From 2001 to 2002, Shawkat played Hannah in State of Grace. As Maeby Fünke, Shawkat was a regular cast member of Arrested Development for the entire run of the show from 2003 to 2019. The series received nearly universally positive reviews, with Shawkat's performance occasionally singled out for praise. Pop-culture commentator Brian M. Palmer remarked that she was "one of the brightest lights on a show populated solely by bright lights",[10] and Scott Weinberg of eFilmCritic described her as "one funny young lady."[11] In an interview with The A.V. Club in 2010, Shawkat remarked that many of her "formative moments" as an actress took place on the Arrested Development set: "[Show creator] Mitch Hurwitz was like a father figure to me. In a way, it was great to be around [the cast], because I feel that my understanding of comedy was able to grow really well during that time."[12]
In 2009, Shawkat appeared in Whip It co-star Har Mar Superstar's music video for "Tall Boy", which also featured Eva Mendes and Eric Wareheim. In October 2009, it was announced that Shawkat, Har Mar, and Whip It co-star Elliot Page would produce and write a show for HBO called Stitch N' Bitch.[12] According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show "follows two painfully cool hipsters as they relocate from Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood to Los Angeles' Silver Lake enclave in hopes of becoming artists—of any kind."[13]
Six years after the series was canceled by Fox, filming for a revived fourth season of Arrested Development began on August 7, 2012, and Shawkat reprised her role as Maeby Fünke. The season consists of 15 new episodes, which debuted simultaneously on Netflix on May 26, 2013.[15] Each episode focuses on one particular character, with Shawkat's Maeby, now a high school senior, featured in episode 12, "Señoritis," and appearing in several other episodes of the season.
Shawkat appears briefly in Ryan Trecartin's 2013 art film, Center Jenny.[16]
In 2015, Shawkat guest-starred on Broad City, portraying the romantic interest and look-alike of Ilana Glazer's character for one episode; the two were attracted to one another due only to their similar appearances. Leading up to the episode, many had remarked on the physical similarities Shawkat and Glazer bear to one another.[17]
Shawkat starred in the lead role of Dory Sief on the TBS comedy Search Party, which premiered on November 21, 2016[18] and moved to HBO Max in 2019 before concluding with its fifth and final season in January 2022.[19] Alongside her acting role on this project, Shawkat produced 30 episodes and directed 1 from 2016 to 2021.[20]
In 2019, Shawkat starred in the film Animals (directed by Australian director Sophie Hyde) as Tyler, a high-living American partier in Dublin. It is a film about a friendship that changes after Laura (played by Holliday Grainger) gets engaged to her teetotalling boyfriend.[21][22] Shawkat said that she had never played a character like Tyler before, and comparatively found her previous characters more relatable. She was "excited to play someone who was so fun, but so damaged".[23]
Personal life
When not acting, Shawkat enjoys singing, drawing, and painting.[24] She occasionally sings in jazz bars, though she only sings jazz standards; her grandfather taught her many of the songs she knows. At one point, Shawkat attempted to learn welding, hoping to make metal sculptures. She considers it essential for her to pursue different forms of art, stating, "They feed each other. If I didn't have the other ones, I don't think I could just act."[25] Shawkat is bisexual.[26]
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