Even today, fans best remember Dianna Agron for her portrayal of cheerleader Quinn Fabray in the hit Fox high school musical drama Glee. The Georgia native may have been acting long before landing the role (she had roles in Heroes and Veronica Mars), but it was Agron’s performance in the six-time Emmy-winning that put her in the spotlight.
In fact, Agron has gone to book a couple of notable film roles. These include I Am Number Four where she starred alongside Timothy Olyphant and Alex Pettyfer and Luc Besson’s crime comedy thriller The Family, which boasts of a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones. Since Glee, however, Agron has visibly stayed away from the spotlight. And whereas she’s also kept acting (and pursuing music at the same time), it seems Agron has been making it a point to avoid anything mainstream.
Dianna Agron Had Done Several Non-Commercial Films Since ‘Glee’
Agron has been plenty busy since Glee ended its run in 2015. In fact, that same year, the actress starred in the romantic comedy Tumbledown alongside Rebecca Hall, Jason Sudeikis, and Blythe Danner. The movie tells the story of a widow (Hall) who is still mourning the loss of her folk-singer husband when she encounters a writer (Sudeikis) from New York.
Soon after, Agron starred in the romantic drama Bare with Paz de la Huerta. In the movie, Agron plays a woman who becomes romantically involved with a female drifter (de la Huerta). In the end, she also gets pulled into a life surrounded by drugs and stripping.
Just a couple of years later, Agron joined Frank Grillo and Minnie Driver in the crime thriller The Crash. Around the same time, she also starred in the drama Novitiate alongside Melissa Leo, Lisa Stewart, and Alyssa Brindley.
Meanwhile, Agron also wandered briefly into the mainstream world around this time, voicing the part of a news anchor in the 2018 animated film Ralph Breaks the Internet. Soon after, however, the actress in the romantic drama Berlin, I Love You alongside Luke Wilson, Helen Mirren, and Keira Knightley. Agron also starred with Oscar nominee Andy Garcia in the thriller Headlock, which received lackluster reviews.
A few years later, Agron took on the critically acclaimed Jewish dramedy Shiva Baby. The film revolves around a 20-something Jewish woman (Rachel Sennott) who finds herself in the same room as her ex-girlfriend (Molly Gordon) and sugar daddy (Danny Deferrari) while attending a traditional gathering for Shiva, the Jewish mourning period.
In the film, Agron plays Deferrari’s wife who is not Jewish even if Agron is Jewish in real life. Despite the irony, it is a role that certainly thrilled the actress’ family. “I had previously played a nun (Novitiate), so they were like, 'Finally you're stoking some of our kind of history in your filmmaking,’” Agron said.
Most recently, Agron starred in the family drama As They Made Us, which also marks Mayim Bialik’s directorial debut (The Big Bang Theory star also wrote the script). In the film, she plays a divorced mom who tries to bring her dysfunctional family back together as her father’s health continues to decline. It was a role that Agron found herself gravitating towards instantly as it felt more personal than any other character she’s played in the past.
“It was just so compelling and had a lot of personal truths. My father has been sick for more years than he’s been well, and so I really could understand holding a space for that journey that Abigail is going through, and what that means and how that expresses itself through a family,” she explained. “Mayim and I jumped on a Zoom call and just felt so deeply connected to her in the story and luckily, she thought that I would be right for this role.”
Aside from Agron, the cast also includes two-time Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman and Oscar nominee Candice Bergen who plays her parents. Meanwhile, Bialik’s Big Bang co-star Simon Helberg plays Agron’s brother who has distanced himself from the rest of the family.
Here’s Why Dianna Agron Has Stayed Away From Mainstream
With the success of Glee, offers did come pouring in for Agron. But it was more of the same and that wasn’t what she wanted at that time. “There was a space in time where that was a lot of what was coming toward me as further offers,” the actress explained. “It just felt too close to home and there needed to be a break and I needed to diversify before I could perhaps return to it.”
She also knew she wanted to do more independent work after The Family. “From that point, I really made an effort, as you can see, looking back, I really wanted to play in a more indie space,” Agron explained. “I just knew there was something really special in that aspect of filmmaking. You’re not checking in with a studio. Every minute counts on set, and you have to be thinking on your feet.”
Meanwhile, fans can soon look forward to seeing Agron in the upcoming sci-fi drama Acidman where she stars alongside Thomas Haden Church. Acidman tells the story of a woman who reconnects with her father and attempts to make first contact with extraterrestrial life together.
As for whatever else comes after that, Agron may have also hinted that she is keen on doing some mainstream work once more, so long as it’s another musical. “Now I would absolutely do another musical if it were, you know, TV or film or onstage because enough time has passed that I miss it.”