The Iconic and Fabulous Career of Gina Gershon (So Far)

When the month of June began, I had one date in mind: June 10. June 10 is special to me for an obvious reason: it's the anniversary of the Colorado Avalanche's very first Stanley Cup; in fact, this year marks 30 years. But there's another reason why I tend to beam on June 10, and it centers on the very actress in the main photo: Gina Gershon. I've mentioned my fandom of Gina Gershon before, but it's time I delve a bit into it, especially on this day.

Born on June 10, 1962 in LA, Gina L. Gershon has done quite a bit in her amazing career, with her first true breakout role being in the iconic classic, Pretty in Pink. One of the many "Brat Pack"-led films, Pretty in Pink had its 40th anniversary earlier in the year, with the 1986 film starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, and Andrew McCarthy. Regarding Gershon, her role as Trombley in the film was a bit part, she was in a small number of scenes, though I do remember running into that movie on TV one day and being surprised to see her. The instant thought of Molly Ringwald and Gina Gershon being in the same project just made me smile. You will see as I continue.

The 1990s saw Gershon featured in the infamous film, Showgirls, which also starred Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano from Saved by the Bell). That film came out in 1995, but Gershon would rebound a year later in the cult classic hit, Bound, which saw Gershon co-starring with another icon in the form of Jennifer Tilly. The film centered on Gershon and Tilly's respective characters, Corky and Violet--the latter being in a relationship with a mob boss before having an affair with the former, resulting in the pair colluding together to steal $2 in Mafia money. The film remains a big hit, as it enters their 30th anniversary in October; so much so that an episode of Chucky (which featured Jennifer Tilly in the regular cast) saw Gershon and Joe Pantioliano make guest appearances as part of a Bound reunion.

The 90s saw Gershon quite a bit, appearing in the John Travolta/Nicolas Cage-led film, Face/Off, as Sasha Hassler, and also starring in Legalese, a telefilm that aired on TNT in 1998. A year after Legalese, Gershon starred in the short-lived series, Snoops, which aired on ABC in the latter quarter of 1999.

But let's get to the real juicy part--the villainesses:

First off, a bit of a personal tale. I had a bit of a crush on Gina Gershon back when I was 13. At that time, I had seen a few things she was in, and that year (1998) was when Legalese came out. I think Gershon's Angela Beale was villainous, though at that time, I never really had to hope that Gershon would play villainesses, because I knew she would. She has the look, she even has the voice for it, and I would see her prove it many times.

Gershon had a pair of appearances on Elementary as crime boss Elana March, but it's her Brooklyn Nine-Nine appearances that stay with me. In the tail end of Season Four, Gershon appeared as Lt. Melanie Hawkins, the leader of a task force and an idol of Jake Peralta and Rosa Diaz, both of whom wanted to join the force. Their attempts to prove themselves saw them on a high level case involving the Golden Gang bank robberies, and while they only expected one of them to be on the force, they both ended up making it.

Jake's happiness was short-lived when he inadvertently learned that Hawkins was not only corrupt, she was the true leader behind the robberies. She was quite clever, too; she managed to successfully frame Jake and Rosa for the robberies, but she did finally get busted early in Season Five. Gershon's appearances as Melanie Hawkins were truly golden, she played her villainy and cunning masterfully, and it was amazing seeing an overarching villainess on that show.

I mentioned Molly Ringwald and Gina Gershon on the same project making me smile earlier. Here's why I said that: they both did Riverdale. Even better, they both played mothers to Archie Comics' two top characters. Ringwald played Mary Andrews, the mother of Archie Andrews, but as for Gershon, she played Gladys Jones, the mother of Jughead Jones. As we know, Riverdale is a darker version of the Archie Comics we all know and love, and on the series, Jughead's parents split up some time ago. Oh, and there's another added wrinkle: Gladys is a drug dealer! I still remember that reveal, and while I already was used to the darker edges of the show, I definitely didn't have the mother of my favorite character as a drug queenpin on my Archie Comics Bingo Card.

2023 saw Gershon in the horror film, Thanksgiving, and I remember watching this kinda hoping she'd be villainous, but that was kiboshed. Having her character, Amanda Collins, as a Black Friday fatality will definitely eliminate that hope. However, spoiler alert, she was a bit scandalous. The climax revealed that town sheriff Eric Newton, had been knocking off people he held responsible for that riot, mainly due to the fact that Amanda was his mistress and she was carrying their child.

A sequel is in the works (though things are on hold at the moment), and I have wanted Gina Gershon to return in the sequel somehow. I have two ideas for this. Option A: Gershon returns as a woman believed to be Amanda's spirit, who only appears to central character Jessica Wright, but she's revealed as Amanda's evil twin sister, who also wants revenge for Amanda. Option B: same as Option A, but Gershon's character is a lookalike who colludes with a somehow still alive Eric to gaslight Jessica. Here's hoping we get some developments for this upcoming sequel.

We wouldn't have to wait too long to see an evil Gina Gershon, though. Thanksgiving came out on November 17, 2023, but just over five months later, Gershon turned heel in fabulous fashion with her appearance on Elsbeth as Vanessa Holmes, a plastic surgeon turned maniacal murderess. In the episode, "An Ear for an Ear," Vanessa viciously murders her protégé, Dr. Astrid Olson, with her scheme beginning with the villainess posing as a patient in Astrid's business. She was wrapped in bandages, but when Astrid removed them, she was stunned to see her former mentor, who gives a very evil and snarling greeting before she kills Astrid. Oh, and while Astrid had been trashing Vanessa publicly, Vanessa's real rage came from the fact that Astrid corrected a procedure on the ear of Vanessa's wife--a procedure that was performed by Vanessa.

To me, Vanessa Holmes is Elsbeth's best villainess, and it's fully because of Gershon's performance. No other actress could have played that role; this was written to fit Gina Gershon. I loved everything about Vanessa Holmes, including her insanely evil demeanor right before she eliminated Astrid.

Gina Gershon has done it all. You name it, she's done it. Not only has Gina Gershon done it all, she's done it well, and in a fabulous manner. I have enjoyed so many of Gina's projects; they're among my inspirations for this story. Though, honestly, recently watching Gershon's appearance on Charlie Sheen's Anger Management sitcom was a big inspiration in itself. I am interested to see what Gina Gershon will do next. Maybe more films (hopefully in the horror genre). More TV appearances. Hopefully more villainous roles. I know this much: Gina Gershon will definitely own anything she's in. She always does.

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