Maya Erskine

Maya Erskine is an American actress and writer. She is known for her roles as Maggie in Man Seeking Woman,^[1] Mikki in Betas, and Mizu in Blue Eye Samurai. From 2019 to 2021, she starred in Hulu's original TV comedy series PEN15 alongside Anna Konkle;^[2] the duo, who co-created, co-wrote, and co-executive produced the series, played fictional versions of their 13-year-old selves.^[3] The series received critical acclaim and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2024, she began starring as Jane Smith in the Prime Video series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

Maya Erskine
Erskine on the set of Heartbeat (2016)
Born	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	New York University (BFA)
Occupation(s)	Actress, writer
Years active	2010–present
Spouse	Michael Angarano ​ (m. 2023)​
Children	1
Father	Peter Erskine

Early life and education

Erskine was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Mutsuko Nigatawa and jazz drummer Peter Erskine.^[4] Her mother is Japanese, from Tokyo. Her mother also plays the role of her character's mother on PEN15.^[5]

Erskine attended Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences^[5] and graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.^[6] She is a 2005 YoungArts alumnus.^[7] She then attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts.^[8] Erskine initially studied musical theater but shifted to the school's Experimental Theater Wing.^[9] During her time at NYU, she met Anna Konkle while they were both studying abroad at a theater program in Amsterdam.^[10][11]

Career

Erskine has performed with the Los Angeles–based theater groups the East West Players^[12] and the Geffen Playhouse.^[13] In 2019, she appeared in Amy Poehler's directorial debut, Wine Country, opposite a slate of comedians including Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Rachel Dratch.^[4] The same year, she began starring in the Hulu series PEN15, which she created with Konkle. She received two Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series nominations for her work on the series. She is recognized by Gold House as the A100 Honoree.^[14]

Personal life

In September 2019, she confirmed her relationship with actor Michael Angarano. On November 2, 2020, the couple revealed they were engaged and expecting a child. Their son was born in 2021.^[15][16] In 2024, Erskine revealed that she and Angarano had married.^[17] In April 2024, Erskine announced her second pregnancy.^[18]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2015	Frankenstein	Wanda
2018	6 Balloons	Cameron
	When Jeff Tried to Save the World	Samantha
2019	Plus One	Alice Mori
	Wine Country	Jade
2020	Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics	Maya
	Scoob!	Judy Takamoto	Voice role
2022	DC League of Super-Pets	Mercy Graves	Voice role
2024	Sacramento	Tallie	[19]
2025	Wildwood	Darla Thennis	Voice role; in production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Hart of Dixie	Nessie	2 episodes
	Project Reality		Miniseries
	High School USA!	Student	Voice role, 4 episodes
2013–2014	Betas	Mikki	Main cast
2014	Next Time on Lonny	Charika	Episode: "Lonny is Famous"
2015	Stone Quackers	various	Voice role, 2 episodes
	Man Seeking Woman	Maggie	Main cast (season 1)
	Big Time in Hollywood, FL	Venice	Episode: "What Dreams May Come"
2016	Heartbeat	Ji-Sung	Main cast
	Son of Zorn	April Lee	Episode: "A Taste of Zephyria"
2016–2017	Insecure	Diane Nakamura	Recurring role (seasons 1–2)
2017	Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special	Susan	TV special
	Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later	Ginny	3 episodes
2017–2018	Casual	Rae	Recurring role (seasons 3–4)
2019–2021	Pen15	Maya Ishii-Peters	Main cast, also creator, writer, and executive producer
2020	BoJack Horseman	Ivy Tran	Voice role, episode: "Good Damage"
	Robot Chicken	College Girl #4	Voice role, episode: "Buster Olive in: The Monkey Got Closer Overnight"
	Big Mouth	Cafeteria Girl Misha	Voice role, episode: "Cafeteria Girls"
2020–2021	Crossing Swords	Princess Blossom	Recurring voice role
2020–2022	Bob's Burgers	Kaylee	Voice role, 3 episodes
2022	Obi-Wan Kenobi	Sully Stark	Miniseries, 3 episodes
2023–present	Blue Eye Samurai	Mizu	Main cast, voice role
2024–present	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	Jane Smith	Title role

References

1. "'Man Seeking Woman's Maya Erskine on "Dating Hitler"". Kore Asian Media. April 30, 2015. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
2. Davis, Allison P. (February 14, 2019). "How PEN15 Made Two 30-Year-Olds Look 13". The Cut. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
3. Villarreal, Yvonne (February 8, 2019). "'PEN15' creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle on playing their uncool 13-year-old selves". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
4. Tauer, Kristen (May 10, 2019). "Maya Erskine Breaks Out With a Little Help From Her Friends". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
5. Fallon, Kevin (May 1, 2019). "Maya Erskine Is About to Be Hollywood's Biggest Comedy Star". The Daily Beast. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
6. "SM Drama Student Wins Major Award". Santa Monica Mirror. July 20, 2005. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
7. "Our History | 40 years for artists". YoungArts. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
8. "The Classical Studio Alumni". New York University Tisch School of the Arts. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
9. Wetmore, Brendan (March 13, 2019). "'PEN15' Stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle in Conversation". Paper. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
10. Carlin, Shannon (February 15, 2019). "How Re-Living The Horrors Of Middle School Changed The Stars Of 'PEN15' For The Better". Bustle. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
11. Villarreal, Yvonne (February 8, 2019). "'PEN15' creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle on playing their uncool 13-year-old selves". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
12. Yap, Audrey Cleo (April 13, 2016). "Celebrating Its 50th Theatre Season, East West Players Looks to the Future". NBC News. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
13. "Media Center Cast". Geffen Playhouse. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2017.
14. Thompson, Jack Dunn,Selena Kuznikov,Jazz Tangcay,Jaden; Dunn, Jack; Kuznikov, Selena; Tangcay, Jazz; Thompson, Jaden (May 1, 2024). "Keanu Reeves, Jung Kook, Hayao Miyazaki Among Gold House's A100 Honorees". Variety. Retrieved May 22, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. Mizoguchi, Karen (November 2, 2020). "Maya Erskine Is Pregnant and Engaged! PEN15 Star and Michael Angarano Expecting Their First Child". People. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
16. VanHoose, Benjamin; Ushe, Naledi (May 7, 2021). "Pen15 Star Maya Erskine and Fiancé Michael Angarano Welcome First Child". People. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
17. Gibson, Keslie (February 5, 2024). "Maya Erskine and Michael Angarano's Relationship: All About the Actors' Marriage". People. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
18. "Maya Erskine and Husband Michael Angarano Expecting Second Baby Together: 'Baby Sister Coming This Summer'". Peoplemag. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
19. Padilla, Cecilio (May 25, 2023). ""Sacramento" film wrapping up production: Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of stars at these spots". CBS News. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

External links

• Maya Erskine at IMDb 
• Maya Erskine on Twitter
• Maya Erskine at Rotten Tomatoes