Jessica Paré

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Jessica Paré
Paré at PaleyFest in 2014
Born (1980-12-05) December 5, 1980 (age 43)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Occupation(s)Actress, musician
Years active1996–present
Spouse
Joseph M. Smith
​
​
(m. 2007; div. 2010)​
Partners
  • John Kastner (2012–2019; 2022–present)
  • Jacob Housten (2019–2021)
Children1

Jessica Paré[1] (born December 5, 1980)[2] is a Canadian actress and musician known for her co-starring roles on the AMC series Mad Men and the CBS series SEAL Team. She has also appeared in the films Stardom (2000), Lost and Delirious (2001), Wicker Park (2004), Suck (2009), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), and Brooklyn (2015).

Early life and family[edit]

Paré was born in Montreal, Quebec,[3] the daughter of Anthony Paré, former chair of the education department at McGill University, and Louise Mercier, a conference interpreter. She grew up in the Montreal neighbourhood of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce with three brothers.[4] She speaks English and French.[4]

Paré's father was an actor and drama teacher who toured with a theatre company, and her mother acted in amateur productions; her uncle Paul was a comedian with the sketch comedy troupe Radio Free Vestibule.[5] Paré watched her father at rehearsals as a child and became interested in acting while helping him learn his lines for a production of The Tempest.[6]

Her relatives include great-grandfather Al Paré and great-great-uncles Noah and Henry Timmins.[7] 18th-century Irish dramatist, fiction writer, essayist and actress Elizabeth Griffith is also Paré's ancestor through her son, politician Richard Griffith.[8]

Education[edit]

Paré attended Villa Maria, a private Catholic high school in Montreal. She studied drama at TheatreWorks and appeared in over half a dozen amateur theatre productions as a teenager, including roles as Maid Marian in Robin Hood and Lucy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[9]

Career[edit]

Paré landed a small role in the television film Bonanno: A Godfather's Story during her final year in high school, which convinced her to pursue acting as a career.[10] She also had small roles in an episode of the horror television series Big Wolf on Campus and the French film En Vacances (1999). She dropped out of the fine arts program at Montreal's Dawson College and pursued acting for two years.[4] At one point, she worked as a photographer's assistant on automotive photo shoots.[11]

After Paré auditioned for a bit part for the independent film Stardom (2000), director Denys Arcand chose her to star in the film.[4] She played a naive ice hockey player propelled to international stardom as a supermodel. The comedic satire closed the 2000 Cannes Film Festival with mixed reviews from critics.[12] Paré became the Canadian film industry's "it girl" following the film's release.[13] She was also voted one of the 25 Most Beautiful People of 2012, by People,[14] one of only a few Canadian citizens to have ever been granted this designation.

Paré next starred in Lost and Delirious (2001), a story of two young lovers set in a girls' boarding school. The film debuted to mixed reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. The performances of Paré and her co-stars Mischa Barton and Piper Perabo were, however, widely praised.[15] Paré appeared in the television miniseries Random Passage (2002), based on a series of award-winning novels by Bernice Morgan.[16] Also that year, she appeared in the television miniseries Napoléon as the emperor's mistress and had a cameo appearance as a pop singer in Deepa Mehta's Bollywood/Hollywood (2002). The following year, she starred in the girl gang thriller film Posers (2003), after which she appeared in the CTV film The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton, in the title role of murdered heiress Nancy Eaton.[17]

Paré made her Hollywood debut in the film Wicker Park (2004). That year, she also starred in the television miniseries Lives of the Saints, was in the mockumentary See This Movie (2004), and had a role in The WB teen drama series Jack & Bobby, about two brothers, one whom grows up to be the President of the United States; Paré's character grows up to be the First Lady.

Paré shot the CBS pilot Protect and Serve in 2007,[18] co-starred in the independent French-Canadian romantic comedy Jusqu'à toi,[19] and had a small role in The Trotsky (2008), a comedy filmed in Montreal.[20]

She filmed Suck (2008), a vampire horror-comedy written and directed by Rob Stefaniuk,[21] for which role she learned to play the bass guitar.[18] Suck premiered at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Contemporary World Cinema programme. Paré was nominated for a 2010 Canadian Comedy Award for best female performance in film for the role.[22]

Paré played a groupie in the comedy film Hot Tub Time Machine (2010).[23] That year, she also appeared in the Canadian comedy Peepers, about pleasures in voyeurism. Peepers competed in the Just for Laughs film festival in Montreal in July 2010.[24]

Also in 2010, Paré joined the cast of the AMC television series Mad Men, playing Don Draper's second wife, Megan Calvet.[25] Paré's character had a prominent role in the Season 5 opener of Mad Men, in which she danced and sang a version of the 1960 Gillian Hills hit "Zou Bisou Bisou".[26][27] Her recording of the song was subsequently released as a download and on vinyl.[28]

In 2011, Paré appeared in Beholder. The short film, directed by Nisha Ganatra, premiered as part of the ITVS/PBS series FutureStates.[29] She also starred in The Mountie (also known as The Way of the West, and filmed under the working title of Red Coat Justice in 2009),[13] a western about the North-West Mounted Police, filmed in a remote location outside of Whitehorse, Yukon,[30] and in the comedic short Sorry, Rabbi, directed by Mark Slutsky.[31]

In 2012, Paré appeared on stage with The Jesus and Mary Chain, singing "Just Like Honey", for two concerts in Buffalo, New York and Toronto.[32] That same year, she filmed the romantic comedy, Standby, in Luxembourg and Ireland; she plays the female lead, Alice.[33] It was released in 2014.[34]

In 2017, Paré was added to the main cast of the CBS television series SEAL Team as Amanda Ellis, the team's CIA liaison.[35] The series was renewed for a fourth season in 2020.[36]

Personal life[edit]

Paré married writer and producer Joseph M. Smith in 2007. They divorced in 2010.[37]

In 2013 she was dating musician John Kastner.[38][39][40] On March 19, 2015, she gave birth to a son, Blues Anthony Paré Kastner.[41]

She was in a relationship with Jacob Housten from 2019 until 2021.[42]

Paré is Catholic.[43] She identifies as a feminist, telling Fashion magazine, "Of course I'm a feminist... If you're not for the equal treatment of men and women, then you're a fascist."[44]

Filmography[edit]

Paré in September 2009

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Stardom Tina Menzhal
2000 Holiday Carole
2000 Possible Worlds Party Guest #1
2001 Lost and Delirious Victoria "Tori" Moller
2002 Bollywood/Hollywood Kimberly
2002 Posers Adria
2004 See This Movie Samantha Brown
2004 Wicker Park Rebecca Martin
2009 Jusqu'à toi Liza
2009 The Trotsky Laura
2009 Suck Jennifer Nominated – Canadian Comedy Award for Best Performance by a Female - Film[45]
2010 Hot Tub Time Machine Tara
2010 Peepers Helen
2011 Sorry, Rabbi Marie-Helene Short film
2011 Beholder Sasha Short film
2011 The Mountie Amethyst
2013 Standby Alice
2015 Brooklyn Miss Fortini
2016 Lovesick Lauren
2018 Another Kind of Wedding Carrie
2020 Death of a Ladies' Man Charlotte

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1990 The Baby-Sitters Club Kathi Episode: "Mary Anne and the Brunettes"
1999 Big Wolf on Campus Tanya Episode: "Time and Again"
1999 Bonanno: A Godfather's Story Rosalie Profaci Television film
2002 Napoléon Eleanore Denuelle Episode: "1800-1807"
2002 Random Passage Annie Vincent (age 15) Miniseries
2003 The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton Nancy Eaton Television film
2004 Lives of the Saints Rita Amherst Television film
2004–2005 Jack & Bobby Courtney Benedict 21 episodes
2007 Life Julia Episode: "The Fallen Woman"
2007 Protect and Serve Hope Cook Television film
2010–2015 Mad Men Megan Calvet Draper 43 episodes
2013 Satisfaction Robin Episode: "First Contact"
2014 Robot Chicken Kristy Thomas, Betty Ann (voice) Episode: "Panthropologie"
2016 The Interestings Ash Wolf Pilot
2017–2021, 2022 SEAL Team Officer Amanda "Mandy" Ellis Main cast
2018 Six Tattoo Artist Episode: "Danger Close"
2019 Star vs. the Forces of Evil Chloe (voice) Episode: "Britta's Tacos"
2019 Big Hero 6: The Series Celine Simard / Sirque (voice) Episode: "Portal Enemy"
2021 Atypical Honey Episode: "Dessert at Olive Garden"
2021 The Simpsons Collette (voice) Episode: "A Serious Flanders"

Discography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Paré, Jessica (May 21, 2012). "The Vulture Transcript: Jessica Paré on Mad Men, Being Canadian, and Ice Loves Coco". Vulture (Interview). Interviewed by Jada Yuan.
  2. ^ Legge, Lisa (December 5, 2016). "Famous birthdays Dec. 5; and: Prohibition ends, St. Paul's gangster era begins". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved November 7, 2023. Actress Jessica Pare — Megan, the doomed wife, in AMC's "Mad Men" — is 36.
  3. ^ "Megan Draper - Jessica Paré | Mad Men Bios". AMC. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d "CANOE -- JAM! Movies - Artists - Paré, Jessica : Fresh face of Stardom". canoe.ca. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "Vestibules get past the front door". Montreal Gazette. March 20, 1999.
  6. ^ "Bracing for Stardom". McGill Reporter. McGill.ca. October 19, 2000.
  7. ^ Généalogie du Québec Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française, "Généalogie Jessica Paré". Retrieved January 28, 2018.
  8. ^ The Seeds: The Life Story of a Matriarch, by Lucy Griffith Paré (with Antoine Paré), Les Entreprises de Carpent Perdu Inc., Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Québec, Canada, 1984, page 305.
  9. ^ "Cannes Film Festival 2000". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
  10. ^ "FLARE.com: Flare.com Asks - Jessica Paré - Pg.1". Archived from the original on March 18, 2009.
  11. ^ Paré, Jessica (October 17, 2010). "Q&A – Jessica Paré (Megan)" (Interview). Interviewed by AMCtv.com. amc.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010.
  12. ^ "Jessica Paré movies, photos, movie reviews, filmography, and biography". AllMovie.
  13. ^ a b "Jessica Paré". NOW Magazine. September 1, 2009.
  14. ^ Kelsey, Sarah (April 25, 2012). "People's Most Beautiful Women 2012: Magazine List Includes Beyonce, Jessica Paré". The Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
  15. ^ "Lost and Delirious". murphysmoviereviews. December 21, 2001. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  16. ^ "From sea to sea: Montreal". Take One. September 22, 2000 – via The Free Library.
  17. ^ "TV's 12-month season is a mixed bag". May 17, 2004. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Demara, Bruce (December 5, 2008). "Blood, guts and rock 'n' roll". The Star. Toronto.
  19. ^ "Four fitted for bilingual 'Shoe'". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. August 29, 2007.
  20. ^ "Tierneys team up on Trotsky". Playback. September 29, 2008.
  21. ^ "McDowell, Paré, Foley sink teeth into 'Suck'". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. November 12, 2008.
  22. ^ "2010 Canadian Comedy Award Nominees Are Announced!" (PDF). Canadian Comedy Awards. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  23. ^ Burr, Ty (March 26, 2010). "'Hot Tub Time Machine' movie review". The Boston Globe. Boston.com.
  24. ^ "A lean, mean laugh machine". Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2010.
  25. ^ "Mad Men Watch: Weekend Update". TIME.com. August 20, 2010.
  26. ^ Streib, Lauren (March 25, 2012). "'Mad Men' Premiere: A History of 'Zou Bisou Bisou,' Megan's Sultry Song to Don". The Daily Beast.
  27. ^ Keveney, Bill (March 26, 2012). "Jessica Paré gets the world humming 'Zou Bisou Bisou'". USA Today.
  28. ^ a b Marikar, Sheila (March 26, 2012). "'Mad Men' Actress Lip-Synced 'Zou Bisou Bisou'". ABC News. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  29. ^ "On Location: The making of "Beholder" (Part 2)". Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. ^ "With 'The Mountie,' Wyeth Clarkson gives a Canadian icon a reboot". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. August 24, 2012.
  31. ^ "Did you hear the one about ...?". Archived from the original on October 10, 2011. Retrieved September 19, 2011.
  32. ^ "'Mad Men' Star Jessica Paré Jams With Jesus And Mary Chain". Rolling Stone. August 6, 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  33. ^ Cummins, Steve (August 16, 2012). ""Exclusive: 'Mad Men' Actress Jessica Paré to Shoot 'Standby' in Dublin | the Irish Film & Television Network". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  34. ^ "Standby (2014) Release info". IMDb.com.
  35. ^ "Jessica Paré Cast In CBS' Navy SEAL Drama Pilot". Deadline. March 15, 2017.
  36. ^ White, Peter; Andreeva, Nellie (May 6, 2020). "CBS Renews 18 Series, Including Freshmen 'FBI: Most Wanted', 'Bob ♥ Abishola', 'All Rise' & 'The Unicorn'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  37. ^ Yuan, Jada (May 13, 2012). "Jessica Paré on 'Mad Men,' Being Recognized, and More". New York. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  38. ^ Kelly, Brendan (April 2, 2012). "Hot on the heels of Zou Bisou, Bisou, Mad Men star Jessica Pare says there might be more music coming". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on October 16, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  39. ^ Kelly, Brendan. "Jessica Pare and John Kastner: Palm Springs weekend!". MyDesert.com Blogs. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
  40. ^ Kelly, Brendan (June 2, 2012). "Doroschuk says Hats' new album reflects 'general unease'". The Gazette. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  41. ^ Leon, Anya; Garcia, Jennifer (March 21, 2015). "Jessica Paré Welcomes Son Blues Anthony". People. Archived from the original on March 22, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015.
  42. ^ Jessica Paré facts celebrityinsidere.com [dead link]
  43. ^ @TelevisionAcad (May 17, 2015). ""I'm Catholic, so I had a very low shame threshold." Jessica Paré of Zou Bisou, Bisou #MadMen" (Tweet). Retrieved May 10, 2016 – via Twitter.
  44. ^ Wakeman, Jessica (February 17, 2014). "Jessica Paré: "Of Course I'm A Feminist"". Fashion. Archived from the original on May 19, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017 – via thefrisky.com.
  45. ^ "2010 nominees" (PDF). agamdarshi.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 1, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017.
Other sources
  • "Jessica Paré". Encore Entertainment. Retrieved on October 3, 2007.

External links[edit]

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