barbara Anderson 2 episodes
    1984–1988 Santa Barbara 538 episodes
    2005 Empire Falls Grace Roby Miniseries, only television credit as Robin Wright Penn
    2011 Enlightened Sandy 2 episodes
    2013–2018 House of Cards Main role; executive producer (seasons 4–6) and director (10 episodes)
    2020 First Ladies Narrator 6 episodes; voice
    2022 Ozark Director only; episodes: "Sangre Sobre Todo" and "Sanctified"

    Awards and nominations

    See main article: List of awards and nominations received by Robin Wright.

    Notes and References

    1. Robin Wright Is The Real Deal. Forbes. Dani Di. Placido. 19 May 2016. 9 April 2019.
    2. Web site: Frivolette.com. Robin Wright — biography, photos, personal life. 2022-02-13. www.frivolette.com. en-gb.
    3. Web site: Robin Wright. July 12, 2021. Biography.com (FYI/A&E Networks).
    4. Web site: Robin Wright as Claire Underwood. TV3.
    5. Web site: Robin Wright on House of Cards, Botox and getting married again. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10621566/Robin-Wright-on-House-of-Cards-Botox-and-getting-married-again.html . January 11, 2022 . subscription . live. Broadbent. Lucy. The Daily Telegraph. February 9, 2014. May 21, 2017.
    6. Book: Cameron-Wilson, James. Young Hollywood. 1994. Batsford. 978-0-7134-7266-0. 218.
    7. Web site: 2014 Golden Globes: Robin Wright wins best actress for online-only 'House of Cards'. Hyman. Vicki. The Star-Ledger. NJ.com. January 12, 2014. January 13, 2014.
    8. Web site: Robin Wright Demanded The Same Pay As Kevin Spacey For 'House of Cards'. Peck. Emily. HuffPost. May 18, 2016. May 19, 2016.
    9. Web site: House of Cards: Season 6 (2018) . Rotten Tomatoes . July 16, 2019.
    10. Web site: Robin Wright ('House of Cards') just became the first actress in 10 years to pull off this rare Emmy stat. Gold Derby. July 17, 2019. June 26, 2020.
    11. Web site: THE DARK OF NIGHT - Festival de Cannes 2023 . . February 4, 2023.
    12. Web site: Wonder Woman (2017). Rotten Tomatoes. June 2, 2017 . February 4, 2023.
    13. Wonder Woman . tt0451279 . February 4, 2023.
    14. Web site: Robin Wright Heads Into Wilderness for Directorial Film Debut 'Land,' With Sales to Start at Cannes. Clarke. Stewart. Variety. April 30, 2019. July 16, 2019.
    15. Web site: Filming Begins on Robin Wright's Directorial Debut 'Land'. Collider. Tom. Reimann. October 18, 2019. June 26, 2020.
    16. Web site: 'Land' Review: A Broken Soul Rebuilds in Robin Wright's Beautiful Solo Show. Debruge. Peter. Variety. January 31, 2021. January 14, 2023.
    17. Web site: The Surprising Director Behind Two Episodes Of Ozark Season 4, Part 1. Rowe. Brandon. Looper. January 21, 2022. January 21, 2022.
    18. Web site: Cobb . Kayla . 'Ozark's "Sanctified" Is an Audio Masterpiece . . February 4, 2023 . January 27, 2022.
    19. Web site: Welk. Brian. Robin Wright and Billy Bob Thornton to Star in Thriller 'Where All Light Tends to Go'. September 2, 2021. TheWrap. January 14, 2023.
    20. News: 'Damsel': Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter & Shohreh Aghdashloo Join Netflix Millie Bobby Brown Fantasy Pic. Anthony. D'Alessandro. 12 April 2022. Deadline Hollywood.
    21. Web site: Sony Pictures Lands U.S. Rights To Miramax's 'Here'; Robin Wright Joins Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis, Eric Roth In 'Forrest Gump' Reteam – Cannes Market. Fleming. Mike Jr.. Deadline Hollywood. May 11, 2022. January 14, 2023.
    22. News: Penn, Wright Splitsville. Grossberg. Josh. Yahoo! News. December 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20080101134425/http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20071228/en_movies_eo/ae9cce127e70_4f90_8254_26b3a2b3fbdf. January 1, 2008. dead.
    23. Book: Mell, Eila. Casting Might-Have-Beens: A film by film directory. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 2005. 978-0786420179. Jefferson, North Carolina. 204.
    24. Web site: Cradle Watch. MacMinn. Aleene. Los Angeles Times. April 17, 1991. July 27, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20120309121117/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-04-17/entertainment/ca-49_1_penn-publicist-wright. March 9, 2012. live. Dylan Frances Penn was born Saturday [April 13] at 10:49 p.m. at UCLA Medical Center..
    25. Web site: Robin Wright – Biography. Yahoo! Movies. May 21, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20120627132109/http://movies.yahoo.com:80/person/robin-wright/biography.html. June 27, 2012.
    26. Book: Kelly, Richard T.. Sean Penn: His Life and Times. 274. Canongate U.S.. 2004. 978-1841956237.
    27. News: The Insider – Vol. 45 No. 12. People. March 25, 1996.
    28. Web site: Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn Divorcing. White. Nicholas. People. December 27, 2007. July 30, 2017.
    29. Web site: Sean Penn & Robin Wright Stop Divorce Action. Orloff. Brian. People. April 9, 2008. April 8, 2017.
    30. Web site: Sean Penn Files for Legal Separation. Laudadio. Marisa. Lee. Ken. People. April 29, 2009. February 26, 2017.
    31. Web site: Sean Penn withdraws separation filing. USA Today. May 22, 2009.
    32. Web site: Robin Wright Penn Files for Divorce. Lee. Ken. People. August 18, 2009. May 4, 2017.
    33. Web site: Robin Wright Penn Goes It Alone. Breslau. Karen. More. September 2009. September 16, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20160327061714/http://www.more.com/2049/7378-robin-wright-penn-isn-t-reconciling. March 27, 2016. dead.
    34. News: Big changes for Robin Wright. Derschowitz. Jessica. CBS News. November 16, 2009. December 8, 2016.
    35. Web site: Sean Penn and Robin Wright Finalize Their Divorce. Oh. Eunice. People. August 4, 2010. February 26, 2017.
    36. Robin Wright and Ben Foster Get Cozy. People. February 10, 2012.
    37. Web site: Robin Wright and Ben Foster are engaged. Loinaz. Alexis L.. People. January 11, 2014. January 11, 2014.
    38. Web site: Robin Wright and Ben Foster Split, Call Off 10-Month Engagement – Find Out What Went Wrong. Sierra. Marquina. Us Weekly. November 12, 2014. November 13, 2014.
    39. Web site: Robin Wright Talks Sex Life With Ben Foster After Sean Penn Divorce: "I've Never Been Happier". Esther. Lee. Us Weekly. March 10, 2015. July 4, 2015.
    40. Web site: Robin Wright, Ben Foster Call Off Engagement For the Second Time. Webber. Stephanie. Us Weekly. August 29, 2015. August 29, 2015.
    41. Web site: Robin Wright files quietly for divorce from fashion exec Clément Giraudet . . September 26, 2022 .
    42. Web site: The Gordie Foundation. https://web.archive.org/web/20080501095023/http://www.gordie.org/Media-and-Events/Press-Releases.aspx. May 1, 2008.
    43. Web site: Pour Les Femmes. Plfdreams.tilt.com. May 8, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402132609/https://plfdreams.tilt.com/pour-les-femmes. April 2, 2015. dead.
    44. Web site: Giving Back – The SunnyLion and Raise Hope for Congo. TheSunnyLion.com. June 20, 2014. May 8, 2015.
    45. Web site: When Elephants Fight (2015). IMDb. July 27, 2016.
    46. Web site: Mortality in the Democratic Republic of Congo: An Ongoing Crisis. International Rescue Committee. July 27, 2016.
    47. Web site:
      1. StandWithCongo A Stier Forward Campaign
      . Stand With Congo. July 27, 2016.
    48. Web site: LIVE NYC Screening4Action at TriBeCa. Facebook.com/StandWithCongo. July 27, 2016.
    49. Web site: Live with Robin Wright. Facebook.com/MicMedia. July 27, 2016.
    50. Web site: Congo: The High Cost of Mineral Riches. WNYC (NPR). July 27, 2016.
    51. Web site: Actress Robin Wright Talks About Her New Documentary. Facebook.com/HuffPostEntertainment. July 27, 2016.
    52. Web site: 'Making Noise': The Path Towards Global Equality. Rockefeller Foundation. July 27, 2016.
    53. Web site: The Paradox Of Congo: How The World's Wealthiest Country Became Home To The World's Poorest People. ThinkProgress.org. July 27, 2016.
    54. Web site: Robin Wright Makes a Powerful Political Statement — It's Not Related to 'House of Cards'. May 16, 2016 . Mic.com. July 27, 2016.
    55. Web site: Robin Wright: A-lister who's playing for high stakes off screen. The Guardian. May 22, 2016. July 27, 2016.
    56. Web site: Robin Wright Twitter. Twitter. July 27, 2016.
    57. Web site: Robin Wright Twitter. Twitter. July 27, 2016.
    58. Web site: Robin Wright Instagram. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/robingwright/1205124068867940618 . 2021-12-23 . subscription. Instagram. March 13, 2016. July 27, 2016.