Why the Actress who Plays Karen Mitchell in Jurassic World Looks So Familiar

Have you ever had the uncanny experience of watching a movie or television show and recognizing an actor or actress’ face, but not being able to figure out where you’ve seen them before? Christ, we fucking hope so, because this whole shitty piece is predicated on that somehow being an interesting or relevant or unusual sensation. 

It turns out the reason actors in our favorite shows and movies look familiar is because many of them have acted in other movies we may have seen. If Harrison Ford, who plays Han Solo in The Force Awakens, looks familiar, for example, it might be because he previously acted in the movie Regarding Henry. Have you seen the movie Regarding Henry? Yes? Boom, there you go. That’s what you know him from. 

Yes, there are few things more fascinating or newsworthy in this crazy world than actors in popular movies or TV shows seeming familiar due to their previous onscreen work, so we decided we’d chase some clicks, I mean, educate and enlighten the populace on why Judy Greer, who plays female lead Claire’s sister in Jurassic World, looks so familiar. 

As a child, everything you doodled looked strikingly like a photo-realistic portrait of Judy Greer

When most kids doodle, their scribblings are frequently abstract or crudely representative. They draw doggies or kitties or stick figures of mommy and daddy. If they’re feeling ambitious, or artistically inclined, maybe they’ll doodle super-heroes or comic strip characters. 

Not you, however. From your very first doodle to the last, every drawing you made looks disconcertingly like a picture of veteran American character actress Judy Greer at 37. You couldn’t help yourself. Even if you only worked on a doodle for a couple of minutes, it still somehow looks exactly like Judy Greer. It’s fucking uncanny. You didn’t even know who Greer was when you started making these doodles. In fact, when you first saw Greer onscreen you had an overwhelming sense of deja vu, but you somehow never put together that the reason you recognized Greer in Jurassic World is because she is in fact the mystery woman you’ve felt compelled to commemorate through drawing ever since you were a little boy. 

And here’s the weird thing: you’re not even a good artist. Not even a little bit. If someone were to ask you to draw a kitty cat, you would not be able to, yet for some reason, you are capable of creating realistic portraits of Judy Greer intuitively. It’s an incredible gift. Or maybe a curse.  

You were friends with Judy Greer in middle school

Dude, you guys were really good friends in middle school! Best friends, even. From ages 11 to 13, you guys were inseparable. You gossiped about cute boys, exchanged friendship bracelets, even joined the Girl Scouts together. True, you lost touch after she moved away, but if she looks familiar, it may be because at one time you counted Judy Greer among your very best friends. 

In summer camp, you were continually told terrifying urban legends about a woman who looks, acts and talks like Greer, and had an identical list of IMDB credits

Summer camps can have some weird traditions. Camp Minnehonka, which you attended as a child, was no different. Campers there whispered darkly of a bogey-woman said to live in the woods near the camp who was attractive in a waif-like, off-beat kind of way and would go on to star in movies such as The Village, Elizabethtown, Ant-Man and Jeff, Who Lives at Home as well as TV shows such as Arrested Development and It’s Aways Sunny in Philadelphia. 

As far as I know, this is the only mythological creature with an extensive list of IMDB credits, and, to be honest, it’s more than a little weird that these movies and television shows—which wouldn’t exist for years, even decades—were somehow part of Camp Minnehonka lore but if Greer looks familiar in Jurassic World, it’s almost assuredly because you were told myths and legends of an actress who looks exactly like her, and has the exact same career as a pre-pubescent camper. 

You are Judy Greer

Okay, this totally checks out. It turns out the reason Judy Greer looks so familiar is because you are Judy Greer. Makes sense, huh? It turns out you don’t just see Greer’s attractively elfin face when you watch Jurassic World. No, you also see it when you look in the mirror every morning, or check your make-up, or look at your driver’s license. 

Good for you! You’re a very talented character actress who, honestly, deserves better, meatier roles, but you’ve done fantastic work and should be very proud of yourself. Good job being awesome, Judy Greer!  

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