Chlumsky at the 'Veep' premiere (left) and in 1991's 'My Girl'Some of our favorite stars of the '90s will be returning for a promising new show, “Veep,” on HBO. The political dramedy is a satiric look at the vice president of the United States, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine, of “Seinfeld” fame) and 31-year-old Anna Chlumsky as her chief of staff. Think "Parks and Recreation" meets "The West Wing." You might recognize Chlumsky, but here are five things you might not know about her.
Chlumsky was "My Girl"
The young actress won early fame back in 1991 for her starring role as a death-obsessed 11-year-old alongside Macaulay Culkin in the movie "My Girl" -- and returned to star in the sequel, "My Girl 2."
Her childhood career goals included "horse dentist"
Stardom didn't change Chlumsky's wish to have a career outside of acting. She told the Chicago Tribune, "During 'My Girl,' I wanted to be a horse dentist... I wanted to be a paleontologist for a while."
She dropped out of acting
True to her word, after her big-screen hits, Chlumsky took a break from acting and attended the University of Chicago, graduating with a degree in international studies, and then moved to New York City. She briefly dabbled in publishing as a fact-checker for the Zagat guides and then as an editorial assistant for a HarperCollins science-fiction/fantasy imprint. She ultimately decided that acting was her passion after all.
Chlumsky made a comeback
This time around, the petite blond decided to follow the advice of her agent and "reboot" with some actual training. As a kid, she considered herself a natural and hadn't bothered with instruction for her craft. The actress then began auditioning and landed a part for the political film "In the Loop," from British satirist Armando Iannucci. The movie is loosely based on "The Thick of It," the original British version of the comedy she now stars in, "Veep."
She's hitched
The Chicago native married Shaun So, an Army reservist who served in Afghanistan, in 2008. The church ceremony was followed by a reception at a Chinese restaurant in Queens. The happy bride said at the time, "Shaun's family is Chinese, and my family is Catholic. So we're going to do a fusion of the two cultural traditions."
"Veep" premieres Sunday, 4/22 at 10 PM on HBO.
