1996–2000: Career beginnings

DuVall made her screen debut in the low-budget horror film Little Witches (1996). This was followed by small roles in several independent features, as well as guest appearances on episodes of ER and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her breakthrough came in 1998 when she starred in Robert Rodriguez's sci-fi horror film The Faculty, receiving positive reviews for her portrayal of "Stokes" Mitchell, a goth high school student.^[5][6] Also that year, she had a supporting role in the teen comedy Can't Hardly Wait, which later developed a cult following.^[7]

DuVall had roles in several films released in 1999, including biographical drama Girl, Interrupted, where she appeared as compulsive liar Georgina Tuskin; teen romantic comedy She's All That, which opened atop the U.S. box office;^[8] and the independent features Wildflowers and But I'm a Cheerleader. The latter, a satirical comedy in which she played a lesbian undergoing conversion therapy, is often cited as a favorite among fans of LGBT cinema.^[9][10] For her work in Wildflowers, a drama about a 17-year-old obsessed with finding her birth mother, DuVall received rave reviews,^[11] with Barry Johnson noting in his appraisal for The Austin Chronicle, "Clea DuVall has those deep, round, chestnut eyes that convey years of experience with a solitary glance … [she] always seems to capture that unique blend of wisdom and naiveté … [here she] takes center stage in an impressive, nuanced performance that makes use of [her] magnetic screen presence".^[12]

2001–2015: Film and television roles

DuVall had prominent parts in a variety of film projects throughout the early 2000s, such as Ghosts of Mars (2001), a space Western directed by John Carpenter; the ensemble drama Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001); The Laramie Project (2002), a documentary-style dramatisation of the murder of Matthew Shepard; coming-of-age sports drama The Slaughter Rule (2002); the James Mangold–directed mystery thriller Identity (2003); and the psychological crime drama 21 Grams (2003), the English-language film debut of Alejandro González Iñárritu. Writing for The New York Times, Elvis Mitchell called the latter "a ruminative, stunned look at life after death – that is, the existence of the living after they have been devastated by loss", noting that "The actors [don't] sink to theatrical histrionics; instead they're linked by the red-eyed, unblinking stare of zombies, and they shamble through their day-by-day activities as if saddled with death wishes they are too enervated to act upon".^[13]

DuVall appeared as a regular cast member on the HBO drama series Carnivàle between 2003 and 2005, with the Los Angeles Times pointing out that her portrayal of tarot card reader Sophie was "especially good".^[14] During that period, she also starred in the television film Helter Skelter (2004), earning a Satellite Award nomination for Best Actress, and in the horror film The Grudge (2004), which grossed US$187 million at the box office.^[15] Subsequent credits included guest appearances on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2005), Lie to Me (2009), Numb3rs, Bones, and Law & Order (all 2010), as well as key parts in films such as David Fincher's critically acclaimed Zodiac (2007),^[16] and the recurring role of Audrey Hanson on the NBC science fiction series Heroes (2006–2007).

After appearances in the psychological thrillers Anamorph (2007) and Passengers (2008), and a supporting role in the legal drama Conviction (2010), DuVall co-starred in Ben Affleck's Argo (2012), a political thriller based on the Iran hostage crisis. For her portrayal of Cora Amburn-Lijek, one of the six American diplomats rescued from Iran in 1980, DuVall was awarded—alongside her co-stars—the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture the following year. Also in 2012, she appeared in a recurring role on the second season of the FX anthology series American Horror Story, playing Wendy Peyser. Writing for Slate, Alyssa Rosenberg said of her work in the latter projects, "Where DuVall often played strong, even aggressive characters in the past, in both American Horror Story and Argo, she's turned in good performances by playing deeply vulnerable people trying to be strong in threatening circumstances".^[17]

DuVall in 2016

DuVall starred as Emma Borden, sister of Lizzie Borden—played by Christina Ricci—in the Lifetime television film Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014), reprising the role for the limited series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles the following year. The latter received mixed reviews, but critics praised the performances of Ricci and DuVall; writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Keith Uhlich said the actresses "have a delectable rapport not too far removed from Bette Davis and Joan Crawford at their hag-horror peak in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"^[18]

Since 2016: Directorial debut and subsequent work

DuVall made her feature directorial debut with The Intervention (2016), which she also wrote, starred in, and produced.^[19][20] Acquired by Paramount Pictures after its premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival,^[21] the comedy-drama was positively reviewed; Andy Webster of The New York Times noted that "DuVall juggles the emotional dynamics with fluid editing and light comic touches".^[22] That same year, she starred in the independent features Zen Dogs and Heaven's Floor, and guest-starred in three episodes of AMC's Better Call Saul.

From 2016 to 2019, DuVall played Marjorie Palmiotti on the HBO political satire Veep, for which she was twice nominated—alongside her co-stars—for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, winning in 2018.^[23] She also starred in the independent comedy-drama All About Nina (2018), and played Sylvia in several episodes of the dystopian Hulu drama series The Handmaid's Tale between 2018 and 2022, with Judy Berman of Time calling it "the best work of [DuVall's career]".^[24]

DuVall wrote and directed the 2020 film Happiest Season,^[25] a romantic comedy, which premiered on Hulu to a positive critical reception,^[26] later winning the 2021 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film.^[27] She is the creator, writer, director, and executive producer of the coming-of-age drama series High School, which premiered on Amazon Freevee in October 2022.^[28] Rolling Stone named it one of the best shows of the year,^[29] writing in their review, "[DuVall captures] the thrilling, horrifying, profoundly uncomfortable experience of adolescence".^[30]

Film

Television