Monica Potter is an award-winning actor who has appeared in several popular projects over the years. But despite her immense talent, Potter once lost out on a role because of her post-baby weight and was then told to wait before trying to book more roles.
Monica Potter earned widespread acclaim for her performance in ‘Parenthood’
Potter is an American actor who started her film career in the mid-’90s with appearances in movies like Bulletproof, Con Air, and A Cool Dry Place. Some of her early television roles include The Young and the Restless and Reversible Errors.
She continued to find great success in both films and TV, landing roles in hits like Patch Adams opposite Robin Williams and Along Came a Spider with co-star Morgan Freeman. Potter also had recurring roles in several popular shows, including Boston Legal — for which she earned a Screen Actors Guild nomination — and Trust Me.
In 2010, Potter took on one of her most notable roles as Kristina Braverman in the hit NBC series, Parenthood. She remained a series regular for all six seasons and earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2013. More recently, Potter was featured in seasons 4 and 5 of the Amazon Prime Video series Goliath.
Monica Potter lost a role due to her post-baby weight
In a 2013 Emmy roundtable discussion for The Hollywood Reporter, Potter talked about her worst audition experience and recalled how she lost out on a role after giving birth to her daughter, Molly. The actor noted that she had taken some time off and was prompted by her agents to go in for an audition.
“My agents were like, ‘OK, let’s get out there again!’” Potter said. “And it takes me a couple years to lose the baby chub. It just does — I’m not one of these girls hitting the yoga mat. I like to eat Cheetos; I’m not going to lie. And after I have the kid, I like to have some drinks.”
“I was pushing, like, 180 pounds at the time,” she added. “I’m like, ‘You guys, I just don’t feel physically fit yet.’ I had my Spanx on and looked like a damn sausage, but I went in and thought I did a really good job.”
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After the audition, Potter got a call back from her agents, expecting to hear how well she’d done. But they ended up telling her how her post-baby weight was a problem.
“I’m like, ‘I did good, right?’” Potter recalled. “And they say, ‘You did great. The problem is you’re just—’,” Potter finished their thought: “I’m too fat.” Her agents continued, “Yeah, we’re just going to wait a little bit.” Potter responded, reminding them: “I said, ‘I already told you this! The weight thing is a crappy thing in this town, you know? So I just ate some Cheez Whiz.”
Monica Potter reveals how she handles being a mom and working actor
Potter is the mom of three children who raised her kids while filming her most popular projects. In her chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor talked about the sacrifices she’s made for her career and family and how she handles them.
“It’s tough when you have kids to sort of go, ‘Oh boy, am I going to miss this parent-teacher meeting?’” Potter explained. “You feel this guilt. But you also have to look at it like, ‘OK, Mom’s going to work, putting food on the table.’”
“That’s how I grew up: blue-collar, working-class home, and kids have to understand that,” she added. “You have to have a life of balance and not feel guilty because I think that kids can sense that.”
