Rebecca Rittenhouse Meaders (born on November 30, 1988, in Los Angeles, California), professionally known as Rebecca Rittenhouse, is an American actress. She has played Cody LeFever in the ABC prime time soap opera Blood & Oil, Dr. Anna Ziev in the Hulu romantic comedy series The Mindy Project, and Maggie in the Into the Dark television film episode "The Body". Rittenhouse recently starred as the titular character in the Hulu comedy series Maggie.
Personal life[]
Rittenhouse was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Pasadena. One of her first roles was in lower school, when she was cast as the Balloon Girl in her all-girls academy's production of the musical Gypsy. She continued performing in high school, but never thought of it as a career. Rittenhouse attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she studied Romance languages. Afterwards, she decided to study acting at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York City. She considered a career in medicine while trying to get roles.
Career[]
Rittenhouse made her Off-Broadway debut in Commons of Pensacola written by at the Manhattan Theatre Club during the 2013–14 television season. In 2014, she made her television debut, appearing in the pilot episode of Showtime drama series, The Affair. Later in that year, Rittenhouse was cast in the series regular role as Brittany Dobler in the Fox comedy-drama, Red Band Society. The series was canceled after one season. Rittenhouse was originally considered for the female lead role in the superhero film Deadpool, but lost the part to Morena Baccarin[note 1].
In 2015, Rittenhouse was cast as the female lead Cody LeFever in the ABC prime time soap opera, Blood & Oil. In late 2017, she was cast as Keri Allen in the season seven finale of the legal drama series Suits, which served as a backdoor pilot for a potential spin-off, Pearson. However, the role was recast with Bethany Joy Lenz for the series.
Rittenhouse recently starred as interior decorator Ainsley Howard in the Hulu miniseries Four Weddings and a Funeral, a modern update on the 1994 British film of the same name, created by Mindy Kaling and Matt Warburton. She previously worked with Kaling and Warburton on The Mindy Project.
Due to a popular myth regarding a removed scene in the disaster drama film #JusticeForLove: End of the World, it is revealed in an interview that Rittenhouse was cast as Clara Young, an astronomer. The film was a co-production between Japan's Toho Co., Ltd. and Philippines' GMA Pictures. Rittenhouse had no prior experience or knowledge on sci-fi disaster films, and had to extensively prepare for her role. However, her character was completely omitted by director Gina Alajar. The removal of her character in #JusticeForLove: End of the World led to Rittenhouse being cast in Good on Paper only a year later.
Rittenhouse is currently starring in Hulu’s television series adaptation of the 2019 film short Maggie, which has no relation to her role in the 2018 Into the Dark television film "The Body", in which she played another character named Maggie. In the Hulu comedy series, Rittenhouse stars as the titular role, a psychic who can predict the future of everyone around her. The show was originally scheduled to debut on ABC, but was moved to Hulu.
Rittenhouse's cut character in #JusticeForLove: End of the World was fully restored in the heavily re-edited version of the film, titled Asteroid Clara, which was released in 2026. Screenwriter Ryuhei Kitamura wanted the film to follow what they envisioned originally, while giving Rittenhouse the recognition that she deserved from the beginning. The film's title was also changed to include her character's name, and she received top billing in the film's opening credits.
Filmography[]
Film[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2011 | Philadelphia, Ti Amo | Veronica | directed by Jeff Ayars |
2018 | Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot | Bonnie | |
Unfriended: Dark Web | Serena Lange | ||
2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Michelle Phillips | |
2020 | #JusticeForLove: End of the World | Clara Young | does not appear in the finished film[note 2] |
2021 | Good on Paper | Serrena Halstead | |
2026 | Asteroid Clara | Clara Young | heavily re-edited version of #JusticeForLove: End of the World |
Television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | The Affair | Jocelyn | Episode: "1" |
Red Band Society | Brittany Dobler | Main role | |
2015 | Blood & Oil | Cody LeFever | |
2016–2017 | The Mindy Project | Dr. Anna Ziev | Starring role (seasons 5–6); 14 episodes |
2017 | Real Life | Nora | Television film |
2018 | Suits | Keri Allen | Episode: "Good-Bye" |
The Handmaid's Tale | Odette | Episode: "After" | |
Into the Dark | Maggie | Television film: "The Body" | |
The Good Cop | Macy | Episode: "Who Killed the Guy on the Ski Lift?" | |
2019 | Four Weddings and a Funeral | Ainsley Howard | Main role |
2022 | Maggie | Maggie |
Notes[]
- ↑ Coincidentally, both Rittenhouse and Morena Baccarin starred in two disaster films in December 2020; Baccarin in Greenland, and Rittenhouse in #JusticeForLove: End of the World. Both films are also about impact events, a comet in the former, and an asteroid in the latter.
- ↑ Only a single quote from her character remains in the film.
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