Oh Hello Ms. Ehle!

When I opened my email this afternoon, I was surprised to see Jennifer Ehle as a trending search on yahoo (click on photo above). Succeeding twitter searches revealed that "Jennifer Ehle" was actually # 1 on yahoo searches. Can it be that the world finally gets to discover her?

Some twitter posts when you do an Ehle search include:

• cmasscast: Contagion:Assured and efficient combo of 28 Days Later + Soderbergh's Traffic- love the casting and tone-Jennifer Ehle is the standout...
• hotfoodporn: Want see Contagion, Soderbegh + bio-apocalyptic thriller= sounds so good. That and Jennifer Ehle is one of the best actresses you don't know
• ScottEweinberg: Also, not exactly sure what I know Jennifer Ehle from, but she steals CONTAGION from the entire lofty cast.
• ahdn: Jennifer Ehle is the #3 top search on Yahoo right now and it's NOT because they are making a sequel to BBC's Pride & Prejudice? #weird
• russfischer: If you want one reason to see CONTAGION, it is Jennifer Ehle. Film is crowded with good actors, and she impresses more than any.

Luckily, I was one of those people glued to their TV's back in 1995 when A&E/BBC broadcasted Pride and Prejudice (affectionately known as P&P to it's fans) with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. After that, I've followed her career. I've seen all of her TV work and films (I even saw Michael Clayton only to be disappointed that her scenes were cut) and was fortunate enough to see her on stage in The Real Thing (where she won her first Tony), The Philadelphia Story in London and Macbeth (at Shakespeare in the Park). So she is much loved by P&P fans and avid theatre fans but I guess now, the mainstream is just getting to recognize her.

A lot of it is due to Steven Soderbergh's new film Contagion where she plays Dr. Ally Hextall. Much has been said in the press about the numerous Oscar winners in this cast but most of the buzz coming from people who have seen the movie is about Jennifer Ehle standing out. Little does the world know that the actress playing Dr. Ally Hextall is a two time Tony Award winner for Best Actress in The Real Thing (2000) and The Coast of Utopia (2007) as well as a BAFTA winner for playing Lizzie Bennet! So thank you Mr. Soderbergh it's about time that she gets a plum role such as this!

Here's her interview about Contagion:



Soon though, she might be back as a trending topic when her TV series with Patrick Wilson called A Gifted Man premiers this fall. Better and Better!