In 2023, Greta Lee had a breakout year after starring in A24's "Past Lives," a story that follows two childhood friends who reunite after one immigrates to Canada from South Korea. Lee's performance has garnered much praise, with the actress being nominated for Best Actress at events like the Critics' Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Now in her 40s, Lee's rise to fame started later in her career. With the widely successful release of "Past Lives," along with the strong group of performers and creators the actress has gotten to work with on the film, it makes sense why now Lee is getting noticed in particular for this movie. The actress clearly understands how to embody a character in constant transition, which can challenge many in her field.
Born in 1983 in Los Angeles, Lee was named after Greta Garbo, the Swedish-American actress known for her roles in films like "Queen Christina" and "Camille." Her grandfather painted billboards for the movies shown to soldiers fighting in the Korean War, introducing Lee to famous actresses like Katharine Hepburn, Gary Cooper and Elizabeth Taylor.
Lee, the daughter of immigrant parents from South Korea, was usually found going to church and singing with the Opera California Youth. She later took up jobs working as a waitress in New York City before attending Northwestern University in the mid-2000s. There, she met her now-husband, Russ Armstrong.
In 2007, Lee was cast in the Broadway musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." The show lasted for a year, and afterward, Lee struggled to find work, so she returned to waitressing.
Three years later, Lee landed a role in the Broadway show "La Bête," and worked as an MTV video jockey. She continued landing small roles, working on an off-Broadway play called "4000 Miles" in 2012. Her small role caught the attention of Lena Dunham, who offered Lee a role in her hit HBO series "Girls."
With Dunham's help, Lee landed other big shows like "New Girl," where she played Jake Johnson's brief love interest. After being featured for her small, sassy roles, Lee was cast in "Russian Doll" alongside Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler in "The Morning Show."
Her castmates have since praised Lee for her roles in these shows, with Jennifer Aniston saying, "I love her more than anything. Not only is she an absolute joy to have on-set, she's brilliant and so great at what she does. I don't even know how to put words to it."
Lyonne described Lee's character and performance in "Russian Doll" as a "throwback Buñuel or Fellini surrealist figure brought to life because of the utter originality in Greta's presence and delivery."
Lee's biggest role came last year with the film "Past Lives." Lee was not the first choice for the role, but after some creative changes, director Celine Song reached out to the actress about playing the lead role of Nora Moon. The film eventually premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023 and was released worldwide the following June.
Lee addressed her process with getting roles and feeling connected to "Past Lives." She told Rolling Stone, "My experience with becoming part of this project mirrors the essence of the movie, this idea of inyeon: destiny and connectivity. I feel like the script and I were soulmates."
Following the success of "Past Lives," Lee is developing a story based on one from The New York Times about the followers of Reverend Sun Myung Moon. The actress is also working on a series adaptation of Cathy Park Hong's award-winning memoir, "Minor Feelings: A Reckoning on Race and the Asian Condition."
Hoping to create space for more Asian Americans in film, Lee said, "My daily struggle, creatively, when I write about a woman who is Asian American is being told, 'I don't understand. There's not enough here. So she's just – living her life?' And then every time I turn on the TV, it's another man living his life. There's a full show about it. There's a full movie about it."
Lee's impressive career journey from small Broadway roles to being the lead in an award-winning film proves she is a name to remember. As one of the most talked-about Hollywood actresses right now, she is certainly one to watch in 2024.
