Willa Fitzgerald played the secretive Emma Lawson in season 6 of Royal Pains, and the actor has portrayed several similar characters in both TV and film. Emma is Evan (Paulo Costanzo) and Hank Lawson's (Mark Feuerstein) half-sibling who is used to lying about her identity and background. The character adds riveting layers to the series and fits right into the affluent Hamptons world where Hank works as a doctor after he loses his New York City emergency room position. The comedy was fairly well-received and also stars Brooke D'Orsay, who is known for starring in Hallmark holiday films such as A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love.
The same year as her 2014 role in Royal Pains, Willa Fitzgerald played Jenny in one episode of Claire Underwood on House of Cards in two season 6 episodes. The actor's career has followed a similar trajectory and instead of branching out into different genres, Fitzgerald has stuck to horror and drama, choosing parts that explore the things that people keep hidden and would prefer that the people in their lives never find out about. Whether a main character or minor figure, the actor takes on bold projects and her characters are tough to ignore.
Willa Fitzgerald Continues To Play Mysterious, Dark Characters
Like her role in Royal Pains, Willa Fitzgerald has portrayed dark TV characters whose stories unfold slowly over time. The actor played police officer Roscoe Conklin in the 2022 TV series the Scream TV series from 2015 to 2016 as Emma learns about her mother's connection to the Lakewood Slasher. Similar to Neve Campbell's final girl Sidney Prescott, Emma must work through her family history.
In 2019, Fitzgerald starred as cheerleading coach Colette French in the Netflix drama Dare Me, which was adapted from Megan Abbott's novel. Instead of searching for the truth and looking into people who have caused harm, as Roscoe and Emma do, Colette is a murderer who cheats on her husband Matt (Rob Heaps) with Will Mosley (Zach Roerig). Colette is the actor's darkest role yet as she hides her feelings and attempts to cover up her crime. Although Dare Me only has a single season, Fitzgerald makes a lasting impression as a woman who doesn't let people get to know her well.
Willa Fitzgerald's Serious Movie Roles Include Horror, Crime, And Drama
Fitzgerald has also starred in several films and like her TV roles, she chooses somber subjects and characters in difficult, tense situations. In the 2018 horror film Beach House, she played her third character named Emma, a young adult drawn to her mother's friend Paul (Murray Bartlett), a charming but eerie artist. In the 2022 crime thriller Salvage Salvation, the actor portrayed Ruby Red, who plans to marry Shelby John (Jack Huston) and stop abusing drugs. Both of these characters are dark and full of dread, with Emma scared of the man staying at her family's vacation home and Rudy dying before getting the chance for a new beginning.
The actor's most notable dramatic part is Kitsey Barbour in The Goldfinch, the 2019 adaptation of the novel by Donna Tartt. Kitsey is engaged to Theodore Decker (Ansel Elgort) and has experienced the tragedy of losing her parents. She is unfaithful to Theo and continues to see Tom Cable (Gordon Winarick). Since she and Theo aren't in love, they have a miserable relationship but want to keep up appearances. Like her character in Royal Pains, Willa Fitzgerald's most compelling movie role is about dishonesty and secrecy, and the film explores the lack of love that Theo experiences in his wealthy world.