Skidmore stars: Alumni you might recognize on your screen
If you’re looking for something new to watch or read, look no further than the work of these rising Skidmore stars.
Zazie Beetz ’13
Did you watch the 2024 Oscars announcements? If you did, you may have recognized one
of the hosts, Zazie Beetz.
Taking the stage for the announcements is another notch in her accelerating career.
You can look forward to her reprising her role as Sophie Dumond in Warner Bros.’ “Joker:
Folie à Deux” — sequel to the 2019 D.C. Comics film “Joker” — alongside Joaquin Phoenix
and Lady Gaga, though the fate of her character has yet to be unveiled. You can also
hear Beetz in several recent episodes of “Big Mouth” as the voice of Danni, or go
back into her catalogue to watch her performance as Domino in “Deadpool 2” or her
breakout role as Van in the FX comedy-drama series “Atlanta.”
Beetz studied French at Skidmore but was always heavily involved in theater. In a 2016 interview with Skidmore, she recalled Professor Alma Becker casting her in a mainstage production: “I felt
so honored!”
“With Skidmore’s education, I was able to humor another huge part of myself,” she
said. “I suppose that’s the beauty of a liberal arts school.”
Jack Mulhern ’17
Since graduating from Skidmore with a degree in theater, Jack Mulhern ’17 has been
steadily taking on larger and more challenging roles.
You may have first seen him in several streaming shows, like Netflix’s “The Society” and “Lock & Key,” followed by a larger role in HBO’s
“Mare of Easttown” alongside Kate Winslet. He also starred in Hulu’s 2020 film “Odd
Man Rush” and Paramount+’s “Pet Semetary: Bloodlines.” But it’s his most recent role
that’s getting a lot of attention at the moment.
Based on the inspiring real-life story, Mulhern plays Don Hume in Amazon MGM Studios’
2023 film “The Boys in the Boat.” Produced and directed by George Clooney, the film
follows members of the University of Washington rowing team in their quest to compete
in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, going head-to-head against the enemy in Nazi
Germany as Hitler watches from the stands.
While in college, Mulhern was cast in several Skidmore productions, including a role
as George Gibbs in the 2015 production of “Our Town.” In his senior year, he also
wrote and directed “Adore,” mixing media and theater into a film.
Michael Zegen ’01
Walking the red carpets this award season is Michael Zegen ’01, as he and his fellow
castmates celebrate the wrap of the final season of Amazon Prime’s multi-award-winning
show “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Since the show’s premiere in 2017, Zegen and the
ensemble cast have won Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice, Emmy, and Screen Actors Guild
awards. Zegen plays Joel Maisel, a hopeful comic and the titular character’s estranged
turned former husband.
While Zegen tries to make a go at comedy in the show, in real life he has been honing
his comedic skills since his time at Skidmore, where he co-founded the sketch comedy
group The Sketchies and performed in the National College Comedy Festival, founded in 1989 by another alum, David Miner '91, executive producer of “Brooklyn 99,” “Parks and Recreation,” “30 Rock,” “Unbreakable
Kimmy Schmidt,” and “Master of None.”
Soon, Zegen will play the lead role of Andy Singer in the film “Zoo.” His character
is a failing father forced by his own 10-year-old daughter to face the fraud that
he is while floundering through get-rich-quick schemes in “the sweat of a New York
City summer.” The film is in post-production.
Chris Fleming ’09
After making their mark on YouTube and comedy stages around the country, Chris Fleming
’09 recently sealed a deal with Peacock for the 2023 comedy special “Hell.” Described
as “absurdly hilarious and shockingly limber,” Fleming takes viewers on a journey
through their perspectives on Irish Catholic culture, therapy, Phil Collins, cornhole,
and “the mystical allure” of the Nissan Cube.
Much of Fleming’s comedy is aimed at deconstructing social norms, and they’ve been
described as a progressive, gender-bending role model. If you’re just becoming familiar
with Fleming, the place to start to appreciate their growth is on YouTube, particularly the web series “Gayle,” featuring a frenetic stay-at-home-mom who is
constantly power-walking and competing with the other moms on the block.
In speaking with Skidmore’s Theater Department in 2017 on “Gayle” and internet fame, Fleming said they came to Skidmore “because I didn’t get into Vassar” … but who
has the last laugh now?
Fleming returned to campus to perform as part of the 2023 National College Comedy Festival.
Who was that on late night?
Molly Baz ’10
If you were tuned into “Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel” recently, you may have seen
Molly Baz ’10 talking about her new cookbook, “More is More: Get Loose in the Kitchen,”
how she hates chocolate, working in fine dining, and how she fell in love with cooking.
After graduating from Skidmore, the art history major headed to New York City and
Boston to earn her chops as a chef. She worked as a line cook for several years and
even co-founded a catering company. In 2015, she started as a recipe tester for Condé
Nast's Epicurious before moving to Bon Appétit, where food fans fell in love with
her on the magazine’s YouTube channel.
In 2020, Baz went back to her food entrepreneur roots and started a food media subscription
service on Patreon, published a cookbook in 2021, and just launched her second cookbook
in 2023. You can find the recipe for the cookies she baked for Jimmy Kimmel online.
