I want to take a moment to acknowledge someone in Hollywood that has surprised me. This is not easily achieved in such an egocentric universe, but Brooklyn Decker wound up being an unexpected favorite of mine.
For those unfamiliar with Decker, she is best known for her model appearances in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, including the 2010 issue. It’s hard to resonate with supermodels. It just is. Because who in reality actually looks like that?
Nobody.
And they often aren’t given much of a “voice” to begin with. So when Decker took Hollywood by storm and took her acting chops out for a test drive, I wasn’t exactly expecting much.
However — she delighted me immediately with her natural comedic timing and commitment to each role. Her first major film role that I witnessed her take on was as Dennis Quaid’s super young trophy wife in Just Go With It (2011). I laughed out loud several times. I almost hated to love her. I wanted to walk out of there utterly disapproving of the supermodel’s transition to the screen, but nope. She earned it.
Just a mildly impressive side note: in addition to her life as an actress, she also served as founder for a tech startup (Finery) that was recently acquired by Stitch Fix.
She went on to star in a handful of other films including What to Expect When You’re Expecting (2012), Battleship (2012) and Casual Encounters (2016).
In 2015, she was cast in the Netflix television series Grace & Frankie, as Jane Fonda’s daughter. In the show, she is an overtired mother who seems to always be the “adult” in the situation and eventually gets sick of that, too. She carries the role magnificently.
Related: Jane Fonda Arrested Again At Capitol Building Climate Action
Decker is a mother in real life as well. She and husband, Andy Roddick have been married since 2009.
Yesterday, the actress posted a hysterical post-holiday instagram post from the mom-of-two. In the photo, Decker, 32, sits alone in front of her fireplace, drinking wine — donning a pair of large sunglasses.
I gave most of my family a stomach bug; they’re in bed. All remaining family members left this morning to save themselves. I sit here solo, with the sunglasses I bought for my own stocking, drinking alone. This was all part of my master plan. MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!
