Beanie Feldstein: 5 Things to Know About the ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’ Star

Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Beanie Feldstein: 5 Things to Know About the ‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’ Star

On the rise! Beanie Feldstein became a household name after being nominated for her first Golden Globe in January 2020. Since then, her fame has continued to grow. The California native was nominated in December 2019 for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her role as Molly in Olivia Wilde’s critically acclaimed directorial debut, Booksmart. The actress previously racked up acting credits in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Lady Bird and The Female Brain, to name a few. Feldstein scored her first Globes nod the same year her longtime best friend Ben Platt and former costars and close pals Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever and Lady Bird’s Saoirse Ronan were also nominated. “What a ridiculously surreal, special morning. Thank you to the HFPA for this beautiful nomination amongst the most extraordinary women,” Feldstein wrote of her nomination via Instagram at the time. “To get to be there with my partner on this journey @kaitlyndever, my life partner @bensplatt and my lady bird is too much for my heart.” [jwplayer DmDD0aCB-l3ahXupL] Feldstein, who is the younger sister of Academy Award-nominated actor Jonah Hill, later landed the role of Monica Lewinsky on the upcoming season 3 of Impeachment: American Crime Story. “She is a triumph,” Feldstein told The Daily Beast in September 2019 of the Lewinsky, who will produce the FX season. “I am so, so honored to be portraying her. And to be doing it with Ryan Murphy is out of my wildest dreams. He is sort of the king of television, and his work is so profound.” The What We Do in the Shadows alum is also shooting Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of the musical Merrily We Roll Along, which will require her and her costars — including Platt and Blake Jenner — to shoot the project over the course of 10 years Scroll down below to learn more about the actress ahead of The Impeachment’s September 7 premiere:

Credit: Courtesy of Beanie Feldstein/Instagram

1. She’s an Educated Woman

After attending Harvard-Westlake School during her grade school years, Feldstein went on to attend Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. The sociology major graduated from the liberal arts college in 2015.

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2. It’s All in the Name

The actress’ real name is Elizabeth Greer Feldstein, but there’s an interesting story behind how the name “Beanie” came to be. “I had a British nanny for the first five years of my life. Elizabeth was the name of the girl she used to nanny in England,” she said in a 2015 profile with The Wesleyan Argus, her alma mater’s school newspaper. “She was from England — the queen, you know, there are a lot of Elizabeths in England — and Elizabeanie was what their family called the girl she used to nanny.”

Feldstein continued, “She started calling me Elizabeanie, and I have two older brothers, and they’re like, ‘Let’s just call her Beanie! Let’s just call her Beanie.’ And like, if you call a dog Spot but its name is Spike, it’s just gonna respond to Spot, so I just always responded to Beanie. Since I was like, 2 years old, it was just exclusively Beanie.”

Credit: Courtesy of Beanie Feldstein/Instagram

3. Her Inner Circle Is Filled With Stars

The Los Angeles native met Platt at a bat mitzvah as children, but they didn’t become best friends until they attended the same high school. The duo have remained close ever since, with Feldstein reflecting on their friendship in 2017 as the Pitch Perfect actor won his first Tony Award.

“At 12, we met at a bat mitzvah. At 14, we became best friends. At 16, I gave him cufflinks to wear when he wins his first tony,” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “At 23, we are on Broadway at the same time ... and he wore the cufflinks.” The actress is also very close with her famous brother, Hill, who is who is nine years older than her.

Credit: Courtesy of Beanie Feldstein/Instagram

4. She’s a Huge Musical Theater Fan

Feldstein has been very vocal about her love for musical theater, and she even appeared in a Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! alongside Bette Midler from 2017 to 2018. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in November 2019, she opened up about her love for composer Stephen Sondheim and how musical theater has helped shape her as an actor.

“There’s no musical theater composer who’s captured the complexity and intricacy of humanity in his melodies and lyrics the way he does. So, when I have had the privilege — even just in my bedroom — to be singing his songs, I feel connected to humanity in a way that every actor dreams of feeling,” she shared. “That’s why I’ve always loved him. I think growing up in musical theater is such a beautiful foundation for being an actor, because you get to sing your thoughts, and then even if you’re not singing, you still understand how to access that internal feeling and then externalize it.”

Credit: Courtesy of Beanie Feldstein/Instagram

5. She’s Obsessed With Nail Art

Speaking to Racked in November 2017, the How to Build a Girl star opened up about her love for nail art and revealed that her go-to spot is Valley in NYC. “I’m the most into nail art — but I just can’t do it myself,” she said at the time. “It’s funny: I don’t have much of a temper, but in college, my roommates could always tell when I was painting my nails because they’d hear me chucking things across the room! I’m so bad at it. Nails and cooking are the two things I try to do, but am deeply unable to. So I love getting manicures.”