Jenny Slate, Ramzi Fawaz

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Katie McCurdy

A close-up of Jenny Slate.

Jenny Slate

Renaissance woman Jenny Slate is an actress, voice talent, comedian and author. Now she rolls into the Orpheum with her “Lifeform” tour. Not so coincidentally, Lifeform is also the title of her forthcoming book, “a wild, soulful, hilarious collection of genre-bending essays depicting the journey into motherhood.” In what surely must be a first, opening is the Romnes Professor of English at UW-Madison, Ramzi Fawaz, whose work in queer studies and cultural politics should make this a sharp pairing.

media release: Critically-acclaimed actress, comedian, and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jenny Slate is one of the most versatile creators working today. Slate is best known for her starring role in A24’s OBVIOUS CHILD and for A24’s Academy nominated MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON.

Slate most recently released her new comedy special, JENNY SLATE: SEASONED PROFESSIONAL on Prime Video. The one hour special proves that being brave for love is worth it—even when it comes to pushing out a baby, stalking your therapist, or trusting your partner to not destroy you. Produced by Amazon MGM Studios and A24, the special premiered worldwide to rave reviews on February 23, 2024.

Slate recently wrapped production on FX’s new miniseries “Dying for Sex” in which she stars opposite Michelle Williams. The series is based on the popular podcast series of the same name by Nikki Boyer in which a woman diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer leaves her unhappy marriage and embarks on a series of sexual adventures to help her feel alive.

In Summer 2022, Slate co-created, co-wrote, co-produced and voiced the titular character of Marcel in A24’s Academy Award nominated film MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON. The film was released on June 24, 2022 and has gone on to receive widespread acclaim including the NBR Award for “Best Animated Feature” and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for “Best Animated Feature” in addition to Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Critics Choice Award nominations. The film is an extension of the widely popular online short film of the same name, which Slate co-created in 2010 with Dean Fleischer-Camp. The short has been viewed over 30 million times to date. It was then turned into a NEW YORK TIMES best-selling children’s book series.

In Spring 2022, Slate was seen in A24’s Academy Award winning EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, a science fiction film written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. Slate appears in the film opposite Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, Harry Shum Jr., James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis. She won a 2023 SAG Award in the category of “Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture” for her role in the film. The film was released in theaters on March 25, 2022 and received an Academy Award for “Best Picture.”

Slate made her feature film debut in 2014 in A24’s critically acclaimed OBVIOUS CHILD. Slate starred in the film as Donna opposite Jake Lacy, Gaby Hoffman, Gabe Hoffman, and David Cross. Slate won a Critics’ Choice Award for “Best Actress in a Comedy” and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for “Best Female Lead Actor” and a Gotham Award for “Breakthrough Actor” for her role in the film.

Slate’s other major starring film credits include a starring turn in Amazon Prime’s hit romantic comedy I WANT YOU BACK as Emma, the aimless but lovable partner in crime and love interest of Charlie Day’s Peter. Along with Day, Slate starred opposite an incredible cast including Gina Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, Manny Jacinto, and Clark Backo. I WANT YOU BACK premiered on Amazon Prime on February 11th, 2022. Other films include Sony’s VENOM with Tom Hardy, A24 and AppleTV+’s ON THE ROCKS with Bill Murray and Rashida Jones, Amazon’s comedy LANDLINE with John Turturo and Edie Falco, FOX Searchlight’s GIFTED, Netflix’s THE POLKA KING.

In November 2019, Slate published her latest book LITTLE WEIRDS. LITTLE WEIRDS, released by the Hachette Book Group and excerpted in The New Yorker twice, is a critically acclaimed collection of non-fiction, personal pieces, which became an instant New York Times best-seller.

In October 2019, Slate’s comedy special JENNY SLATE: STAGE FRIGHT was released on Netflix. The special was nominated for a Critics’ Choice Award for “Best Comedy Special.” Slate’s first stand-up special, JENNY SLATE: STAGE FRIGHT is a mix of stage time, funny stories about adulthood and conversations with family in her childhood home.

Slate is also well known for much of her animation work. Her major voice credits in television includeFOX’s “Bob’s Burgers,” Fox’s “The Great North,” and Disney’s “Muppet Babies.”

In film, Slate’s major voice credits include Illumination Entertainment’s THE LORAX, THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS and THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 as Gidget, DESPICABLE ME 3, and Disney’s ZOOTOPIA as Assistant Mayor Bellwether.

Slate is known for her roles on NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” as Mona Lisa-Saperstein, ViacomCBS’s “Kroll Show” as Liz B., as Tally Shifrin on HBO’s “Girls”. Her comedic talent made her a beloved guest star on of these shows. From 2009-2010, Slate was a featured cast member on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live."