Alison Pill (born November 27, 1985) is a Canadian actress. A former child actress, Pill began her career at age 12, appearing in numerous films and television series. She transitioned to adult roles and her breakthrough came with the television series The Book of Daniel (2006). That same year, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2006). Pill had prominent roles in the films Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (2004), Plain Truth (2004), Milk (2008), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), Midnight in Paris (2011), Zoom (2015), Vice (2018), the television series In Treatment (2009), The Pillars of the Earth (2010), The Newsroom (2012–14), American Horror Story: Cult (2017), Star Trek: Picard (2020) and Devs (2020).
Early life
Pill was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Her father, a professional engineer, is Estonian. Pill attended Vaughan Road Academy, where she was in its Interact program, designed for students interested in dance, music, athletics, and theatre.
Career
1997–2007
Pill at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego
Pill decided to become an actor when she was 10 years old. As a member of the Toronto Children’s Chorus, she was chosen to narrate one of their performances. Her mother tried to discourage Pill by getting her a job as a background performer on the series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. By the time she was 11, she’d played a guest role on an episode of the kids’ series The New Ghostwriter Mysteries. At 12, she landed roles in two TV movies and a mini-series, a guest appearance on the TV series PSI Factor and voiced the character “Cornflower” on the animated series “Redwall” (1999-2001). After roles in two more television movies, she landed her first feature film role, a small budget Canadian movie called The Life Before This in 1999, followed by the role of Jacob’s older sister Marfa in Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang. Pill played roles in four more TV movies before the age of fourteen. The next year, she landed a small role in Skipped Parts in 2000 starring Drew Barrymore and Mischa Barton, then appeared in four more TV movies and features that year, including playing Farrah Fawcett’s daughter in the TNT network movie Baby and a lead role in the Canadian film The Dinosaur Hunter, which was originally intended to be shown at a dinosaur museum and on a provincial education channel, but which made its way to the Burbank International Film Festival, winning Pill an award for Best Child Actress. She landed the role of young Lorna in the ABC-TV biopic Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows in 2001, based on the memoir by Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft. That year, Pill also played Sissy Spacek’s daughter in the TV flick Midwives.
In 2003, she played Katie Holmes’ sister in the indie feature Pieces of April. Pill won the lead in the CTV-TV movie Fast Food High, about a teenager who gets a job at a fast food restaurant and tries to set up a union. She also landed a supporting role in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen in 2003, starring Lindsay Lohan. Pill ventured off into stage acting, with the New York City staging of None of the Above as the first item in her theatre credentials. This was followed by The Distance From Here, On the Mountain, Blackbird, and Mauritius. In 2006, she starred as Grace Webster in the short-lived NBC drama The Book of Daniel. That same year, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Mairead in Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore. Because of her busy work schedule, Pill’s schooling was done through a program for youngsters in the business. Since graduating from high school, Pill moved to New York to pursue a career in theatre, but continued to work in movies such as Dan in Real Life in 2007.
2008–present
Pill at the 2013 PaleyFest
Pill had a major supporting role as campaign manager Anne Kronenberg in the Oscar-winning 2008 film Milk. In 2009, she performed with Erin Hill & her Psychedelic Harp playing the Twilight Zone-inspired “Meredith Moon” and “The Real North Pole” sci-fi Christmas Harp. Pill was cast as April on In Treatment. In 2009 she replaced Elliot Page in a role in Jack and Diane but due to postponement of the project neither ended up in it by the time it ran in 2012.
She later played Kim Pine in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, as well as in Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation. She portrayed Empress Maud in the miniseries The Pillars of the Earth. In theatre, Pill starred with Abigail Breslin in Broadway’s The Miracle Worker. She has worked with Woody Allen twice, as Zelda Fitzgerald in Midnight in Paris and as Hayley in To Rome with Love.
She has starred in short films including Denise in 2012 with Chris Messina and Santa Baby; she sang and danced in Santa Baby. In 2016, she appeared in Cover Up by Satya Bhabha with Jason Ritter, to be released at the LA Shorts Fest, and Woman in Deep, where she played a woman who calls a suicide prevention hot line and is put on hold, directed by Janicza Bravo. In a new theatre production of Wait Until Dark, Pill starred as a blind woman who must fend for her life. She also starred in Bong Joon-ho’s post-apocalyptic film Snowpiercer, alongside Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, which was released in 2013.
From 2012 until its ending in 2014, she appeared in Aaron Sorkin’s HBO series The Newsroom as Maggie Jordan. Pill appeared in Cooties starring Elijah Wood. In Zoom, Pill played Emma, an aspiring comic book artist. She had a part in Hail, Caesar! as Eddie Mannix’s wife. Pill is attached to star in Sook-Yin Lee’s Canadian indie Octavio is Dead, a role that will chase her late father’s ghost in Mexico City. Pill starred in Goon: Last of the Enforcers as Eva Glatt, Glatt’s love interest in first movie Goon, now married to Glatt. Pill was part of the cast of The Family as Willa Warren. In 2016, Pill co-starred with Jessica Chastain in the EuropaCorp thriller Miss Sloane. In 2017, she joined American Horror Story: Cult, starring as Ivy Mayfair-Richards, one of the main characters of the storyline. In 2018 she played former Vice President Dick Cheney’s daughter Mary in the Oscar-nominated film Vice.
She is currently playing Dr. Agnes Jurati in CBS All Access’s Star Trek series, Star Trek: Picard, centered on an older Jean-Luc Picard, the Starfleet captain from Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Personal life
Pill was engaged to actor Jay Baruchel from 2011 to 2013. Baruchel made their engagement public when he thanked Pill as his fiancée during an acceptance speech at the Genie Awards in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Baruchel alluded to their break-up in a Twitter posting on February 16, 2013.
Pill became engaged to actor Joshua Leonard in January 2015. They were married on May 24, 2015 after a four month long engagement. They have a daughter, Wilder.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | You’re Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley’s Camp Out Party | Friend #2 | |
| 1999 | The Life Before This | Jessica | |
| 1999 | Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang | Shapiro / Marfa | |
| 2000 | Skipped Parts | Chuckette Morris | |
| 2002 | A.W.O.L. | Patient | Short film |
| 2002 | Perfect Pie | Marie (age 15) | |
| 2003 | Pieces of April | Beth Burns | |
| 2003 | Fast Food High | Emma Redding | |
| 2004 | Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen | Ella Gerard | |
| 2004 | The Crypt Club | Liesl | Short film |
| 2004 | Dear Wendy | Susan | |
| 2007 | Dan in Real Life | Jane Burns | |
| 2007 | Working in the Theatre | Self | Documentary |
| 2008 | Milk | Anne Kronenberg | |
| 2009 | The Awakening of Abigail Harris | Abigail Harris | Short film |
| 2009 | One Way to Valhalla | Dale | |
| 2010 | Goldstar, Ohio | Kendra Harper | Short film |
| 2010 | EMGOD | Alison | Short film |
| 2010 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the Animation | Kimberly “Kim” Pine (voice) | Short film |
| 2010 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Kimberly “Kim” Pine | |
| 2011 | Midnight in Paris | Zelda Fitzgerald | |
| 2011 | Portraits in Dramatic Time | Self | |
| 2011 | Goon | Eva | |
| 2012 | To Rome with Love | Hayley | |
| 2012 | Denise | Denise | Short film |
| 2012 | Santa Baby | Alice | Short film |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | Pregnant Teacher | |
| 2014 | Cooties | Lucy McCormick | |
| 2015 | Zoom | Emma Boyles | |
| 2016 | Hail, Caesar! | Mrs. Mannix | |
| 2016 | Woman in Deep | Birdie | Short film |
| 2016 | Cover Up | Emma | Short film |
| 2016 | Miss Sloane | Jane Molloy | |
| 2017 | Goon: Last of the Enforcers | Eva Glatt | |
| 2018 | Ideal Home | Melissa Enright | |
| 2018 | Vice | Mary Cheney | |
| 2019 | The Most Magnificent Thing | Mom (voice) | Short film |
| 2020 | We Are Animals | Self | Documentary |
| 2021 | The Swearing Jar | Carey | |
| TBA | All My Puny Sorrows | Yolandi “Yoli” Von Riesen |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | The New Ghostwriter Mysteries | Lucy | Episode: “Moving Parts” |
| 1998 | Fast Track | Alexa Stokes | Episode: “Real Time” |
| 1998 | Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Sophie Schulman | Episode: “The Night of the Setting Sun” |
| 1998 | The Last Don II | Bethany | Episode: “1.1” |
| 1998 | Anatole | Paulette (voice) | 5 episodes |
| 1998 | Degas & the Dancer | Marie van Goethem | Television film |
| 1998 | Stranger in Town | Hetty | Television film |
| 1999 | Locked in Silence | Lacey | Television film |
| 1999 | God’s New Plan | Samantha Hutton | Television film |
| 1999 | Different | Sally Reed | Television film |
| 1999 | What Katy Did | Katy Carr | Television film |
| 1999 | Dear America: A Journey to the New World | Remember Patience Whipple | Television film |
| 1999 | A Holiday Romance | Fern | Television film |
| 1999 | Redwall | Cornflower (voice) | 13 episodes |
| 1999 | Poltergeist: The Legacy | Paige | Episode: “Forget Me Not” |
| 2000 | Traders | Andrea Exter | Episode: “Hawks” |
| 2000 | Redwall: The Movie | Cornflower (voice) | Television film |
| 2000 | The Dinosaur Hunter | Julia Creath | Television film |
| 2000 | The Other Me | Allana Browning | Television film |
| 2000 | Baby | Larkin Malone | Television film |
| 2001 | Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows | Young Lorna Luft | Television film |
| 2001 | Midwives | Constance “Connie” Danforth | Television film |
| 2001 | What Girls Learn | Tilden | Television film |
| 2001 | Anne of Green Gables: The Animated Series | Victoria (voice) | Episode: “Butterflies!” |
| 2002 | The Pilot’s Wife | Mattie Lyons | Television film |
| 2003 | An Unexpected Love | Samantha Mayer | Television film |
| 2004 | A Separate Peace | Beth | Television film |
| 2004 | Plain Truth | Katie Fisher | Television film |
| 2006 | The Book of Daniel | Grace Webster | 8 episodes |
| 2006 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Lisa Ramsey | Episode: “Wrongful Life” |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Kelsey Murphy | Episode: “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” |
| 2009 | In Treatment | April | 7 episodes |
| 2010 | The Pillars of the Earth | Princess Maude | 8 episodes |
| 2012–14 | The Newsroom | Margaret “Maggie” Jordan | 25 episodes |
| 2014 | 7p/10e | Alison | Episode: “Day 16” |
| 2014 | Therapy | Lucy | Episode: “1.1” |
| 2014 | Dinner with Friends with Brett Gelman and Friends | Herself | Television short |
| 2016 | The Family | Willa Warren | 12 episodes |
| 2017 | American Horror Story: Cult | Ivy Mayfair-Richards | 9 episodes |
| 2018 | The Emperor’s Newest Clothes | Thomasina (voice) | Television short |
| 2020–Present | Star Trek: Picard | Dr. Agnes Jurati | 10 episodes |
| 2020 | Devs | Katie | 8 episodes |
| 2021 | Them | Betty Wendell | Upcoming series |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | “Drama Queen (That Girl)” | Lindsay Lohan |
| 2010 | “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” | Owen Pallett |
| 2010 | “Medicine” | Nick Casey |
| 2020 | “Eat It (We’re All In This Together)” | David Cross featuring “Weird Al” Yankovic |
Web
| Year | Title | Role | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Honest Phone Sex For Married Couples | Wife | Funny or Die |
| 2016 | Angel and Demon | Demon | WeatherFrom |
| 2018 | George’s Cheese/Pizza Revenge | Mother Porpoise | Story Pirates |
| 2020 | Fight of the Century | Narrator | Simon & Schuster |
| 2020 | Skin Trade | Nick | Geffen Playhouse |
| 2020 | The Homebound Project | C.A. Johnson | The Homebound Theater |
| 2020 | The Line | Jennifer | The Public Theater |
| 2020 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Water Crisis | Kim Pine / Vegan Police | Water For People |
| 2020 | My Mouth Ran Away | Mother Porpoise | Story Pirates |
| 2020 | Raising Arizona | Edwina “Ed” | Pandemic Players |
Theater
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | None of the Above | Jamie | Ohio Theatre |
| 2004 | The Distance From Here | Jenn | MCC Theater |
| 2005 | On The Mountain | Jaime | Playwrights Horizons |
| 2006 | The Lieutenant of Inishmore | Mairead | Lyceum Theatre |
| 2007 | Blackbird | Una | Manhattan Theater Club |
| 2007 | Mauritius | Jackie | Biltmore Theatre |
| 2008 | reasons to be pretty | Steph | Lucille Lortel Theatre |
| 2010 | The Miracle Worker | Anne Sullivan | Circle in the Square Theatre |
| 2010 | This Wide Night | Marie | Peter Jay Sharp Theatre |
| 2011 | The House of Blue Leaves | Corrinna Stroller | Walter Kerr Theatre |
| 2013 | Wait Until Dark | Susan | Geffen Playhouse |
| 2018 | Three Tall Women | C | John Golden Theatre |
Discography
with Sex Bob-Omb
- Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| “We Are Sex Bob-Omb” | 2010 | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| “Garbage Truck” | ||
| “Threshold” | ||
| “Summertime” | ||
| “Indefatigable” |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Burbank International Children’s Film Festival | Best Child Actress Performance | The Dinosaur Hunter | Won |
| Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Movie or Pilot – Supporting Young Actress | Degas and the Dancer | Nominated | |
| 2001 | Best Ensemble in a TV Movie | The Other Me | Nominated | |
| 2002 | Best Performance in a TV Movie or Special – Leading Young Actress | What Girls Learn | Nominated | |
| 2003 | Gemini Awards | Best Performance in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series | The Dinosaur Hunter | Nominated |
| 2004 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Play | The Distance From Here | Nominated |
| Outstanding Ensemble Performance | Won | |||
| 2005 | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Featured Actress | On the Mountain | Nominated |
| 2006 | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Play | The Lieutenant of Inishmore | Nominated |
| 2007 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Blackbird | Nominated |
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Lead Actress | Nominated | |
| 2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Milk | Nominated |
| Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast | Nominated | ||
| 15th Critics’ Choice Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Won | ||
| Online Film & Television Association Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | In Treatment | Nominated | |
| 2011 | Best Original Song | Scott Pilgrim vs. the World | Nominated | |
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | This Wide Night | Nominated | |
| Gemini Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series |
The Pillars of the Earth | Won | |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Ensemble Acting | Midnight in Paris | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film | Goon | Nominated |
| 2014 | Virtuoso Award | Best Breakthrough Performances | The Newsroom | Won |
| 2018 | Critics’ Choice Movie Awards | Best Acting Ensemble | Vice | Nominated |