Amy Seimetz

If there's one thing Amy Seimetz hated, it was being called an "ingénue" - or a "breakout star." A multi-talented actress with an eye for the unusual, a better term would have been "control junkie." By the time she starred in the experimental and mysterious "Upstream Color" (2013), the Florida native had spent over a decade working as an indie film jane-of-all-trades, starting with the short film "The 17th Man" (2004), where she sewed and designed costumes between takes.

She directed, produced, wrote and starred in the short film "The Unseen Kind-Hearted Beast" (2005), before moving up to editor and cinematographer on 2008's "We Saw Such Things." Her subtle, melancholy performance as a late-night diner waitress in "The Off Hours" (2011) drew rave reviews and led to a string of well-received roles, including her hapless daddy's girl in "You're Next" (2011). The following year saw Seimetz release her directorial debut, the SXSW-approved crime thriller "Sun Don't Shine" (2012).

The metaphysical "Upstream Color" proved the perfect vehicle for the abstract-minded actress, who later switched gears with higher-profile roles in AMC's "The Killing" (AMC 2011-13; Netflix, 2014) and HBO's "Family Tree" (2013). Driven by curiosity and emotion, Amy Seimetz was always looking for more.

Florida is a strange place, and Seimetz's experience growing up in a state typically associated with retirees and vacationers left an indelible mark. She migrated to California in her early twenties, where she spent time in San Francisco exploring the experimental film and theater scene. After relocating to Los Angeles she became more involved in the independent film scene, a fertile outlet for her collaborative, intellectually-driven films.

She established herself in the early 2000s as an extremely hands-on filmmaker: in the noir thriller "The 17th Man" she worked as costume designer and background actor; and she turned the absurdist political short "The Unseen Kind-Hearted Beast" into a directing, producing, writing and acting showcase. "We Saw Such Things," her 2008 documentary about the mermaid attractions of Weeki Wachee, FL, revealed her fascination with uniquely Floridian culture.

The start of the new decade found Seimetz in Lena Dunham's breakout debut "Tiny Furniture" (2010), as well as the ensemble drama "The Myth of the American Sleepover" (2010). In 2011 she drew acclaim for her portrayal of an enigmatic diner waitress stuck on the late shift in "The Off Hours." That same year saw her appear in over a half a dozen films, including NYC indie vet Joe Swanberg's "Silver Bullets" and the horror flick "You're Next," starring director Ti West as her pretentious filmmaker boyfriend.

The following year she directed, wrote and did just about everything else on her debut feature film, "Sun Don't Shine," a moody, abstract thriller set in Central Florida. After delving into the fractured psyche of Kris in the gorgeously confusing "Upstream Color," Seimetz landed on "The Killing" as a hardened single mother, and appeared on Christopher Guest's improv comedy "Family Tree" (HBO 2013).

After co-starring in found-footage horror film "The Sacrament" (2014), indie comedy-drama "Lucky Them" (2014), "I Believe in Unicorns" (2014) and "The Reconstruction of William Zero" (2014), Seimetz joined forces with filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan to write and direct the cable series "The Girlfriend Experience" (Starz 2016- ), based on the 2009 film by Steven Soderbergh.

Seimetz also appeared on three episodes of '80s cult hit "Stranger Things" (Netflix 2016- ) during this period. After co-starring in Ridley Scott's "Alien: Covenanat" (2017), Seimetz returned to TV to direct two episodes of Donald Glover's comedy-drama "Atlanta" (FX 2016- ) during its second season. She returned to the big screen to co-star in the horror reboot "Pet Sematary" (2019).