Alison Brie is stepping into the squared circle. The “Community” actress is entering the bizarre world of pro wrestling for “G.L.O.W.,” “Orange is the New Black” creator Jenji Kohan’s upcoming 10-episode Netflix comedy. Brie snagged the lead role in the hotly anticipated project.
“G.L.O.W.” — an acronym for Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling — is “inspired by the real story of the 1980s female wrestling league.” Set in Los Angeles, the series “will showcase big hair and body slams and tell the fictionalized story of an out-of-work actress who finds one last attempt to live her dreams in the form of a weekly series about female wrestlers.”
The Hollywood Reporter writes that Brie, who voices Diane on Netflix’s animated series “BoJack Horseman,” will play Ruth, a “struggling actress whose dreams of fame take a surprising turn when she’s thrust into the glitter and spandex world of women’s wrestling.” Those familiar with WWE programming know that athletic skills are insufficient when it comes to achieving success in the business: wrestlers also need to rock the mic. Ruth won’t say goodbye to acting when she becomes a wrestler. She’ll be expected to deliver over-the-top dramatic monologues on a nightly basis, but with the addition of pile drivers and suplexes.
Kohan will executive produce “G.L.O.W.” along with Tara Herrmann. The series was created by Liz Flahive (“Homeland”) and Carly Mensch (“Nurse Jackie”), who will serve as showrunners.
Brie’s other credits include “Mad Men,” “How to Be Single,” and “Sleeping with Other People.”