Shawnee Smith is an American film and television actress and singer. Smith is best known for her roles as Meg Penny in The Blob, Amanda Young in the Saw films and Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker. Smith once fronted the metal band Fydolla Ho, with which she toured the United S...
“Not My Kid” (1985), “Crime of Innocence” (1985), “Iron Eagle” (1986),“Becker” (1998-2004) ”The Island” (2005), “The Grudge 3” (2009), “Anger Management” (2012-2014)
Star Sign
Cancer
#
Quote
1
[on hiding her pregnancy while filming Saw II (2005)] It was for the best not to tell them because they would have made changes and it would have been a different movie.
2
[on working with Ted Danson] There's no bigger star than him in TV and he couldn't be more of a self-effacing, down-to-earth team player. He sets the tone and it's just a pleasure.
3
They're [TV and film] very different. TV is obviously a lot quicker paced. I think film requires a lot more patience and concentration and each day you're keeping the entire picture in your head throughout a two to three month film shoot. Whereas TV, especially half hour, is like doing a play a week or live theater.
4
Music is so much fun because each song is like a film in itself. You get to go from beginning to end and interact and exchange energy with a live audience.
5
[on John Candy] I did get to know him a bit while we filmed Who's Harry Crumb? (1989). If he could have been a fraction as kind, supportive, and giving to himself as he was to every single person around him then I think he'd still be with us today. That was the tragedy. I think [Candy's performance in] Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) best defines who he was as a person. It breaks your heart.
6
As a woman I'm very endeared to her [Amanda Young] and I'm hoping other women will be endeared to her. Hopefully we can all learn something or be inspired in some positive way.
7
(On the role of "Amanda" in Saw (2004)) The great thing about Amanda is she gets to kick ass but she's also a woman of substance and depth and she's struggling. There is real drama. I see a lot of myself in her. The desire to build, the desire to serve something higher, and also the destructiveness.
8
I remember being at the first screening [of Saw (2004)] at Sundance and you could feel the energy in the theater. It was incredible. You knew right there that this thing was going to be a hit. The first one was a really creative idea.
9
(Comparing songwriting to acting) When you write a song you're writing it from your gut, so it's easier to connect with that than someone else's part that you're acting.
10
(On the Smith and Pyle fanbase) I think the horror fans are surprised when they listen to the record and they actually like it. I mean it's country music, kind of, but it's produced by Chris Goss of Masters of Reality. It crosses a lot of boundaries.
11
(in reference to horror films) I don't like to see a scary image because it sticks in my mind. Which is maybe why I get hired to do the scary movies because I'm truly scared and upset.
12
(after winning a 2007 Eyegore award) This scares me [referring to the award statue], I can't bring it home because of my children, I can't watch my own clip, the ghouls at the entrance of tonight upset me, but I do want to say thank you to everyone.
13
(On the role of "Amanda" in Saw (2004)) Amanda's been a great part to play over the years. She's my lucky strike. I take the scream queen title as an honor. I went from Becker (1998) to this character and they were so vastly different. Amanda's really changed, too. She gives a few, but she gets you. With any character I play, I gravitate to the juxtaposition and humor. It has been a fun ride.
14
(On the jaw trap in Saw (2004)) It was heavy. I had this mouth piece I had to clamp down and they padded it up to try and get it as tight to my head as possible because I really had to fling myself around. If I do something like that, I just go all the way with it.
15
Acting is like a game of tennis. The better your opponent, the better you're going to play. I've had some of my best tennis matches with Tobin [Bell] because he's relentless about truth and has an incredible work ethic.
#
Fact
1
She is of English, German, Swiss-German, and Scots-Irish (Northern Irish) ancestry.
2
Her conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy in 2012 was the inspiration behind her directorial debut documentary 'Orthodox: A Love Story'.
3
Attended the Texas Frightmare Weekend convention in Dallas, TX as part of the Saw (2004) panel alongside Cary Elwes and Costas Mandylor. [April 2011]
4
Writing and recording new songs with Missi Pyle at Rancho de la Luna in preparation for the second Smith & Pyle album. [April 2010]
5
Performing at "The Mint" in Los Angeles, CA alongside Missi Pyle and their band, "Smith and Pyle". [November 2009]
Formed her punk-rock band "Fydolla Ho" with Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo and Skindred vocalist Benji Webbe as a small recording project. The band went on to release a full album, along with two EPs, and tour the United States and United Kingdom before officially splitting in 2004.
9
She was nominated for a Spike TV Scream Award in the "Most Vile Villain" category alongside her Saw IV (2007) costar Tobin Bell in 2007.
10
Has shared the screen with actor Barry Flatman twice; in the television movie Easy Prey (1986) and in Saw III (2006).
11
She is part of a desert-country rock band called Smith and Pyle with actress Missi Pyle. They digitally released their debut album, It's OK to be Happy, in July 2008. The band plays shows consistently in California along with performing at conventions for fans.
12
Originally turned down the role of "Amanda Young" in Saw (2004) because it was upsetting her. She was offered the role a second time and accepted after seeing the original short film by James Wan and Leigh Whannell.
13
Hates horror films and has repeatedly admitted to being scared of her own movies.
14
Was pregnant with her daughter, Verve, throughout the first season of Becker (1998).
15
Is a triathlete.
16
Was 4 months pregnant with her son Jakson during the filming of Saw II (2005).
17
Can claim "military brat-hood" thanks to her father Jim, an Air Force officer. At the age of 16 she played an Air Force brat in the film Iron Eagle (1986).
18
She was writer/director James Wan's first choice to play the role of Amanda in the film Saw (2004). He was motivated by a crush he had on her since the age of 14. Fellow Saw alums Darren Lynn Bousman and Leigh Whannell have also made their crushes known during the DVD commentaries.
19
Appeared in two films directed by Michael Bay, Armageddon (1998) and The Island (2005), in both of which she acts in only one scene, alongside Steve Buscemi as his love interest.
20
Smith has three children; a daughter named Verve, born in 1999, from her marriage to photographer Jason Reposar and a son named Jakson, born on December 12, 2005, from her brief marriage to musician Kai Mattoon. She gave birth to her third child, a boy, in March 2010.
21
She still gets recognized by fans as Meg Penny from The Blob (1988) and loves it.
$3 Million
