Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Lord Castleton | Pajiba 10 | December 5, 2023
When I was looking through the past winner of the Pajiba 10, I wondered how many times the wonderful Rose Byrne had made it to the pantheon of winners. Was she in the Pajiba Hall of Fame yet? Not if, but how many.
Imagine my surprise when I saw that she has NEVER won a spot in the Pajiba 10. Not once.
Wehehehehehehell, people. I don't want to tell you how to live your lives, but I'm going to anyway. Rose Byrne is a treasure. Does anyone even remember that our introduction to the Aussie was her role as Ellen Parsons on FX'S Damages? Five seasons of ice-cold attorneying from her, and you'd never know that she was hiding a whip-smart sense of humor the whole time.
Byrne has comedy chops, and not just the ones you see as she steals the show on Platonic or holds her own opposite Melissa McCarthy in Spy, but she has the know-how and presence to play the straight woman in mega-hit Bridesmaids opposite comedy icons McCarthy, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig. If she wasn't super talented and capable of subtlety, the film would have crashed and burned. But she was great.
Byrne is such a fixture in comedy that you may have forgotten her in Neighbors and Neighbors 2 as well as walk-on roles on shows like Portlandia, Angie Tribeca and At Home With Amy Sedaris.
But that's not all with Rose Byrne. She can do horror, as in the Insidious horror franchise. She can reprise classics, like 2014's Annie. She can do big tentpole stuff like X-Men: First Class and she can do offbeat fare like Sunshine and Juliet, Naked and Instant Family. She can do kid's movies like the Peter Rabbit series and the short film Martha the Monster, and she can do voice work, like on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and American Dad.
Also: did you know that she was the voice of Chilli's sister Brandy on Bluey? I did not know that. Finding that out kinda made my day.
Rose can so serious pieces like her turn as Gloria Steinem in Mrs. America, but she's not one of those actors who takes herself too seriously, as we see in her music video 'Ring Around My Rosie' from her turn as Jackie Q in 2010's Get Him To The Greek.
What's not to like about Rose Byrne? Well, is it fair, in the whole scheme of things, that she has runway model looks and is still down to earth? Is it fair that she looks amazing in any article of clothing and any hairstyle and can still hold her own going toe-to-toe with some of the funniest people on the planet? No, it is not. I understand how that might grate. Now, I know that in the minds of some people she gets dinged for Physical, which felt like a vehicle that was both uniquely hers and which, somehow, didn't quite work despite a three-season run. I think she was still great in it.
But if any of that diminishes her too much for you, how about this nerdy street cred: she was one of the human female handmaidens in the service of the right honorable Senator Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Boom.
Here's Rose Byrne doing one of those dumb, canned-for-views things, and yet she's infinitely delightful. (It helps to have Chris O'Dowd to bounce off of but the point is that she does it effortlessly. It's just who she is.)
We don't talk enough about how skilled of a physical comedian she is, and this doesn't go nearly far enough to get us there, but how she reacts to birds and bugs on set is amazing.
Rose Bryne has been around for decades, and perhaps people tend to overlook her because she's such a fixture that we take her for granted. She's kept it classy all these years. Never a sellout. Never a black mark on her character or whispers of her doing anything wrong. Everyone wants to work with her. Everyone has great things to say about her. She's a pro's pro and still goes out of her way to make time for fans.
Let's review.
-- Smart
-- Talented
-- Versatile
-- Universally well-liked in the industry
-- Bobby Cannavale
-- Hysterical
-- Open-minded
-- Has great politics
-- Kind and thoughtful
-- Down to earth
-- Doesn't take herself too seriously
-- Great at parties
-- Excellent gift-giver
-- Favorite show is Seinfeld and she can quote most of it off the cuff
-- Lots of philanthropy around children's education and health care
-- Fashion icon
-- Fluent in English, French and Spanish
-- Plays both the piano and the guitar
-- Loves classic films
-- Supports environmental causes around sustainability and conservation
-- Thrives in any genre, as well as live theater
-- Is awesome
Rose Byrne, friends. Rose Byrne. How long must her Pajiba drought last? I've never met her but I'm one Kevin Bacon away from about fifteen people who know her personally and they all say the same thing: "She's the best person. You'd love her."
Let's make 2023 the year the wonderful Rose Byrne makes it to the Pajiba 10!
