Natasha Lyonne Shows Her Cards: The ‘Poker Face’ Star on Quitting Smoking and Wanting to Play More Feminine Characters
variety.comNatasha Lyonne if she’s irritable today. She just quit smoking, which is no small feat for someone who’s so synonymous with the habit that there’s an Instagram account dedicated to the coolness of her taking a drag. “I’ve been putting it off for so long,” she tells me, pointing to the small Nicorette pack on the coffee table in her East Village apartment. “I’m naturally wired for self-destructive crutches.
I fucking love a vice.” Though she admits there are “immense” consequences of raging nicotine withdrawal, the health benefits far outweigh the discomfort (at least, that’s what she’s telling herself). “It might be a symptom of being in a pretty decent place,” she offers of her reason for quitting. “In a way, I want to meet that artistically and emotionally.
I want to return the favor and say, ‘OK, maybe I’ll sign up for life for a little bit longer.’” “A pretty decent place” is underselling Lyonne’s career renaissance.
The 43-year-old actress has always been a crackling presence on-screen, but her early days in Hollywood were marked by star turns in underseen indies such as 1998’s “Slums of Beverly Hills” and 1999’s “But I’m a Cheerleader.” And, of course, she played the wisecracking teenager Jessica in “American Pie,” but she was overshadowed by main cast members (Jason Biggs, Tara Reid, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, and Chris Klein).
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