Mike White must really like Molly Shannon. The duo has worked together on two projects already, and now he has written a role for her on the HBO series Enlightened, starring Laura Dern. It’s not just that the role was written for her either that makes me think he’s a fan - the role is as a love interest for White’s character Tyler. Yes, I’d say he likes her quite a bit.
Shannon will join the second season of Enlightened, according to Deadline in a recurring role as Eileen, executive assistant to Abaddon’s CEO. She’ll get caught up without knowing it in Amy’s (Laura Dern’s Golden Globe winning role) machinations designed to uncover malfeasance at the corporation. Enlightened, which had a slow start in the ratings during the first season, has seen an increase in interest helped along by the Golden Globes, where in addition to the Best Actress win, the series was nominated for Best Comedy. It follows a woman (Dern) who decides to pursue enlightenment and causes a whole pile of issues at home and at work with her new outlook on life.
This will be the third time SNL alum Molly Shannon has worked with Mike White; she appeared in White’s film Year of the Dog and also starred in a previous series, Cracking Up. She’s already been working with HBO on a project where she’ll play a nun, so the network must like her too. Hopefully this is a good sign for a strong second season on Enlightened.
