Alison Brie

Alison Brie (born 29 December 1982) is an American actress, screenwriter and producer best known for her roles in Mad Men (2007–2015), Community (2009–2015), GLOW (2017–2019) and films including The Little Hours (2017), The Rental (2020) and Together (2025). Born Alison Brie Schermerhorn in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, she grew up in the nearby city of South Pasadena. Her father, Charles Terry Schermerhorn, is a musician and freelance entertainment reporter, while her mother, Joanne Brenner, worked for Para Los Niños, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organisation providing childcare and educational services. She has an older sister, Lauren, and was raised between her parents’ separate homes following their divorce.

Brie developed an interest in performing during childhood, initially appearing in amateur theatre productions at the Jewish Community Center in Los Feliz, a neighbourhood of Los Angeles. Her first stage role was Toto in a production of The Wizard of Oz. She also performed sketches with her sister at family gatherings and eventually became involved in school theatre. As a teenager, she attended South Pasadena High School, where she was president of the drama club during her final year. Before beginning her professional acting career, she briefly worked as a children’s party entertainer, performing as a clown named Sunny and appearing at birthday celebrations around Los Angeles.

After graduating from South Pasadena High School in 2001, Brie enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, north of Los Angeles. The college, commonly known as CalArts, was founded by Walt Disney and his brother Roy and has longstanding connections to the American film, animation and performing arts industries. Brie studied acting and participated in several theatrical productions, including The Peach Blossom Fan, which opened at the Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater, known as REDCAT, in downtown Los Angeles. Located within the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, REDCAT became an important venue for experimental theatre and contemporary performance following its opening in 2003.

During her studies, Brie also travelled to Scotland, spending a period at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, now known as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The experience gave her an introduction to British theatrical training and became one of her earliest extended periods living outside the United States. She eventually returned to California and graduated from CalArts in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in acting. Her early theatre work included productions with the Rubicon Theatre Company in Ventura, where she played Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, as well as performances with smaller theatre companies around Los Angeles.

Brie’s early television career began with appearances in programmes including Hannah Montana (2006–2011), before she joined the cast of AMC’s period drama Mad Men (2007–2015). She portrayed Trudy Campbell, the wife of ambitious advertising executive Pete Campbell, played by Vincent Kartheiser. Although the series takes place primarily in Manhattan during the 1960s, most episodes were filmed in Los Angeles. The pilot was produced partly at Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, but subsequent production moved to Los Angeles Center Studios in downtown Los Angeles, where the offices of the fictional Sterling Cooper advertising agency and numerous apartment interiors were recreated.

Mad Men also used historic buildings and restaurants around Southern California to represent mid-twentieth-century New York. Among the locations were the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, the Cicada Club inside the James Oviatt Building on South Olive Street, and residential properties in Pasadena. The Draper family’s suburban home in Ossining, New York, was represented by a property on Arden Road in Pasadena. Brie’s character was particularly associated with the social and domestic world of wealthy suburban New Yorkers, but the production created much of that environment using Californian buildings and studio interiors.

In 2009, Brie joined the NBC comedy series Community as Annie Edison, an academically ambitious student attending the fictional Greendale Community College in Colorado. The series was produced in Los Angeles, with the exterior of Greendale represented by Los Angeles City College at 855 North Vermont Avenue in East Hollywood. The campus’s modern buildings, courtyards and walkways provided the familiar exterior setting, while classrooms, corridors and the study room used by the central characters were constructed at Paramount Studios on Melrose Avenue. The production remained at Paramount for its first five seasons before moving to CBS Studio Center in Studio City for its sixth and final season in 2015.

The contrast between Greendale’s fictional Colorado location and its actual Los Angeles surroundings became one of the more distinctive aspects of Community. Unlike many college dramas filmed at universities resembling their intended geographical settings, the series relied on California’s mild climate and Southern California architecture to portray an institution supposedly located in the Rocky Mountain region. Brie remained a principal cast member throughout all six seasons, appearing alongside Joel McHale, Donald Glover, Danny Pudi, Gillian Jacobs, Yvette Nicole Brown, Chevy Chase and Ken Jeong.

One of her early feature film roles came in Wes Craven’s Scream 4 (2011), in which she portrayed Rebecca Walters, the publicist representing Sidney Prescott, played by Neve Campbell. The film returns to Woodsboro, the fictional California town associated with the original Scream films, but the production took place primarily in southeastern Michigan. Filming locations included Ann Arbor, Northville, Plymouth, Dearborn and Livonia, where residential neighbourhoods, historic commercial streets and public buildings were transformed into the fictional town.

Several Michigan locations can be identified in Scream 4, including Kellogg Park in downtown Plymouth, used for scenes depicting the centre of Woodsboro, and the former Next Chapter Bookstore Bistro on East Main Street in Northville, which represented the town’s bookstore. Woodworth Middle School in Dearborn was used as Woodsboro High School, while the former 16th District Court building in Livonia became the police station. Two neighbouring houses on Lincoln Avenue in Ann Arbor represented the homes of Jill Roberts and Olivia Morris. The film’s locations therefore differed considerably from those used in earlier instalments, which had relied more extensively on communities in Northern California.

Brie subsequently appeared in The Five-Year Engagement (2012), a romantic comedy starring Jason Segel and Emily Blunt. She played Suzie Barnes, the sister of Blunt’s character Violet. The film begins in San Francisco before following its central couple to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where Violet accepts a research position at the University of Michigan. Filming took place in both cities, with locations in Ann Arbor including the University of Michigan campus, Liberty Plaza and Zingerman’s Delicatessen on Detroit Street. The delicatessen’s exterior represented the workplace of Segel’s character Tom Solomon, although its interiors were recreated on a set because the actual restaurant was too small for the film crew.

Additional scenes in The Five-Year Engagement were shot around Ypsilanti, Michigan, and at San Francisco landmarks including Alamo Square and the Palace of Fine Arts. The production incorporated actual university buildings and restaurants rather than relying entirely on constructed environments, allowing Michigan to play itself on screen.

Brie continued her film career with Sleeping with Other People (2015), starring opposite Jason Sudeikis as Lainey Dalton. The romantic comedy was filmed in New York City during the summer of 2014, making use of Manhattan’s streets, residential buildings and restaurants. She subsequently appeared in How to Be Single (2016), another romantic comedy set and filmed primarily in New York. Her performance as Lucy, a woman attempting to find a suitable partner through online dating, brought her back to a city she had already encountered through several film and television productions.

A particularly unusual production followed with Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours (2017), a medieval comedy loosely inspired by stories from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron. Brie portrayed Sister Alessandra, a young nun living in a convent in fourteenth-century Italy, alongside Aubrey Plaza, Kate Micucci, John C. Reilly and Dave Franco. Rather than constructing a medieval village at a film studio, the production used surviving historic buildings and rural landscapes in Tuscany.

Filming took place across the Garfagnana region in the province of Lucca, including Castiglione di Garfagnana, Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, Pieve Fosciana and Camporgiano. The production also used a Malaspina castle in the neighbouring province of Massa-Carrara for scenes involving a fortified medieval residence. The film was completed during a relatively short shooting schedule in March and April 2016, with much of the filming concentrated around the convent location. The actual stone buildings, narrow streets and surrounding Tuscan countryside provided the historical setting with comparatively little need for elaborate artificial scenery.

The Little Hours was also an important personal project for Brie because it brought her together professionally with Dave Franco, whom she had married in March 2017. The two later appeared together in The Disaster Artist (2017), directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s cult film The Room (2003). Brie portrayed Amber, the girlfriend of aspiring actor Greg Sestero, played by Dave Franco.

The Disaster Artist was filmed extensively in Los Angeles, recreating buildings and locations associated with the original production of The Room. The Crest Westwood Theatre on Westwood Boulevard, where The Room premiered in June 2003, was used to recreate the film’s premiere. Other locations included the Castle Argyle Apartments on Argyle Avenue in Hollywood, the Ojai Apartments on Whitley Terrace and streets around North Hollywood. The production made particular efforts to return to places associated with Wiseau and Sestero’s early filmmaking experiences, creating a connection between the original film and its later dramatisation.

Brie’s most prominent leading television role came with the Netflix comedy-drama GLOW (2017–2019), in which she played Ruth Wilder, a struggling actress who becomes involved in a women’s professional wrestling promotion during the 1980s. Inspired by the real Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling organisation, the series was set in Los Angeles and eventually Las Vegas. Unlike Mad Men and Community, GLOW made extensive use of surviving Southern California businesses and buildings that retained much of their appearance from the decade in which the story takes place.

The fictional Chavo’s Boxing Gym, where Ruth and the other wrestlers begin training, was represented by the San Fernando Masonic Lodge at 1112 North Maclay Avenue in San Fernando. The lodge’s rear exterior and parking area were used for scenes outside the gym, while the interior wrestling facilities were recreated on a studio set. Another central location was the Pink Motel at 9457 San Fernando Road in Sun Valley. The historic motel, together with the adjacent Cadillac Jack’s Café, represented the Dusty Spur Motel where the wrestlers live during the first season.

Other GLOW locations included the former Samuel French Theatre and Film Bookshop on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, where Ruth attends an acting class, and Universal Patio Furniture on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City, which portrayed a business approached for sponsorship. The production also used Foster’s Freeze in Atwater Village, the Hollywood Palladium and several other businesses across the San Fernando Valley. Brie underwent extensive wrestling training for the role, and her performance earned three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

In Steven Spielberg’s historical drama The Post (2017), Brie portrayed Lally Graham, the daughter of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, played by Meryl Streep. Although the story takes place largely in Washington, D.C., during the publication of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, much of the film was shot in New York State. The production used Steiner Studios at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, while buildings in White Plains represented parts of the Washington Post offices. A residence at Iona College in New Rochelle was used for Katharine Graham’s home, and Columbia University in Manhattan stood in for the United States Supreme Court. The filmmakers combined these locations with period vehicles, furnishings and recreated newspaper offices to portray the American capital during the Nixon administration.

Brie expanded into screenwriting with Horse Girl (2020), a psychological drama directed by Jeff Baena and co-written by the two. She portrayed Sarah, a socially isolated woman whose everyday experiences become increasingly difficult to distinguish from her imagination. The film was shot in Los Angeles, using ordinary residential and commercial environments rather than elaborate fantasy locations. The production represented an important development in Brie’s career, allowing her to contribute directly to the screenplay and character development rather than working solely as an actress.

That same year, Brie appeared in Promising Young Woman (2020), directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Carey Mulligan. She portrayed Madison McPhee, a former medical school acquaintance of the main character. The film was shot around Los Angeles County, including residential and commercial locations in the San Fernando Valley and the eastern suburbs. The production also used buildings at the former Lanterman Developmental Center in Pomona, part of the Cal Poly Pomona campus, for sequences requiring institutional architecture.

In The Rental (2020), directed by Dave Franco in his feature directorial debut, Brie played Michelle, one of four friends who rent an isolated holiday property on the Pacific coast. The horror thriller was filmed near Bandon, a small coastal town in southern Oregon. Its principal location was a modern holiday residence known as SeaWinds Estate, surrounded by woodland and overlooking the rugged coastline. The property supplied the setting for much of the film, including its outdoor deck and surrounding grounds.

The production spent several weeks working in the Bandon area, where the filmmakers encountered heavy rain, coastal fog and powerful winds. Rather than constructing the house at a studio, Franco filmed inside and around the actual property, allowing the isolation of the location to become part of the film’s atmosphere. The Rental was also the beginning of an increasingly productive filmmaking partnership between Brie and Franco, who subsequently collaborated as writers, producers and actors.

Brie also appeared in Clea DuVall’s Christmas romantic comedy Happiest Season (2020), playing Sloane Caldwell, the older sister of Mackenzie Davis’s character Harper. The film was shot in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during January and February 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted film production around the world. Among its locations were The Vandal restaurant in Lawrenceville, Ross Park Mall and Chartiers Country Club. Several residential streets were decorated for Christmas, allowing the production to create a festive American town using genuine Pittsburgh neighbourhoods.

She returned to Italy for Spin Me Round (2022), another collaboration with director Jeff Baena. Brie co-wrote the screenplay and played Amber, the manager of an American Italian restaurant franchise who is selected to attend a corporate training programme in Italy. The fictional training retreat is located in the countryside near Florence, and the production was filmed on location in Italy during June 2021. The film made use of Italian architecture, rural landscapes and hospitality establishments to create the setting for the increasingly chaotic retreat. The project continued the creative relationship established during The Little Hours, with Brie and Baena returning to Italy for a film in which the experience of travelling abroad is central to the story.

Her next major screenplay collaboration was Somebody I Used to Know (2023), directed by Dave Franco. Brie played Ally, a television producer who returns to her hometown and reconnects with a former boyfriend, played by Jay Ellis. The story takes place in Leavenworth, Washington, a small city in the Cascade Mountains known for its Bavarian-inspired architecture and tourism industry.

The production filmed in Leavenworth, including locations around Front Street Park, the downtown gazebo and several businesses along Front Street and Commercial Street. Among the establishments associated with filming were München Haus, Blewett Brewing Company and the Post Office Saloon. The distinctive Alpine-style buildings provided a recognisable setting that would have been difficult to reproduce convincingly elsewhere.

Additional filming for Somebody I Used to Know took place in Oregon, particularly around Portland, Estacada and Newberg. The production also used locations along the northern Oregon coast, including Gearhart, Arch Cape and Manzanita. McMenamins Gearhart Hotel was among the properties used, while other scenes were filmed around the Serenity Mountain Retreat near Estacada. By combining Leavenworth with locations in neighbouring Oregon, the filmmakers created a fictional hometown and surrounding landscape extending across two states.

Brie travelled to Colombia for the action comedy Freelance (2023), directed by Pierre Morel and starring John Cena. She portrayed Claire Wellington, a journalist who travels to a fictional South American country to interview a controversial political leader. The production used actual Colombian locations, including Bogotá, Girardot and Nilo in the department of Cundinamarca. Instead of using Central American or Caribbean landscapes as substitutes, the filmmakers worked with Colombian production crews and businesses to recreate the fictional country. The film therefore gave Brie one of her first substantial acting roles filmed in South America.

Her television career continued with Apples Never Fall (2024), a mystery drama adapted from Liane Moriarty’s novel and starring Annette Bening and Sam Neill. Brie portrayed Amy Delaney, one of four adult children whose family becomes involved in an investigation following the disappearance of their mother. Although the series takes place in the Palm Beach area of Florida, the production was filmed in Queensland, Australia.

The Gold Coast provided the principal setting, with its subtropical vegetation, coastal neighbourhoods and modern residential properties standing in for South Florida. Production was based partly at Village Roadshow Studios in Oxenford, while additional filming took place around Pimpama and other communities on the Gold Coast. The filmmakers had to disguise Australian architectural details and replace elements of the local environment to create a convincing American setting. The production also gave Brie an extended period working in Australia, a country she had not previously been associated with through a major television role.

Brie returned to Australia for the body-horror film Together (2025), directed by Michael Shanks and co-starring Dave Franco. The film follows a couple who move from the city to an isolated rural community, where they encounter a mysterious force that begins transforming their bodies. Although the story is set in Washington State in the United States, filming took place in and around Melbourne, Victoria.

The production used locations in the Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne, including Olinda, Sassafras, Sherbrooke, Upwey and Mount Evelyn. Additional scenes were filmed in Ivanhoe, Port Melbourne and the Melbourne city centre. Docklands Studios Melbourne provided the principal studio facilities, including specially constructed cave interiors and other sets used for the film’s supernatural sequences. The production’s combination of dense Australian forests and studio-built underground environments allowed Victoria to represent the mountainous American Pacific Northwest.

In Masters of the Universe (2026), directed by Travis Knight, Brie portrayed Evil-Lyn, the sorceress and ally of Skeletor in the live-action adaptation of Mattel’s fantasy franchise. The film was produced primarily in Britain, with extensive studio work at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire and additional filming at Bray Film Studios. Several historic and natural locations across southwestern England were used to recreate parts of the fictional planet Eternia.

Among the most distinctive locations were Wookey Hole Caves near Wells in Somerset and Beer Quarry Caves in Devon, whose underground chambers represented a hidden refuge for characters resisting Skeletor’s rule. The historic Wells Cathedral also appeared in the production, while modern architecture around Canary Wharf in London was used for scenes taking place on Earth. Additional filming took place in Iceland and the Italian Dolomites, with dramatic volcanic and mountain landscapes providing backgrounds for the fantasy world.

Outside acting, Brie’s personal life has several geographical connections to her filmmaking career. She met actor and filmmaker Dave Franco during Mardi Gras in New Orleans in March 2011, after being introduced through mutual friends. The couple began dating and subsequently became engaged during a trip to Big Sur on the central California coast in 2015. They married in a private ceremony in March 2017.

Their professional collaboration has taken them from the historic buildings of Tuscany in The Little Hours to the Oregon coast in The Rental, the Pacific Northwest in Somebody I Used to Know and the forests surrounding Melbourne in Together. In addition to their acting work, both have become increasingly involved in screenwriting and producing, with several of their joint projects incorporating real locations as important parts of the stories.

Brie has maintained a strong personal and professional connection to Southern California, where she was born, raised and educated. Her career nevertheless extends across several distinctive geographical regions, from theatre training in Glasgow and filming in New York and Michigan to productions in Italy, Colombia and Australia. Her work illustrates the different ways contemporary film and television productions use actual locations, historic buildings and carefully constructed sets to create fictional environments, including California standing in for Colorado, Queensland representing Florida and the Australian countryside portraying the American Pacific Northwest.

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