Few actors can say they’ve had the success that Laura Dern has experienced over the course of her career. The last several decades have seen the fan-favorite actress star in a variety of films, from smaller features like Blue Velvet and Certain Women to blockbusters like Jurassic Park and Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Dern – who won an Oscar for Marriage Story, is a legend, but she doesn’t mind taking smaller roles in projects. Dern actually spoke to CinemaBlend about why she still books those kinds of acting gigs.
Laura Dern has three titles on the 2025 movie schedule, which see her playing a supporting role or making a last-minute cameo. The latest title on that slate is the Bradley Cooper-directed dramedy Is This Thing On?, which is headlined by Will Arnett. When CinemaBlend spoke to Dern and Arnett about their new movie, we asked the actress about her approach to choosing such roles, and she shared a very sweet take that feels quite on brand for her:
I think the goal is — I love, you know, my friends and I love people who have incredible, brilliant brains and are genius storytellers. And so I love just showing up wherever it's a good time, to be honest. It's probably incredibly selfish because I just, I love movies. I love, you know, getting to hang out with amazing people.
Those are the kind of sentiments I love to hear from an actor, and they speak to the notion of Dern loving the craft regardless of the amount of screen time she’ll have in a given production. On top of that, what’s particularly impressive is that whenever the Little Women star appears in a movie or show, she absolutely nails her part no matter how big her part is. I’m happy to see Dern act in any capacity and, on that note, Will Arnett posed a question that really resonates with me:
Who’s not delighted to watch something and see Laura Dern show up?
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In the last decade or so, Laura Dern has appeared in small TV roles in shows like The Mindy Project, The Last Man on Earth and The White Lotus, and she lent her voice to Jurassic World video games. As a member of Taylor Swift’s Girl Squad, Dern also appeared in Swift’s “Bejeweled” music video. These are interesting credits in Dern’s body of work, and I appreciate her eagerness to work with friends and creatives that interest her.
On the movie side, this year, Dern cameoed during Caught Stealing’s mid-credits scene, playing the mother to Austin Butler’s character. She also co-stars in a 2025 Netflix release, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly (which I wish would’ve utilized her character more). As for Is This Thing On?, the film sees Dern play Tess Novak, who must navigate the end of her years-long marriage to Alex (Arnett), who takes up stand-up comedy as a hobby.
Quite frankly, I hope Laura Dern continues to line up smaller roles in movies. In my humble opinion, she remains delightful, and I’ve yet to see a film that isn’t enhanced by having her present. Those who’d like to see Dern on the big screen once more should check out Is This Thing On?, which opens in theaters on December 19th.
