Monica Keena


Monica Keena is an American actress. Following her feature film debut in While You Were Sleeping, she went on to play leading roles in Snow White: A Tale of Terror, Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, Freddy vs. Jason, and the 2009 remake of Night of the Demons. Her other credits include The Devil's Advocate, Orange County, and Man of the House. On television, Keena played Abby Morgan on The WB's Dawson's Creek, Rachel Lindquist on Fox's Undeclared, Kristen on HBO's Entourage, and Bonnie Crasnoff on ABC's Grey's Anatomy.

Early life

Keena was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents are William Junior,
a financial sales manager, and Mary Catherine Keena, a nurse. She has a sister, Samantha, two years older, who died in England at the age of 46.
Keena attended Saint Ann's, a progressive private school in Brooklyn Heights. She auditioned for LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts at the age of 13, and was accepted into both the dramatic and vocal arts departments.

Career

Following her television film debut in A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story, where she played the title character, Keena took a supporting role in the 1995 romantic comedy While You Were Sleeping. Her first major role in a feature film came in 1997, when she starred as Lilliana "Lilli" Hoffman in the folklore-inspired gothic horror film, Snow White: A Tale of Terror. She appeared in a small role in Taylor Hackford's The Devil's Advocate that same year.
In the Rob Schmidt-directed Crime and Punishment in Suburbia, Keena played the principal role of Roseanne Skolnick, an outwardly popular high schooler with a dysfunctional home life. Describing it as "messy but hungry... the kind of movie that lives and breathes", film critic Roger Ebert said of Keena, " does a great deal with Roseanne, a character who is herself an actress–pretending to be a daughter, a girlfriend, a cheerleader, all the time screaming inside". Suburbia was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at that year's Sundance Film Festival.
Keena starred as "final girl" Lori Campbell in the 2003 slasher film, Freddy vs. Jason, a crossover between the Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises. Directed by Ronny Yu, FvJ was a financial success, grossing USD$117 million at the box office. A mixture of parts in mainstream and independent comedies—Bad Girls from Valley High, Man of the House, Fifty Pills —came next, as did the Mafia drama Brooklyn Rules and a headline role in Night of the Demons, a remake of the 1988 horror movie of the same name and How to survive Hollywood.
Alongside recurring appearances as Abby Morgan on Dawson's Creek, Kristen on Entourage, and a starring role as college student Rachel Lindquist on Judd Apatow's short-lived cult hit sitcom, Undeclared, Keena played a string of television guest roles throughout the 2000s, on series such as Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Without a Trace, and CSI. For her portrayal of Bonnie Crasnoff—a patient who is severely injured in a train accident—on the second season of medical drama Grey's Anatomy, Keena was nominated for a 2006 Gold Derby Award. The episode attracted a U.S. audience of 16.67 million viewers and received universal praise from critics, with many since referring to it as one of the series' greatest episodes.

Personal life

During the filming of Night of the Demons, Keena became romantically involved with her co-star, Edward Furlong. The pair dated for four years, with Furlong being arrested on three occasions between 2012 and 2013 for physically assaulting Keena, eventually spending six months in jail.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995While You Were SleepingMary Callaghan
1996RipeViolet
1997Snow White: A Tale of TerrorLilliana "Lilli" Hoffman
1997The Devil's AdvocateAlessandra Cullen
1998All I Wanna DoTinka Parker
2000The Simian LineMarta
2000Crime and Punishment in SuburbiaRoseanne Skolnick
2002Orange CountyGretchen
2003Freddy vs. JasonLori Campbell
2005Bad Girls from Valley HighBrooke
2005Man of the HouseEvie
2005Long DistanceNicole Freeman
2006Fifty PillsPetunia
2006The Lather EffectWarm Leatherette Babe #1
2006Left in DarknessCelia
2007Brooklyn RulesAmy
2008LoadedBrooke
2008Corporate AffairsSnowy Egret
2008The NarrowsGina Abruzzi
2009Fault Line
2009Night of the DemonsMaddie
2010Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street LegacyHerselfDocumentary film
201240 Days and NightsTessa
2011Walter Don't DancePhylissShort film
2012AftermathElizabeth
2013IsolatedAmbassador for Peace
2013Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13thHerselfDocumentary film
2017The Ghost and the WhaleDr. Sweetie Jones
2020Klaus Eats ButterfliesMollyShort film
2025How to survive HollywoodLornaFeature film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1994A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul StoryOksana BaiulTelevision film
1995Law & OrderCorey RussellEpisode: "Performance"
1997FedsTina WaltersEpisode: "Somebody's Lyin'"
1997Homicide: Life on the StreetBillie RaderEpisode: "Double Blind"
1998–1999Dawson's CreekAbby MorganRecurring; 14 episodes
1999First DaughterJess HayesTelevision film
2001–2002UndeclaredRachel LindquistMain role
2003King of the HillVarious Episodes: "I Never Promised You an Organic Garden", "Night and Deity"
2004–2005EntourageKristenRecurring; 6 episodes
2005Law & Order: Criminal IntentBeatrice Onorato MailerEpisode: "Death Roe"
2005–2007Grey's AnatomyBonnie CrasnoffEpisodes: "Into You Like a Train", "Some Kind of Miracle"
2006Without a TraceHeidi PeytonEpisode: "More Than This"
2006CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationMadelineEpisode: "Built to Kill: Part 2"
2006All She Wants for ChristmasJudith 'Noelle' DunnTelevision film
2007Ghost WhispererHolly NewmanEpisode: "Deja Boo"
2009Robot ChickenExecutive; Woman Episode: "President Hu Forbids It"
2010Private PracticeKayla3 episodes
2010The CloserDebbie ShrinerEpisode: "Last Woman Standing"
2011CastleCharlene McCannEpisode: "Countdown"
2011Beavis and Butt-HeadVarious 6 episodes

YearTitleRole
2006The Sopranos: Road to RespectTrishelle