Anna Faris’ High School Teacher Hoping She Gets Meatier Roles

Anna Faris is an accomplished Hollywood actress and arguably the most famous person to graduate from the Edmonds School District (with apologies to and Rosalynn Sumners).

On March 4, the 34-year-old once again hit the big screen as a co-star, with Topher Grace, in "Take Me Home Tonight." Like the majority of her ditzy, good-natured roles in movies (the "Scary Movie" series, "The House Bunny," "Smiley Face," "Just Friends," "The Hot Chick"), it’s a comedy, one in which Faris will undoubtedly have many funny lines.

You think that with more than 20 major motion pictures to her name, Farris’ high school drama teacher would have a favorite.

“I do not,” said Bruce Mindt, whose first year as drama and English teacher at coincided with Faris’ senior year there, in 1994.

It’s not that Mindt doesn’t have respect for Faris’ work. He does, a lot. But he says her reputation as a comedic actress is something that may be beyond her control.

“I think that’s an industry thing,” he said. “I think she would like to try other stuff, but she’s kind of on this path at the moment. We’ll see what happens.”

To be sure, Faris has scored some dramatic roles after her breakthrough in 2000’s "Scary Movie." She appeared in the 2003 film "Lost in Translation" and the 2005 drama "Brokeback Mountain." Both of those were small roles, however.

“Ironically, the stuff I had her do was mostly dramatic pieces,” said Mindt. “She was exceptional, and I hadn’t seen her do comedy until I’d seen some of her films.”

When Mindt auditioned Faris for her first role, he knew he had something special. Faris had already performed with Seattle Repertory and local community theaters. She even had a role — her official screen debut — in a 1991 TV movie titled "Deception: A Mother’s Secret."

“She had quite a bit of skill by the time I saw her,” Mindt said.

According to Mindt, Faris' audition led to the starring role as Madge in the school’s adaptation of William Inge’s "Picnic," a family drama.

“As a young actor, she was very specific,” said Mindt. “She understood very quickly what the character was trying to achieve. She was quite expressive, but also quite mature — she would take her time when necessary and understood how to go after what the character was trying to achieve.”

Faris' family still resides in Edmonds. Her father, Jack, is CEO of the Pacific Northwest Diabetes Research Institute and is the former president of the Washington Biotechnology and Biomedical Association. Her mother, Karen, is retired from teaching at Seaview Elementary in Edmonds.

Faris graduated from the University of Washington with an English degree. Her first major movie was prescient, as she took a starring role in an indie horror movie titled "Lovers Lane." A real one, not a comedy like the "Scary Movie" series.

Faris now lives in Los Angeles with husband Chris Pratt, but Mindt says she has returned in the past to speak to his drama students.

“She’s told them what Hollywood’s like and that kind of thing,” said Mindt, who added that she marveled at Edmonds-Woodway’s professional theater setting, quite different from the conditions she found at the old Edmonds-Woodway High on 100th Avenue when she attended the school. The current school, at 212th Street Southwest and 76th Avenue West, was rebuilt in 1998.

For all her comedic genius, those following Faris’ career shouldn’t be surprised if Faris grabs more serious roles in the near future. Just not too soon. She has three movies coming out after "Take Me Home Tonight" — "Movie 43," "What’s Your Number?" and "Skeleton Twins" — and all three are categorized as comedies by imdb.com, although "Skeleton Twins" is said to be a dark comedy.

You can almost hear Faris — and Mindt — sigh. As Faris told Maxim magazine, “When I was growing up and doing theater in Seattle I was always doing very dramatic work. Now I can't get a dramatic role to save my life!”