With Emmys under her belt for Russian Doll and the return of Poker Face on the horizon, it's easy to assume that Natasha Lyonne is all about TV. Yet her film career is just as impressive and tucked away on Netflix is an unmissable reminder, the heartfelt drama His Three Daughters (2023).
The actor came in for plenty of praise for her performance, one that saw her working alongside Carrie Coon and Elizabeth Olsen. And the movie's ensemble cast scooped the Robert Altman Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, while on Rotten Tomatoes it also scored 98%.
The three sisters of the title return to their dying father's apartment to settle his affairs and say goodbye, but within the confined space, the reasons for the many tensions between the trio are pulled apart and exposed. While they all have the same father, Lyonne's Rachel has always been the outsider, as she doesn’t share a mother with them. Much to the resentment of her sisters, she's always been their father's favorite, despite her unashamed slacker lifestyle.
Balancing tragedy and comedy with a simple elegance, it strikes a chord with anybody who's experienced the intricacies of family relationships and portrays them with an endearing honesty. With a trio of superb performances at its heart, an ending that leaves you floored and an unerring ability to move you to tears, it's no mystery why the film attracted such love when it was originally released.
Rachel's unconventional nature isn't a million miles away from the tousle-haired Charlie Cale, whose mystery-solving adventures while on the run from some very iffy people are the driving force of Poker Face. As played by Lyonne, she has the uncanny ability to know when somebody's lying – just what she needs to solve the murders she comes across on her travels.
But since the show was renewed for a second season back in 2023, fans of the quirky, mystery-of-the-week series and its roster of fabulous guest stars have had little to smile about. That’s all about to change as filming wrapped towards the end of last year and the show returns in the spring, this time with even more episodes — 12 in total — and an enviable roll call of guests. With whodunit master Rian Johnson still at the helm, expectations are going through the roof.
The omens were always good for the show. Johnson had secured his reputation for creating murder mystery franchises with Knives Out. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third Southern fried movie, is due in the second half of this year on Netflix, with Daniel Craig returning as the heavily accented Benoit Blanc, while number two in the series, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, is currently on Netflix.
And Lyonne, who both created and starred in Russian Doll, was an inspired choice to play Poker Face's Charlie. She also directed one of the episodes in the first season and is back in the director's chair when the show returns.
Season one came to a climax with Charlie calling time on her nemesis, casino fixer Cliff (Benjamin Bratt), but also being approached by the equally dodgy Beatrix Hasp (Rhea Perlman) with an offer. Work for her or go back to being hunted. Choosing the second option, Charlie is on the road again in the new season, and the weeks ahead will see her in settings from funeral homes to alligator farms and even a school talent show.
Inspired by 1970s TV classic Columbo, and with hints of other favorites including The Rockford Files and Magnum P.I., Poker Face has always featured a clutch of guest stars in every episode.
An early and intriguing still from the season two revealed three incarnations of Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo, but it turns out she’ll be playing no less than six different roles in the star-spangled show. She's just one of the ever-increasing list of guests in what Lyonne has called on social media #PokeyFaceRedux. Awkwafina, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito and Simon Rex are just some of the others and there’s still more to come. Sounds like Poker Face season 2 will be more than worth the wait!
His Three Daughters is on Netflix in both the US and the UK. Poker Face is on Peacock in the US and on Sky in the UK. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is on Netflix in both the US and the UK.
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