Chloë Stevens Sevigny (, born November 18, 1974) is an American actress, model, filmmaker and fashion designer. Known for her work in
independent film
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is produced outside the major film studio system, in addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies (or, i ...
s, often appearing in controversial or
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
features, Sevigny is the recipient of
several accolades, including a
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
, a
Satellite Award
The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take plac ...
, an
Independent Spirit Award, as well as nominations for an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
and three
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie and ...
s. She also has a career in fashion design concurrent with her acting work. Over the years, her
alternative fashion sense has earned her a reputation as a "style icon".
After graduating from high school, Sevigny found work as a model, and appeared in music videos for
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of th ...
and
The Lemonheads
The Lemonheads are an American alternative rock band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1986 by Evan Dando, Ben Deily, and Jesse Peretz. Dando has remained the band's only constant member.
After their initial punk-influenced releases and to ...
, which helped acquire her "
it girl" status. In 1995, she made her film debut in ''
Kids
Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to:
Common meanings
* Colloquial term for a child or other young person
** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age
* Engage in joking
* Young goats
* The goat meat of young goats
* Kidskin ...
'', which earned her critical acclaim. A string of roles in small-scale features throughout the late 1990s, like 1996's ''
Trees Lounge'', further established her as a prominent performer in the independent film scene. Sevigny rose to prominence with her portrayal of
Lana Tisdel in the drama film ''
Boys Don't Cry'' (1999), for which she received a nomination for the
Academy Award For Best Supporting Actress.
Throughout the 2000s, Sevigny appeared in supporting parts in numerous independent films, including ''
American Psycho
''American Psycho'' is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of ''The Observer'' notes that while "some countri ...
'' (2000), ''
Demonlover'' (2002); ''
Party Monster'' and ''
Dogville'' (both 2003); and ''
The Brown Bunny'' (2004). Her participation in the last caused considerable controversy due to a scene in which she performed graphic unsimulated fellatio. From 2006 to 2011, Sevigny portrayed
Nicolette Grant on the
HBO series ''
Big Love'', for which she won a Golden Globe Award for
Best Supporting Actress in 2010. She also appeared in mainstream films such as
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fi ...
's ''
Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The p ...
'' (2007), and the biopic ''
Mr. Nice
''Mr Nice'' (US title ''Mr. Nice'') is a 2010 crime drama film written and directed by Bernard Rose, ''Mr Nice'' is in part a biopic, a loose film adaptation of ''Mr Nice'', the cult 1997 autobiography by Howard Marks. The film features an en ...
'' (2010).
After the conclusion of ''Big Love'', Sevigny went on to appear in numerous television projects, starring in the British series ''
Hit & Miss
''Hit & Miss'' is a British television series, created by Paul Abbott, broadcast on Sky Atlantic. It stars Chloë Sevigny as a transgender contract killer who discovers she has a child with her former lover. She struggles between caring for her ...
'' (2012), and having supporting roles in ''
Portlandia'' (2013), two seasons of ''
American Horror Story
''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the ''American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...
''; and in the Netflix series ''
Bloodline
Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...
'' (2015–2017). Sevigny made her directorial debut in 2016 with the short film ''
Kitty'', followed by a second short film titled ''Carmen''. She had several supporting parts in 2017 before obtaining a lead role portraying
Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...
in the independent thriller ''
Lizzie'' (2018), followed by another lead role in
Jim Jarmusch's horror comedy ''
The Dead Don't Die'' (2019). Her third film as a director, a short titled ''White Echo'', competed for the
Short Film Palme d'Or
The Short Film Palme d'Or (french: Palme d'Or du court métrage) is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. Since the creation of the Cinéfondation section in 1998, a common Official Jury awards the Short Film Pal ...
at the
2019 Cannes Film Festival
The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2019. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu served as jury president. The Palme d'Or went to the South Korean film ''Parasite'', directed by Bong Joon-ho; Bong became t ...
.
Life and career
1974–1993: Early life
Chloë Stevens Sevigny
was born in
Springfield, Massachusetts,
on November 18, 1974, the second child of Janine (''
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...
'' Malinowski) and Harold David Sevigny (1940–1996).
She has one older brother, Paul. According to Sevigny, she added the
diaeresis to her first name later in life, and it was not on her birth certificate.
Her mother is
Polish-American
Polish Americans ( pl, Polonia amerykańska) are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 9.15 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.83% ...
, and her father was of
French-Canadian
French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
heritage. Sevigny and her brother were raised in a strict
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
household
in affluent
Darien, Connecticut, where her father worked first as an accountant, and then as an art teacher.
Despite Darien's wealth, the Sevignys had a "frugal" household, and were considered "the poor bohemians in
nextremely prosperous neighborhood".
Sevigny has stated that her father "worked very hard to bring us up in that town ... He wanted us to grow up in a really safe environment."
As a child, Sevigny was diagnosed with
scoliosis
Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not t ...
, but never received any surgical treatment for it.
She often spent summers attending theater camp, with leading roles in plays run by the
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...
.
She attended
Darien High School, where she was a member of the Alternative Learning Program. While in high school, she often babysat actor
Topher Grace
Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Eric Forman in the Fox sitcom '' That '70s Show'', Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's film ''Spider-Man 3'', Pete Monash in '' Win a Date with Tad ...
and his younger sister. As a young teenager, she worked sweeping the tennis courts of a
country club
A country club is a privately owned club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Typical athletic offe ...
her family could not afford to join.
Sevigny described herself as a "loner" and a "depressed teenager" whose only extracurricular activities were occasionally skateboarding with her older brother and sewing her own clothes.
In high school, she grew rebellious and began experimenting with drugs, particularly
hallucinogens. She has said that her father was aware of her experimentation, and even told her that it was okay, but that she had "to stop if she had bad
trips
The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It establishes minimum standards for the regulation by nat ...
".
["Chloe: New York Doll", '']The Face
The face is a part of the body, the front of the head.
Face may also refer to:
Film
* ''The Magician'' (1958 film) or ''The Face''
* ''The Face'' (1996 film), an American television film
* ''Face'' (1997 film), a British crime drama by Antoni ...
'', February 1, 1997. Despite her father's leniency, her mother forced her to attend
Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Sevigny has later stated about her teenage drug use that "I had a great family lifeI would never want it to look as if it reflected on them. I think I was very bored ... I often feel it's because I experimented when I was younger that I have no interest as an adult. I know a lot of adults who didn't, and it's much more dangerous when you start experimenting with drugs as an adult."
Sevigny's father died of cancer in 1996, when she was 22 years old.
1992–1994: Modeling
As a teenager, Sevigny would occasionally ditch school in
Darien and take
the train into
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
. In 1992, at age 17, she was spotted on an
East Village street by Andrea Linett, a fashion editor of ''
Sassy'' magazine, who was so impressed by her style that she asked her to model for the magazine; she was later made an intern.
When recounting the event, Sevigny recalled that Linett "just liked the hat I was wearing."
She later modeled in the magazine as well as for X-Girl, the subsidiary fashion label of the
Beastie Boys' "
X-Large", designed by
Kim Gordon of
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of th ...
, which she followed with an appearance in the music video for Sonic Youth's "
Sugar Kane
"Sugar Kane" is the third single from Sonic Youth's 1992 album ''Dirty''. It was released in 1993 on DGC.
Music video
The music video for Sugar Kane was directed by Nick Egan. The video was shot in New York City and portrayed Sonic Youth perf ...
".
In 1993, at age 19, Sevigny relocated from her Connecticut hometown to an apartment in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...
, and worked as a
seamstress
A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician.
Not ...
. During that time, author
Jay McInerney
John Barrett "Jay" McInerney Jr. (; born January 13, 1955) is an American novelist, screenwriter, editor, and columnist. His novels include '' Bright Lights, Big City'', ''Ransom'', '' Story of My Life'', ''Brightness Falls'', and ''The Last of ...
spotted her around New York City and wrote a seven-page article about her for ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
'' in which he dubbed her the new "
it girl" and referred to her as one of the "coolest girls in the world."
She subsequently appeared on the album cover of
Gigolo Aunts' 1994 recording ''Flippin' Out'' and the EP ''Full-On Bloom'', as well as in a
Lemonheads music video which further increased her reputation on New York's early 1990s underground scene.
1995–1998: Early film and stage roles
Sevigny encountered screenwriter and aspiring director
Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973, some sources report September 1, 1974)
" Retrieved on 2009-10-26. is an Ame ...
in
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is a public park in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan, New York City. One of the best known of New York City's public parks, it is an icon as well as a meeting place and center for cultural activity. ...
during her senior year of high school in 1993.
The two became close friends, which resulted in her being cast in the low-budget independent film ''
Kids
Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to:
Common meanings
* Colloquial term for a child or other young person
** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age
* Engage in joking
* Young goats
* The goat meat of young goats
* Kidskin ...
'' (1995), which was written by Korine and directed by
Larry Clark.
[ ] Sevigny played a New York teenager who discovers she is
HIV positive. According to Sevigny, she was originally cast in a much smaller role, but ended up replacing Canadian actress
Mia Kirshner. Just two days before production began, the leading role went to Sevigny, who was 19 at the time and had no professional acting experience.
''Kids'' was highly controversial; the film was given an
NC-17 rating by the
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distri ...
for its graphic depiction of sexuality and drug use involving teenagers. Despite this, the film was taken note of critically;
Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' considered it a "wake-up call to the modern world" about the nature of the American youth in contemporary urban settings. Sevigny's performance was praised, with critics noting that she brought a tenderness to the chaotic, immoral nature of the film: "Sevigny provided the warm, reflective centre in this feral film."
She received an
Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Female.
Sevigny followed ''Kids'' with actor/director
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...
's independent film ''
Trees Lounge'' (1996), starring in a relatively small role as Buscemi's object of affection. During this time, director
Mary Harron (after having seen ''Kids'') offered Sevigny a minor part in her film ''
I Shot Andy Warhol'' (1996). Harron tracked Sevigny down to the
SoHo
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
clothing store Liquid Sky, where she was working at the time. Sevigny then gave her first audition ever, but ultimately decided to turn down the part;
she would later work with Harron on ''American Psycho'' (2000). Instead of taking the part in ''I Shot Andy Warhol,'' Sevigny starred in and worked as a fashion designer on ''
Gummo'' (1997),
directed and written by Harmony Korine, who was romantically involved with Sevigny during and after filming.
[ ] ''Gummo'' was as controversial as Sevigny's debut; set in
Xenia, Ohio
Xenia ( ) is a city in southwestern Ohio and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. It is east of Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Miami Valley region. The name comes from the Greek ...
, the film depicts an array of
nihilistic characters in a poverty-stricken community, and presents themes of drug and sexual abuse as well as anti-social
alienated youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Y ...
. Recalling the film, Sevigny cited it as one of her favorite projects: "Young people love that movie. It's been stolen from every
Blockbuster
Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to:
*Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived.
Corporations
* Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain
** Blo ...
in America. It's become a
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...
".
The film was dedicated to Sevigny's father, who died prior to the film's release.
After ''Gummo'', Sevigny starred in the
neo-noir
Neo-noir is a revival of film noir, a genre that had originally flourished during the post-World War II era in the United Statesroughly from 1940 to 1960. The French term, ''film noir'', translates literally to English as "black film", indicating s ...
thriller ''
Palmetto
Palmetto (meaning "little palm") may refer to:
Palms
Several small palms in the Arecaceae (palm tree) family:
*in the genus '' Sabal'':
**Bermuda palmetto, ''Sabal bermudana''
**Birmingham palmetto, ''Sabal'' 'Birmingham'
**Dwarf, or bush palm ...
'' (1998), playing a young Florida kidnapee alongside
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards ...
.
Stephen Hunter of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' lambasted the film for having "bad writing," ultimately deeming it "somewhat dull and sluggish."
She then had a leading role as a
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...
graduate in the sardonic period piece ''
The Last Days of Disco'' (1998), alongside
Kate Beckinsale
Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costum ...
. The film was written and directed by cult director
Whit Stillman and details the rise and fall of the Manhattan club scene in the "very early 1980s". Stillman said of Sevigny: "Chloë is a natural phenomenon. You're not directing, she's not performing—it's just real."
Janet Maslin of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that Sevigny "is seductively demure" in her performance as Alice.
The film was generally well received, but was not a box-office success in the United States, only grossing $3 million
—it has since become somewhat of a success as a cult film.
Aside from film work, Sevigny starred in a 1998 Off-Broadway production of ''Hazelwood Jr. High,'' which tells the true story of the 1992
murder of Shanda Sharer
Shanda Renée Sharer (June 6, 1979 – January 11, 1992) was an American girl who was tortured and burned to death in Madison, Indiana by four teenage girls. She was 12 years old at the time of her death. The incident attracted international att ...
; Sevigny played 17-year-old
Laurie Tackett, one of four girls responsible for torturing and murdering 12-year-old Sharer. Sevigny stated she was so emotionally disturbed after playing the role that she began attending
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different element ...
again.
1999–2003: ''Boys Don't Cry'' and breakthrough
Sevigny was cast in the independent drama ''
Boys Don't Cry'' (1999) after director
Kimberly Peirce saw her performance in ''The Last Days of Disco.''
Sevigny's role in ''Boys Don't Cry''—a biographical film of
trans
Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of".
Used alone, trans may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Trans (festival), a former festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
* ''Trans'' (fil ...
man
Brandon Teena, who was raped and murdered in
Humboldt, Nebraska
Humboldt is a city in Richardson County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 877 at the 2010 census.
History
Humboldt was platted in 1868. It was named after Humboldt, Tennessee, where an early settler had stayed while fighting in the C ...
in 1993—was responsible for her rise to prominence and her mainstream success.
Sevigny played
Lana Tisdel, a young woman who fell in love with Teena, initially unaware of the fact that he was a transgender man and continued the relationship after learning about his gender identity.
[ ] ''Boys Don't Cry'' received high praise from critics, and was a moderate box-office success. The film was widely credited as featuring some of the best acting of the year, with Sevigny's performance singled out for praise. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' stated that she "plays the role with haunting immediacy",
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''Chicago Sun Times'' stated that "it is Sevigny who provides our entrance into the story"
and ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that she gives a "performance that burns into the memory". The role earned Sevigny supporting actress nominations for both an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
and a Golden Globe Award. She won an
Independent Spirit Award, a
Satellite Award
The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take plac ...
, and a Sierra Award for her performance.
Following the success of ''Boys Don't Cry'', Sevigny appeared in 1999 in the experimental film ''
Julien Donkey-Boy'', which reunited her with writer-director Harmony Korine. In the film, she played the pregnant sister of a man with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wi ...
. Though it never saw a major theatrical release, the film garnered some critical praise; Roger Ebert gave the film his signature thumbs up, referring to it as "''
Freaks'' shot by the ''
Blair Witch'' crew", and continuing to say, "The odds are good that most people will dislike this film and be offended by it. For others, it will provoke sympathy rather than scorn". Sevigny also had a small part in the drama film ''
A Map of the World'' (1999), which starred
Sigourney Weaver.
In 2000, Sevigny played a supporting role in
Mary Harron's ''
American Psycho
''American Psycho'' is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of ''The Observer'' notes that while "some countri ...
'', based on the controversial 1991
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
by
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...
.
She portrayed the office assistant of the main character Patrick Bateman (
Christian Bale
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, includin ...
), a 1980s Manhattan
yuppie
Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly ne ...
-turned-
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
. Similarly to the novel on which it was based, the film was controversial because of its depiction of graphic violence and sexuality in an upper-class Manhattan society. Sevigny also appeared as a
lesbian in the
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning television film ''
If These Walls Could Talk 2'' (2000), the sequel to the HBO television drama-film ''
If These Walls Could Talk'' (1996).
Sevigny credited it as the only film she ever made for financial benefit, to help her mother with whom she lived in Connecticut in 1998–2000.
Around 2000, Sevigny began a relationship with musician Matt McAuley of the
noise-rock band
A.R.E. Weapons.
The two would remain a couple for eight years before separating in early 2008.
Following her appearance in ''If These Walls Could Talk 2'', Sevigny was approached for a supporting role in the 2001 comedy ''
Legally Blonde'' alongside
Reese Witherspoon
Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. The recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, she ...
and offered $500,000; she declined and the role was given to
Selma Blair
Selma Blair Beitner (born June 23, 1972) is an American actress. She played a number of roles in films and on television before obtaining recognition for her leading role in the film '' Brown's Requiem'' (1998). Her breakthrough came when she s ...
.
Instead, she starred in
Olivier Assayas
Olivier Assayas (born 25 January 1955) is a French film director, screenwriter and film critic. Assayas is known for his slow-burning period pieces, psychological thrillers, neo-noirs and French comedies. His work has become synonymous with t ...
' French
techno thriller
A techno-thriller or technothriller is a hybrid genre drawing from science fiction, thrillers, spy fiction, action, and war novels. They include a disproportionate amount (relative to other genres) of technical details on their subject matter (t ...
''
Demonlover'' (2002) alongside
Connie Nielsen
Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the film ''Gladiator'' (2000) and as Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe, and in the films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), ''Justice League'' (2017), '' ...
, for which she was required to learn her lines in French.
Sevigny described shooting the film as "strange", in the sense that Assayas hardly spoke to her during the filming, which she said was difficult because of the lack of "input". After spending nearly three months in France to complete ''Demonlover'', Sevigny returned to New York to film the
Club Kids
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities popularized by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, Astro Erle, Michael Tronn, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s, and throughout the 1990s would grow to ...
biopic ''
Party Monster'' (2003); coincidentally, she knew several of the people depicted in the film (
Michael Alig and
James St. James included), whom she had met during her frequent trips to New York City's club scene as a teenager.
Around 2002, Sevigny began collaborating with friend
Tara Subkoff
Tara Lyn Subkoff (born December 10, 1972) is an American actress, conceptual artist, director, and fashion designer. Subkoff made her film debut in the thriller '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1994) opposite Martin Sheen, and has had supporting roles ...
for the
Imitation of Christ
In Christian theology, the imitation of Christ is the practice of following the example of Jesus.''A concise dictionary of theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 page 115''Imitating Jesus: an inclusive approach to New Testamen ...
fashion label and conceptual art project, with their first collection being released in 2003. She served as the creative director for the line, which was referred to as being "more about performance art and cultural theory than clothes". In film, Sevigny had a role in
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, ...
's parable ''
Dogville'' (2003), playing one of the various residents of a small mountain town, alongside
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
,
Lauren Bacall
Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...
, and
Paul Bettany. The film received mixed reactions, and was criticized by Roger Ebert and
Richard Roeper as being "anti-American". She also re-united with former ''Boys Don't Cry'' star
Peter Sarsgaard for the
biographical film
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docud ...
''
Shattered Glass'' (2003), also alongside
Hayden Christensen, about the career of
Stephen Glass, a journalist whose reputation is destroyed when his widespread
journalistic fraud
Journalism scandals are high-profile incidents or acts, whether intentional or accidental, that run contrary to the generally accepted ethics and standards of journalism, or otherwise violate the 'ideal' mission of journalism: to report news eve ...
is exposed. Sevigny played Caitlin Avey, one of Glass' co-editors.
2004–2006: ''The Brown Bunny'' controversy
In 2003, Sevigny took on the lead female role in the art house film ''
The Brown Bunny'' (2003), which details a lonely traveling motorcycle racer reminiscing about his former lover. The film achieved notoriety for a scene which involves Sevigny performing
fellatio
Fellatio (also known as fellation, and in slang as blowjob, BJ, giving head, or sucking off) is an oral sex act involving a person stimulating the penis of another person by using the mouth, throat, or both. Oral stimulation of the scrotum may ...
on star and director
Vincent Gallo.
The film premiered at the 2003
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
and opened to significant controversy and criticism from audiences and critics. Additionally, a promotional
billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
erected over
Sunset Boulevard, which depicted a censored still from the film's final scene, garnered further attention and criticism. Sevigny defended the film: In an interview with ''
The Telegraph'' in 2003, when asked if she regretted the film, she responded:
Despite the backlash toward the film, some critics praised Sevigny's performance, including
Manohla Dargis
Manohla June Dargis () is an American film critic. She is one of the chief film critics for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.
Career
Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times' ...
of ''The New York Times'':
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
, although critical of ''The Brown Bunny'', nevertheless said that Sevigny brought "a truth and vulnerability" to the film.
Sevigny continued on with various projects. She had a major supporting role in
Woody Allen
Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
's two-sided
tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious ...
''
Melinda and Melinda'' (2004).
Critic
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw (born 19 June 1962) is a British writer and film critic. He has been chief film critic at ''The Guardian'' since 1999, and is a contributing editor at ''Esquire''.
Early life and education
Bradshaw was educated at Haberdasher ...
described the film as "strange... a half-hearted experiment populated by undernourished lab rats."
She subsequently guest-starred on the popular television show ''
Will & Grace'', and played small roles in
Lars von Trier
Lars von Trier (''né'' Trier; 30 April 1956) is a Danish filmmaker, actor, and lyricist. Having garnered a reputation as a highly ambitious, polarizing filmmaker, he has been the subject of several controversies: Cannes Film Festival, Cannes, ...
's ''
Manderlay'' (2005) (a sequel to ''
Dogville'' (2003)) and in
Jim Jarmusch's ''
Broken Flowers'' (2005). She also played one of the several lovers of New York doctor
Herman Tarnower
Herman Tarnower (March 18, 1910 – March 10, 1980) was an American cardiologist and co-author (with Samm Sinclair Baker) of the bestselling diet book ''The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet'' (1978), which promoted a high-protein low-carboh ...
in the
HBO television film ''
Mrs. Harris
''Mrs. Harris'' is a 2005 American-British made-for-television drama film written and directed by Phyllis Nagy. The teleplay, based on the book ''Very Much a Lady'' by Shana Alexander, focuses on the tempestuous relationship between Herman Tarnower ...
'' (2005) alongside
Annette Bening and
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...
. In ''
3 Needles'' (2005), an
anthology film about AIDS in various parts of the world, Sevigny had a major role as a Catholic nun visiting Africa. Her performance received good reviews; Dennis Harvey of ''
Variety'' called her "convincing", while Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' referred to her as "ever-daring and shrewd." In 2006, Sevigny played the lead character in the experimental indie-film ''
Lying'' (2006) with
Jena Malone and
Leelee Sobieski, portraying a
pathological liar
Pathological lying, also known as ''mythomania'' and ''pseudologia fantastica'', is a chronic behavior in which the person habitually or compulsively lies. These lies often serve no obvious purpose other than to paint oneself as a hero or victi ...
who gathers three female acquaintances for a weekend at her upstate New York country house; the film premiered at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
in 2006. She also had a starring role in
Douglas Buck's 2006
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sa ...
of the
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leadin ...
horror film ''
Sisters'' (1973), playing a journalist who witnesses a murder.
2007–2011: Fashion endeavors; ''Big Love''

In 2006, Sevigny began a five-season run in the HBO television series ''
Big Love'', about a family of
fundamentalist Mormon
Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of Joseph Smith, Bri ...
polygamists. She played
Nicolette Grant, the conniving,
shopaholic daughter of a cult leader and second wife to a polygamist husband, played by
Bill Paxton. Sevigny also appeared in her first big-budget production,
playing
Robert Graysmith's wife Melanie in
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fi ...
's ''
Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The p ...
'' (2007), based on the
Zodiac Killer criminal case.
In October 2007, the French fashion house
Chloé announced that Sevigny would be one of the spokesmodels for its new fragrance. Sevigny also released a clothing collection for
Opening Ceremony in the fall of 2009. It included men's, women's, and unisex pieces, and received mixed reactions from critics. Sevigny returned to films in 2009, starring in the independent psychological thriller ''
The Killing Room'', and
Werner Herzog's ''
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'', a crime horror film based on murderer Mark Yavorsky, produced by
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
.
In January 2010, Sevigny won a
Golden Globe award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
for
Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for her performance in the third season of ''Big Love''. During a press conference following the award win, Sevigny addressed the repressed women living in the fundamentalist Mormon
compounds: "These women are kept extremely repressed. They should be helped. They don't even know who the president of the United States is." In a later interview with
The A.V. Club, Sevigny was asked if she felt that the show's message was that polygamy was "wrong". In response, Sevigny stated: "No, absolutely not. I think there are more parallels to
gay rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , ...
and
alternative lifestyle
An alternative lifestyle is a lifestyle perceived to be outside the norm for a given culture. The phrase "alternative lifestyle" is often used pejoratively. Description of a related set of activities as alternative is a defining aspect of certai ...
s within ''Big Love''—more so than 'Polygamy is wrong'. I think they actually condone people who decide to live this lifestyle outside of fundamentalist sects."
During the same interview, Sevigny stated her disappointment with the series' fourth season, calling it "awful" and "very
telenovela
A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ( ...
"—though she stated that she loves her character and the writing, she felt the show "got away from itself."
Sevigny later regretted making the statements,
saying she was very "exhausted" and "wasn't thinking about what
hewas saying"; she also apologized to the show's producers. "
didn't want them to thinkthat I was biting the hand that feeds me, because I obviously love the show and have always been nothing but positive about it. And I didn't want anybody to misunderstand me or think that I wasn't, you know, appreciative."
While starring in the fourth season of ''Big Love'' in 2010, Sevigny also appeared major roles in two independent comedy films: ''
Barry Munday'' and ''
Mr. Nice
''Mr Nice'' (US title ''Mr. Nice'') is a 2010 crime drama film written and directed by Bernard Rose, ''Mr Nice'' is in part a biopic, a loose film adaptation of ''Mr Nice'', the cult 1997 autobiography by Howard Marks. The film features an en ...
''.
In ''Munday'', she played the sister of a homely woman who is expecting a child by a recently castrated womanizer (opposite
Patrick Wilson
Patrick Joseph Wilson (born July 3, 1973) is an American actor and director. He began his career in 1995, starring in Broadway musicals. He received nominations for two Tony Awards for his roles in '' The Full Monty'' (2000–2001) and '' Okla ...
and
Judy Greer
Judith Therese Evans (born July 20, 1975), known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress, who has appeared in a wide variety of films. She first rose to prominence in a variety of suppor ...
). Her role in ''Mr. Nice'', as the wife of British marijuana-trafficker
Howard Marks, had Sevigny starring alongside
Rhys Ifans; the film was based on Marks' autobiography of the same name. Sevigny also had a
voice part in the documentary film ''
Beautiful Darling
''Beautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar'' is a 2010 feature-length documentary film about Candy Darling, pioneering trans woman, actress and Andy Warhol superstar. The film was written and directed by Jam ...
'' (2010), narrating the life of
Warhol superstar Candy Darling through Darling's diaries and personal letters. The fifth and final season of ''Big Love'' premiered in March 2011.
2012–2015: Television projects

In 2012, Sevigny starred in the British miniseries ''
Hit & Miss
''Hit & Miss'' is a British television series, created by Paul Abbott, broadcast on Sky Atlantic. It stars Chloë Sevigny as a transgender contract killer who discovers she has a child with her former lover. She struggles between caring for her ...
'', playing a
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
contract killer.
Mike Hale of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote of her performance: "Her naturally deep voice is a plus, and her characteristic mix of loucheness and gravity makes sense here, though it's less interesting in this role than it was in the bitterly voracious wife she played in ''Big Love''." The same year, Sevigny guest-starred in an episode of ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', which aired on April 18, 2012, and also appeared in the second and fifth seasons of ''
American Horror Story
''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the ''American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...
'', which premiered in October 2012 and the latter in October 2015.
Sevigny appeared in a supporting role as a journalist in ''
Lovelace'' (2013), a biographical film about
pornographic film
Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include erotic ...
actress
Linda Lovelace. The year also saw the release of ''
The Wait'' (2013), Sevigny's second collaboration with director M. Blash, in which she starred alongside Jena Malone and
Luke Grimes. It was a psychological thriller about two sisters who decide to keep their recently deceased mother in their house after receiving a phone call that she will be resurrected. Sevigny also had roles in television, appearing as a satellite character in the third season of the television sketch comedy show ''
Portlandia'',
and having a 5-episode guest role on the comedy series ''
The Mindy Project'', in which she portrayed the ex-wife of the titular Mindy's love interest (played by
Chris Messina). Kristi Turnquist of ''
The Oregonian
''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...
'' praised Sevigny in ''Portlandia'', stating that she "instantly adds dimension and interest" to the series.
In 2014, Sevigny starred as Catherine Jensen in the crime drama ''
Those Who Kill'', which aired on the
A&E Network
A&E is an American basic cable network, the flagship television property of A&E Networks. The network was originally founded in 1984 as the Arts & Entertainment Network, initially focusing on fine arts, documentaries, dramas, and educational e ...
. After being pulled from A&E after two episodes due to low ratings, it was then re-launched on A&E's sister network,
Lifetime Movie Network. The series was subsequently cancelled after its 10 episode first season run. During the 29th International Festival of Fashion and Photography in April 2014, Sevigny served as a judge of the fashion jury, along with Humberto Leon and Carol Lim.
In March 2015, it was announced Sevigny would be returning to ''American Horror Story'' for its fifth season, ''
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
'', as a main cast member. Sevigny portrayed a doctor whose son has been kidnapped. That same year, she also starred in the
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
original series ''
Bloodline
Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...
''.
In the spring of 2015, Sevigny published a picture book chronicling her life, containing photos of her as a high school student, on film sets, personal scripts, and other ephemera.
She also appeared in
Tara Subkoff
Tara Lyn Subkoff (born December 10, 1972) is an American actress, conceptual artist, director, and fashion designer. Subkoff made her film debut in the thriller '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1994) opposite Martin Sheen, and has had supporting roles ...
's directorial debut ''
#Horror'', playing the opulent mother of a teenage girl whose get-together with friends is interrupted by a murderer.
2016–present: Directing and other projects

In early 2016, Sevigny appeared in the Canadian horror film ''
Antibirth
''Antibirth'' is a 2016 psychedelic body horror film written and directed by Danny Perez and starring Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Meg Tilly, Mark Webber, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos and Emmanuel Kabongo. The film follows a drug-addled woman in a ...
'' opposite
Natasha Lyonne, which follows a small-town woman who becomes pregnant through unknown circumstances. Sevigny reunited with ''The Last Days of Disco'' director and fellow actresses
Whit Stillman and
Kate Beckinsale
Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress and model. After some minor television roles, her film debut was ''Much Ado About Nothing'' (1993) while a student at the University of Oxford. She appeared in British costum ...
on ''
Love & Friendship'', an adaptation of the
Jane Austen novel ''
Lady Susan''. Both films premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
in January 2016. In 2016 and 2017, respectively, Sevigny also reprised her role in ''Bloodline'', becoming a main cast member in the third and final season.
Sevigny made her directorial debut in 2016 with the short film ''
Kitty'', which she adapted from Paul Bowles' 1980 short story. The film was selected to close the 2016
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
, and was subsequently acquired by
The Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cine ...
, which made it available for streaming on their user subscription channel. In late 2016, Sevigny directed her second short film, ''Carmen'', which was shot on location in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...
.
The film, released as part of a
Miu Miu campaign, focuses on comedian
Carmen Lynch
Carmen Lynch (born January 17, 1972) is a Spanish-American comedian, actress, and writer based in New York City.
Her mother is from Spain, and her father is an American. She has performed in English and Spanish in the United States and Spain.
...
.
Sevigny played supporting parts in multiple films in 2017. She co-starred as a horse jockey in the drama ''
Lean on Pete
''Lean on Pete'' is a 2017 British coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, based on the novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin. It stars Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny, Travis Fimmel and Steve Buscemi, and follows a 15-y ...
'', based on the novel by
Willy Vlautin
Willy Vlautin (born 1967) is an American author, musician and songwriter. He was the lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Portland, Oregon rock band Richmond Fontaine (1994–2016) and is currently a member of The Delines. Born and raised in ...
,; in the ensemble drama ''
Golden Exits'';
the comedy-drama ''
Beatriz at Dinner'', about a Latina massage therapist who is invited to a dinner held by her wealthy employers; the drama ''
The Dinner'', concerning a dinner between two couples recounting their children's involvement in a murder; and ''
The Snowman'' (2017), where she played the twin sisters, one of whom was killed by a serial killer.
Sevigny starred as
Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Andrew Borden (July 19, 1860 – June 1, 1927) was an American woman tried and acquitted of the August 4, 1892 axe murders of her father and stepmother in Fall River, Massachusetts. No one else was charged in the murders, and despite ost ...
in ''
Lizzie'' (2018), which premiered at the
2018 Sundance Film Festival, co-starring with
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Jaymes Stewart (born April 9, 1990) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2012, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and a César Award, in addition to nominations for an Ac ...
. Sevigny had first expressed interest in developing and starring in a miniseries based on Borden in 2011. Michael O'Sullivan of ''The Washington Post'' wrote that Sevigny "is something of a closed book, delivering a stolid performance that can be read as either strong-willed or stonyhearted." Sevigny also appeared in a supporting role in ''
The True Adventures of Wolfboy
''The True Adventures of Wolfboy'' is a 2019 American coming-of-age film directed by Martin Krejčí and written by Olivia Dufault. The film stars Jaeden Martell, Chris Messina, Eve Hewson, Chloë Sevigny, John Turturro, Nick Pulinski, and intr ...
'', and starred as a small-town police officer facing a
zombie
A zombie ( Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in wh ...
apocalypse in
Jim Jarmusch's comedy horror film ''
The Dead Don't Die'' (2019). The latter film premiered as the opening feature at the
2019 Cannes Film Festival
The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2019. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu served as jury president. The Palme d'Or went to the South Korean film ''Parasite'', directed by Bong Joon-ho; Bong became t ...
, where Sevigny's third short film, ''White Echo'', also competed for the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
for Best Short Film.
In 2019 (and 2022), Sevigny appeared in the Netflix show ''
Russian Doll
Matryoshka dolls ( ; rus, матрёшка, p=mɐˈtrʲɵʂkə, a=Ru-матрёшка.ogg), also known as stacking dolls, nesting dolls, Russian tea dolls, or Russian dolls, are a set of wooden dolls of decreasing size placed one inside an ...
'', portraying the mother of the lead character. In 2020, Sevigny starred in ''
We Are Who We Are'', a limited series directed by
Luca Guadagnino, which premiered in September 2020 on
HBO.
Legacy and influence

Sevigny has long been considered a fashion icon and regularly appears alternately on both best and worst-dressed lists. Commenting on criticisms of her fashion choices, she said in 2015: "I called my great aunt who lives in Florida over Christmas. I hadn't seen her in a while and she said, 'Oh, I never get to see you
n personbut I always see you in the back of ''
US Weekly
''Us Weekly'' is a weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, who sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to American Media Inc ...
''. They're always making fun of you,' and I was like, 'You know me, I dress crazy.' It makes me feel bad."
Throughout her career, she has modelled for several high-profile designers, including
Miu Miu,
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and lea ...
,
Chloé,
H&M,
Proenza Schouler,
Kenzo and
Vivienne Westwood
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (née Swire; born 8 April 1941) is an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.
Westwood came to public notice when she ...
.
Prior to her career as an actress, she had achieved fame for her unique style. While her sense of style in the early 1990s only reflected small downtown scenes and trends, it still made a significant impression on high class fashion chains which began to emulate Sevigny's look. Her interest in fashion and clothing, as well as her career as a fashion model in her late teenage years and early twenties, have led to a career as a prominent and well-respected fashion designer. She has expressed interest in fashion design throughout the entirety of her career, even dating back to her childhood: "''
Little House on the Prairie'' was my favorite show. I would only wear
calico
Calico (; in British usage since 1505) is a heavy plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may also contain unseparated husk parts. The fabric is far coarser than muslin, but less coarse and thick than ...
print dresses, and I actually slept in one of those little nightcaps!", she told ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...
'' in 2007. Her unorthodox style (which garnered her initial notoriety in the early '90s) has often been referred to as very eclectic. Sevigny has since released several clothing lines designed by herself, both solo and in collaboration, and has earned a title as a modern fashion icon.
Critical reception of her fashion and style has been extensively written about by both designers and fashion stylists and has generally proved favorable. American designer
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs (born April 9, 1963) is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for his own fashion label, Marc Jacobs, and formerly Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, which was produced for approximately 15 years, before it was ...
wrote of Sevigny in 2001: "The fashion world is fascinated by her. Because not only is she talented, young and attractive, she stands out in a sea of often
cliché
A cliché ( or ) is an element of an artistic work, saying, or idea that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being weird or irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was consi ...
d looking actresses." In terms of her own personal style, Sevigny cited the Australian film ''
Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), which features schoolgirls dressed in elaborate
Victorian
Victorian or Victorians may refer to:
19th century
* Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign
** Victorian architecture
** Victorian house
** Victorian decorative arts
** Victorian fashion
** Victorian literature ...
clothing, as a major inspiration; she has also cited it as one of her favorite films. She has also been outspoken in her favoritism of
vintage clothing
Vintage clothing is a generic term for garments originating from a previous era, as recent as the 1990s. The term can also be applied in reference to second hand retail outlets, e.g. i''n vintage clothing store''. While the concept originate ...
over
designer pieces: "I still prefer to buy vintage over spending it all on one designer", she told ''The Times''. "I'll go to Resurrection or Decades and be like, 'Oh, I'm going to buy everything,' but a lot of it is extremely expensive, so I'll go to Wasteland and satisfy that urge and it's not too hard on the pocketbook. Then there's this place called Studio Wardrobe Department where everything is like three dollars".
Actor
Drew Droege has, since 2011, performed in a
web series
A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...
titled ''Chloë'', featuring Droege's
drag
Drag or The Drag may refer to:
Places
* Drag, Norway, a village in Tysfjord municipality, Nordland, Norway
* ''Drág'', the Hungarian name for Dragu Commune in Sălaj County, Romania
* Drag (Austin, Texas), the portion of Guadalupe Street adj ...
impersonation of Sevigny.
Political views
Sevigny endorsed Senator
Bernie Sanders for
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
in the
2016 US presidential election and again in the
2020 election
This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
January
*5 January:
**Cro ...
.
Personal life
In the late 1990s, Sevigny dated British singer
Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Branson Cocker (born 19 September 1963) is an English musician and radio presenter. As the founder, frontman, lyricist and only consistent member of the band Pulp, he became a figurehead of the Britpop genre of the mid-1990s. Following ...
. She later said in a 2009 interview:
Sevigny began dating Croatian art gallery director Siniša Mačković in 2018. In January 2020, it was announced that Sevigny was expecting her first child with Mačković. They married on March 9, 2020, and on May 2, 2020, she gave birth to a son.
She is
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
and has said that she attends
church.
Filmography
Accolades
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
*
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Chloë Sevignyon Future Movies
Chloë Sevignyon CelebMojo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sevigny, Chloe
1974 births
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
Living people
Actors from Springfield, Massachusetts
Actresses from Connecticut
American female models
American film actresses
American people of French-Canadian descent
American people of Polish descent
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (television) winners
Catholics from Connecticut
Catholics from Massachusetts
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female winners
People from Darien, Connecticut
Darien High School alumni