Zoe Kazan

Acting

Zoe Kazan

Born 1983-09-09 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Zoe Swicord Kazan (born September 9, 1983) is an American actress, playwright, and screenwriter. She made her acting debut in Swordswallowers and Thin Men (2003) and later appeared in films such as The Savages (2007), Revolutionary Road (2008), and It's Complicated (2009). She starred in Happy. Thank You. More. Please. (2010), Meek's Cutoff (2010), Ruby Sparks (2012), and What If (2013). In 2014 she appeared in the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge, for which she received an Emmy nomination. She portrayed Emily Gardner in the film The Big Sick (2017), and in 2018 appeared in the Coen Brothers film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs in the episode "The Gal Who Got Rattled". She has appeared in several Broadway productions. She also wrote Ruby Sparks and co-wrote Wildlife (2018) with her partner, Paul Dano (who directed Wildlife and co-starred with Kazan in Ruby Sparks). In 2020, she co-starred in the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America.

Acting credits

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs poster
7.1

Vignettes weaving together the stories of six individuals in the old West at the end of the Civil War. Following the tales of a sharp-shooting songster, a wannabe bank robber, two weary traveling performers, a lone gold prospector, a woman traveling the West to an uncertain future, and a motley crew of strangers undertaking a carriage ride.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

2018

She Said poster
7.2

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor break one of the most important stories in a generation — a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood.

She Said

2022

Fracture poster
7.3

A husband is on trial for the attempted murder of his wife, in what is seemingly an open/shut case for the ambitious district attorney trying to put him away. However, there are surprises for both around every corner, and, as a suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse is played out, each must manipulate and outwit the other.

Fracture

2007

The Big Sick poster
7.3

Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.

The Big Sick

2017

Revolutionary Road poster
7.0

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children. Based on a novel by Richard Yates.

Revolutionary Road

2008

The Savages poster
6.9

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

The Savages

2007

It's Complicated poster
6.5

Ten years after their divorce, Jane and Jake Adler unite for their son's college graduation and unexpectedly end up sleeping together. But Jake is married, and Jane is embarking on a new romance with her architect. Now, she has to sort out her life—just when she thought she had it all figured out.

It's Complicated

2009

Ruby Sparks poster
7.1

Calvin is a young novelist who achieved phenomenal success early in his career but is now struggling with his writing – as well as his romantic life. Finally, he makes a breakthrough and creates a character named Ruby who inspires him. When Calvin finds Ruby, in the flesh, sitting on his couch about a week later, he is completely flabbergasted that his words have turned into a living, breathing person.

Ruby Sparks

2012

What If poster
6.7

Medical-school dropout Wallace has been repeatedly burned by bad relationships. So while everyone around him, including his roommate Allan, seems to be finding the perfect partner, Wallace decides to put his love life on hold. It is then that he meets Chantry, an animator who lives with her longtime boyfriend Ben. Wallace and Chantry form an instant connection, striking up a close friendship. Still, there is no denying the chemistry between them, leading the pair to wonder, what if the love of your life is actually your best friend?

What If

2013

In the Valley of Elah poster
6.8

A career officer and his wife work with a police detective to uncover the truth behind their son's disappearance following his return from a tour of duty in Iraq.

In the Valley of Elah

2007

Our Brand Is Crisis poster
5.9

Based on the documentary "Our Brand Is Crisis", this feature focuses on the use of American political campaign strategies in South America.

Our Brand Is Crisis

2015

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee poster
5.9

After her much older husband forces a move to a suburban retirement community, Pippa Lee engages in a period of reflection and finds herself heading toward a quiet nervous breakdown.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

2009

The Kindness of Strangers poster
6.3

Clara and her two sons escape from her abusive husband with little more than their car and plan to start over in New York. After the car towed away, the family meets Alice, who gets them into an emergency shelter. While stealing food at a Russian restaurant called ‘Winter Palace’, Clara meets Marc, who has been given the chance to help the old eatery regain its former glory. The ‘Winter Palace’ soon becomes a place of unexpected encounters between people who are all undergoing some sort of crisis and whom fate has now brought together.

The Kindness of Strangers

2019

The Monster poster
5.5

Stranded on a desolate road at night, a troubled mother and her daughter are stalked by a terrifying woodland creature while confronting the trauma of their fractured relationship.

The Monster

2016

Meek's Cutoff poster
6.5

A group of settlers traveling through the Oregon High Desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.

Meek's Cutoff

2011

Happythankyoumoreplease poster
6.5

Six New Yorkers navigate love, commitment, and adulthood. When struggling novelist Sam takes in an abandoned boy he meets on the subway, his life begins to intertwine with a talented singer who challenges his bachelor ways. Meanwhile, his best friend Annie battles alopecia while torn between two drastically different men, and a long-term couple faces a crossroads that could alter their future together.

Happythankyoumoreplease

2011

Showing Up poster
9.2

An unprecedented look at the audition, compiled from more than 50 interviews with notable artists including Kristin Chenoweth, Richard Griffiths, Zoe Kazan, Nathan Lane, Chris Messina, Sam Rockwell and Eli Wallach.

Showing Up

2014

I Hate Valentine's Day poster
5.4

A love story set in Manhattan, where a florist who abides by a strict five-date-limit with any man finds herself wanting more with the new restaurateur in town.

I Hate Valentine's Day

2009

Cryptozoo poster
5.7

Cryptozookeepers try to capture a Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature of legend, and start wondering if they should display these beasts or keep them hidden and unknown.

Cryptozoo

2021

In Your Eyes poster
7.1

Two seemingly unconnected souls from different corners of the United States make a telepathic bond that allows them to see, hear, and feel the other's experiences, creating a connection that cannot be broken.

In Your Eyes

2014

The Pretty One poster
6.1

When her idolized twin sister Audrey dies in a car accident, Laurel decides to take her place. But, as she eases into the life she has always wanted, she must decide between continuing the lie or revealing herself.

The Pretty One

2014

Me and Orson Welles poster
6.4

New York, 1937. A teenager hired to star in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar becomes attracted to a career-driven production assistant.

Me and Orson Welles

2008

My Blind Brother poster
5.9

Love for the same woman causes conflict between an over-achieving blind athlete and the brother who made him that way.

My Blind Brother

2016

August poster
5.2

Two brothers, ambitious dot-com entrepreneurs, attempt to keep their company afloat as the stock market begins to collapse in August 2001, one month prior to the 9/11 attacks.

August

2008

Behind the camera