After a stunning and successful year in television, Jean Smart takes on a leading film role in Matt Smukler’s coming-of-age drama, titled Wildflower. The upcoming film is not to be confused with his recently released documentary of the same name.
Smart will star alongside Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’s Kiernan Shipka, The White Lotus’ Alexandra Daddario, Dash Mihok (Ray Donovan), Charlie Plummer (Looking For Alaska), and Samantha Hyde in Smulker’s feature film directorial debut.
Based on Smulker’s own family, Wildflower is a coming-of-age dark comedy that follows Bea Johnson from birth to graduation as she navigates life with a parent with an intellectual disability and an extended family that can’t quite agree on the best way to help. The Trap’s Jana Savage has signed onto the film as screenwriter.
Earlier this month, Smart won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as Deborah Vance in Hacks. She also received a nomination for her role in fellow HBO series, Mare Of Easttown.
Smart’s crafted quite the career in television, beginning with Designing Women in 1986, where she played Charlene Frazier Stillfield. In addition to this year’s HBO shows, she’s recently starred in FX’s Legion and the HBO miniseries Watchmen, for which she won an Emmy nomination. She received nominations for her work in the television series Fargo and the sitcom Fraiser. Prior to her Hacks Emmys win, she had previously won an award in 2008 for her supporting role in Samantha Who? What a legend.
Her most recent film credits include the rom-com Senior Moment, Superintelligence, and Brampton’s Own. Smart is also slated to appear in Damien Chazelle’s star-stuffed Babylon, which will not arrive until 2023. She will return to the world of Hacks soon enough when the second season kicks off production.