Anna Chlumsky continues to make waves in 2025 with a range of standout projects across theatre, film, and streaming television. This year sees her return to the stage in a powerful Off-Broadway production, tackle a gritty crime drama on a major streaming service, and rejoin the film world for a new action-comedy. For fans and entertainment watchers, it’s a reminder of just how versatile and committed she remains as she navigates varied roles and storytelling media.
📌 A Busy, Big Year: 2025 Highlights
Off-Broadway Resurgence: Queens
One of the biggest developments for Chlumsky in 2025 is her casting in the Off-Broadway production of Queens. The theatre company Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) revealed mid-year that Chlumsky would portray the character Agata. The play, written by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok and directed by Trip Cullman, opened for previews at New York City Center in October, with the official opening night in November.
Queens centers on a group of immigrant women, spanning different generations and backgrounds, who share a cramped, illegal basement apartment in Queens. When a young Ukrainian woman arrives seeking her mother, the women confront painful memories, survival choices, and the sacrifices each made in pursuit of a better life. The drama explores themes of identity, displacement, community, and resilience.
Chlumsky’s participation marks a major return to the stage after years of screen-focused work. The production’s cast boasts strong talent, and early reception was favorable enough that MTC extended the run by an extra week — a sign that audiences and critics responded positively to the ensemble and the emotional weight of the story.
Streaming Spotlight: Smoke on Apple TV+
On the screen front, Chlumsky appears in Smoke, a 2025 crime-drama miniseries from creator Dennis Lehane, now streaming on Apple TV+. The show premiered in late June, following a red-carpet debut at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, and quickly gained attention for its tense narrative about serial arson investigations in the Pacific Northwest.
In Smoke, Chlumsky joins a roster of actors including Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett. The series unspools over nine episodes as detectives and arson-investigators race to stop dangerous fires and uncover the motivations behind them. It offers Chlumsky a chance to flex dramatic muscle — a departure from lighter fare, allowing her to sink into gritty, serious storytelling grounded in suspense and realism.
For longtime admirers, Smoke demonstrates that she remains interested in complex, adult roles and isn’t shy about tackling darker material when it serves the story.
Back on the Big Screen: Bride Hard (2025 Release)
Chlumsky rounds out her 2025 with a role in the action-comedy film Bride Hard. The movie reunites her with several talented performers and adds a lighter, more playful note to her otherwise intense year. On set, she reconnected with costar Anna Camp — a longtime “audition buddy” — and the two reportedly developed a close friendship during production.
While Bride Hard may not aim for critical acclaim, its release offers a contrast to Chlumsky’s theatre and streaming work. For audiences looking for entertainment rather than introspection, the film provides a different kind of viewing experience — one that highlights her ability to shift between comedy, action, and drama with ease.
📚 From Childhood Stardom to Seasoned Performer
Chlumsky’s journey in entertainment began early. She was born in December 1980 in Chicago and earned fame as a child actor when she starred as Vada Sultenfuss in the beloved 1991 film My Girl — a role she reprised in its 1994 sequel. After a string of films and television appearances through the 1990s, she stepped away from acting around 1999 to pursue higher education.
She attended the prestigious University of Chicago and graduated in 2002 with a degree in International Studies. During her hiatus from acting, she worked in publishing, including stints as a fact-checker and editorial assistant. Yet the call of performance remained strong. She later trained at the Atlantic Acting School in New York, which paved the way for her return to the screen around 2005.
Her post-college career included independent films and guest roles on TV shows, but her breakthrough came with the political satire series Veep (2012–2019), where she portrayed Amy Brookheimer. That role earned her multiple Emmy nominations and solidified her status as a talented adult actor — one capable of mixing humor, timing, and emotional nuance.
Since then, she has periodically taken roles in both film and television, along with occasional appearances in theatre — each time showing her range and adaptability.
2025: A Turning Point in Versatility and Medium Shifts
What makes 2025 standout for Chlumsky is not just how busy the year is — but the variety of formats she’s embraced. It’s rare for a performer to span theatre, streaming television, and feature films all in a single year.
| Format | Title / Project | Significance / Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Off-Broadway Play | Queens | Return to stage; dramatic, socially relevant material; extended run shows strong reception. |
| Streaming Miniseries | Smoke | High-stakes crime drama; mature role; showcases dramatic depth and adaptation to streaming-era content. |
| Feature Film | Bride Hard | Light-hearted action-comedy; expands film credits; shows flexibility with genre and tone. |
This mix suggests that Chlumsky is intentionally choosing projects that cover a broad spectrum: from intimate live theatre to high-production television, to cinematic work. That kind of range isn’t easy, but it keeps her career dynamic and unpredictable — qualities many actors strive for, but few achieve.
🎯 What This Means for Fans and Entertainment Observers
- Theatre enthusiasts get to see Chlumsky in a meaningful, emotionally charged production with Queens. Her involvement underscores her roots in performance and her capacity to tackle serious, character-driven drama on stage.
- Streaming audiences may discover (or rediscover) Chlumsky through Smoke, an edgier, modern crime thriller that leverages streaming’s appetite for dark, gripping content.
- Filmgoers get a lighter side of her in Bride Hard, showing she’s not boxed into serious drama — she can handle humor, levity, and fun.
- Longtime followers witness a full-circle arc: from her early days as a child star in My Girl to a mature actress comfortably shifting between mediums, genres, and tones.
Her choices this year may also signal what many in the industry see as a deliberate recalibration — perhaps a desire to not just act, but to challenge herself, maintain relevance, and stay creatively fulfilled.
Looking Ahead: What to Expect Next
Given the wide array of projects Chlumsky has taken on in 2025, it seems likely she won’t slow down anytime soon. Here are a few reasonable expectations and possibilities:
- More theatre work: Having returned to the stage with Queens, she might pursue future plays — either Off-Broadway or perhaps even a Broadway debut.
- Further streaming roles: The success of Smoke could open doors to more drama-heavy roles on streaming platforms, possibly even lead parts.
- Selective film roles: She might continue to take on films — perhaps balancing lighter fare with serious stories — depending on what draws her creatively.
- Diverse genres: Her willingness to shift between comedy, drama, stage, screen suggests she’ll keep exploring different genres and formats, refusing to be typecast.
For fans and critics alike, this makes Chlumsky one to watch. In an industry where many actors get pigeonholed, her 2025 demonstrates a commitment to reinvention and range.
If you’ve followed Anna Chlumsky from her early fame through her adult career, you’ll likely appreciate how 2025 showcases her evolution — not in line with the expectations of child-star nostalgia, but as a confident, versatile performer making smart, meaningful choices.
Let me know what you think about Anna Chlumsky’s 2025 lineup and where you’d like to see her go next — share your thoughts in the comments!