Justine Lupe makes supporting characters worth listening to for their own sake. We rate her dry timing and her ease within an ensemble; Nobody Wants This gives both useful room without quite giving her writing to match.
Fi1m perspective
When Morgan gets talking in Nobody Wants This (2024), the central courtship can wait. Lupe and Timothy Simons, who plays Sasha Roklov, make the surrounding conversations worth following for their own sake. We laughed at their exchanges; Lupe’s dry timing keeps the comedy going when the lovers are not the subject. She is particularly good company in a series that needs us to care what other people think about its couple, rather than simply wish those people would go away.
The move from small film parts, including Frances Ha (2013), to television gave her more room. Holly Gibney in Mr. Mercedes (2017–19) was a lead role, while Astrid Weissman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–23) put her within another ensemble. Succession (2018–23) made particular use of her knack for playing someone who stands slightly outside the group. Jesse Armstrong’s team expanded Willa Ferreyra’s part after seeing her work, and Lupe became a series regular from the third series.
That deadpan delivery lets a character be funny without appearing to work towards a punchline. In Nobody Wants This, Morgan is an outspoken sister and podcast co-host, and Lupe’s rapport with Kristen Bell is a substantial part of the appeal. The supporting role suits her, but the pleasure is not simply in watching someone interrupt the romance with a good line. Alongside Simons, she helps make the couple’s dealings with family amusing without suggesting that everyone else’s opinions can safely be ignored.
Even so, there is a limit to what an enjoyable supporting cast can do for a script. Nobody Wants This makes too little of the religious differences it puts between the lovers, and Lupe’s comic assurance cannot fill that gap. We recommend the series for its company, with that reservation about the writing. We would like to see a comedy give her more responsibility for where the story goes.
Biography
Justine Lupe is an American actress. She trained at the Denver School of the Arts, graduating in 2007, and the Juilliard School, from which she graduated in 2011.
Lupe is known for her role as Willa Ferreyra in the HBO series Succession (2018–2023). She has also appeared as Holly Gibney in Mr. Mercedes (2017–2019), Astrid Weissman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), and Morgan in the Netflix series Nobody Wants This (2024–). Her film credits include Frances Ha (2013) and Luckiest Girl Alive (2022).
