"I was always in small school plays growing up," Lamia said."I was offered a small part in a major motion picture when I was about six, but my parents thought it would be too much." It was Amherst that really allowed her to "explore new avenues."
The birth of an actress
Lamia did not consider acting to be a realistic goal during her first few years at Amherst, so she took a more practical route and decided to major in English. However, she was a proud member of Mr. Gad's House of Improv and auditioned for her first play as a first-year. She enthusiastically participated on the crew team and enjoyed writing movie reviews for The Amherst Student.
As an English major, Lamia focused on taking fiction and play-writing courses. After two years, she decided to go abroad her junior year. Her original plan was to go to Singapore and study French, but she was met by an opportunity that she could not ignore. Her advisor, Professor of English Judith Frank, provided her with information on the Tisch School, New York University's (NYU) school of film. Lamia spent her junior year acting at the Tisch School and it was there that she realized she wanted to pursue acting seriously after an agent spotted her in a small NYU production.
Lamia received a part in the Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's "Ah, Wilderness!" "Broadway opened up a lot of doors for me," Lamia explained. "For the first time I realized that I could be taken seriously, and that this was something I could really pursue. For me, acting has always been an escape of sorts. I can be people who aren't me. Acting provides me with a license to do things I would otherwise not. 'Ah, Wilderness!' was a great start."
At the end of her planned stay, Lamia decided to continue acting in New York for a while longer before returning to Amherst. She returned to Amherst in the fall of 1999 and graduated in early January of 2000 with her sister Tatiana.
Family reunions
Lamia was happy to be reunited with her two sisters, Carlyn ('02) and Tati ('00E) when she returned to Amherst. "I loved having my sisters in school with me. It was so much fun. We would all eat in Valentine together," Lamia said. "Having my family with me in my last year made my experience extra special."
Always aware of the importance of family, Lamia felt as if Amherst offered her another sort of kin. Mr. Gad's House of Improv welcomed Lamia back after her long sabbatical. Although she was a long ways from Mr. Gad's during her junior year, she never forgot the group. "Amherst would not have been the same without Mr. Gad's. They were my family. It was so much fun. I had the opportunity to just hang out with my friends, and just be silly. The athletes had sports as their outlet. I had Mr. Gad's. I would just burn off all this nervous energy during one of the rehearsals. I loved it!"
For Lamia, the College proved to be a wonderful place to gain the tools she would need to start her career as a professional actress. Between Gad's, creative writing and the theater program, Lamia felt as if she had a genuine hold on the craft. She felt that Amherst theater classes provided her with a total appreciation of the profession. "Amherst allows you to truly explore acting, from taking classes in stage managing to set design. It gave me a whole new perspective on what exactly goes into a production. Amherst taught me that everyone-be you the director, the costume designer, the actor-plays a huge part, and should be respected," she explained.
Life after college
Soon after graduation, Lamia was offered a role in an off-Broadway production of Leslie Caputo's "Birthmarks." She starred as Terry, an unwed teenage mother who must decide whether or not to keep her child. The production received positive reviews, mostly due to Lamia's wonderful sense of character. Bruce Weber of The New York Times claimed, "Played by Jenna Lamia, Terry is blond, lovely, Irish Catholic and alone ... All the actors, but particularly Ms. Lamia, give their characters the sense that for all their will to connect, they're speaking in separate tongues."
"'Birthmarks,' like 'Ah, Wilderness!' provided me with a lot of exposure," Lamia explained. "After the play closed, I was offered a television role on the HBO series, 'Oz.'"
In "Oz," Lamia played pregnant teenager Carrie Schillinger. The critically acclaimed prison drama survived three months. "'Oz' was so much fun. I got to play white trash. It was not a polite drama. I was the youngest actress, and among the only women. There were always raunchy jokes and stupid pranks. It was all very male and very funny," she said. "The show was cancelled after three seasons. The prison blew up, and I died when a bus went over a mountain. It was all so gross, and very cool!"
Lamia remembered her experiences with the Amherst theater department, which helped her on the set of "Oz." "Amherst taught me a respect for the craft as a whole, and I realized that television, like theater, required a process," she said. Action and Character, a course she took at the College, taught her to explore different characters, which she applies to her profession.
Lamia noted that playing a character like Carrie allowed her to explore a new type of persona. It also landed her a role in "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," where she guest-starred as Siobhan Miller, a young con artist. Her character framed a man for raping her and sued the hotel where it happened for millions. Playing Siobhan allowed Lamia to explore a complex character in depth. "It was awesome playing Siobhan because she is so manipulative. Half-way through the show, her character does a complete one-eighty. I also had a lot of fun with the beat-up victim make-up. My dad had his apartment near the set. One day, before filming, I went to his apartment in make-up, and woke him up. He just started screaming. It was so much fun!" she said.
Lamia discussed her enjoyment of playing characters such as Carrie and Siobhan. "It is such a nice challenge playing characters who are so different from me. Both Carrie and Siobhan are a little manipulative, and aren't your typical feminine characters. It surprises me that I continually get cast in these roles!" Lamia exclaimed.
Back to the stage
After taping of "Law and Order" was finished, Lamia decided to audition for other off-Broadway plays. In the winter of 2001, Lamia starred in Rebecca Gilman's "The Glory of Living" with Anna Paquin. "It was Anna's first play, and we became really good friends. I remember holding her hand during opening night because she was so scared," Lamia said.
"The Glory of Living" was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who quickly became an inspiration to Lamia. "Philip is the best actor I've ever had the good fortune to know," she said. "Here is a man who represents all I love about acting. He worked on everything from the Hannibal Lector movie series to 'Boogie Nights.' He always made me aspire to higher standards. He always made me catch myself if he felt I was coming from an unnatural place." Hoffman also encouraged her to pursue the stage for awhile.
Lamia quickly landed a role in Edna Walsh's "Bedbound," where she starred alongside Tony nominee Bryan O'Byrne. The play left many critics in awe, and Lamia was hailed as a new talent. Marilyn Stasion of Variety Magazine reported, "Jenna Lamia is stunning, playing through the pathos to give subtle hints of concealed intelligence, humor and fury."
Lamia was inspired to audition for another play in the summer of 2003: Kate Robin's "Intrigue with Faye." Lamia had a cameo alongside stars such as Benjamin Bratt and Julianna Margulies. "The play was so much fun. Benjamin and I became friends. In the play, I got to make out with him. It was ultimately pleasant," she said, noting that these friendships extended past the stage.
Lamia is no stranger to acting alongside big stars, and claims that often her role models inspire her. She recounted the time she met Jerry O'Connell. "Jerry was so down-to-earth. He knew everyone's name on the set, and always had a kind word for all. His sense of professionalism combined with genuine concern truly impressed me. It's stars like Jerry who keep you grounded."
With Jenna's natural sweetness and genuine friendliness, there is no doubt that she will one day be such a star, too.
Taking over the big screen
Lamia's film career took off recently with the help of her agent and the connections she made working in off-Broadway venues. She has recently finished filming three independent films, including Amos Kollek's upcoming film "Happy End," where she plays Sparkle, a would-be actress and hooker who works the streets of the East Village in New York. Sparkle befriends Val, played by Audrey Tautou ("Amelie"). "Acting with Audrey was a huge honor. I felt as if I was really becoming something," Lamia said.
Lamia also stars in Scott Graham's new film "Drowning" in which she plays a waitress with unusual charms. "My character attracts all these outcasts. It was a lot of fun to film, and Scott introduced me to many interesting people," she said. The film led to another role in Roger Hedden's romantic comedy "Hi Life," where she plays a small role as part of a teenage couple opposite distinguished actor Michael Pitt. The film also has big-name stars such as Eric Stoltz and Campbell Scott.
Recent repertoire
Currently Lamia has a role in the CBS series "Without a Trace." The program is a fast-paced procedural drama about the FBI's Missing Persons squad. "Without a Trace" offers Lamia stability so that she may also pursue other projects.
Lamia is now working with Amherst alum Paula Christensen '98. Lamia and Christensen met when they were members of Mr. Gad's, and they quickly found common ground with their quirky sense of humor. The two recently decided to collaborate in making an improv movie to be entitled, "Walk On." They plan to show it at Amherst when the project is complete.
Lamia laughingly mused over her college experiences and how acting truly allowed her to assert her independence and to pursue a path that she loved. She concluded, "Amherst provided me with so much-most importantly, the confidence to try new things. Amherst gave me respect for the craft, and allowed me to explore avenues I never before saw possible."