Elisha Cuthbert was the first crush for many teens in the 2000s, making her massive breakthrough in the sex comedy The Girl Next Door and headlining shows and films ever since. Though she has been quiet lately, Elisha is still in the Hollywood game and going strong.
Born in the snowy wilds of Calgary, Alberta, Canada (I’ve never been to Canada so I’m assuming) in November of 1982, Elisha wanted to act from a very young age. Her parents encouraged her, helping her to get roles on local Canadian television before moving on to the Hollywood big leagues. Though most may not have realized it, they were seeing her on screens in one of the most popular horror shows aimed at kids and teens.
Not Scared of the Dark
Are You Afraid of the Dark would be on its sixth season when Elisha joined as a minor background character in 1996, but she would upgrade to the main cast for the remaining two seasons of the show, starting with season six. She would go on while working on Are You Afraid of the Dark to take on her first film role in the coming-of-age drama Dancing on the Moon.
Once Are You Afraid of the Dark ended Elisha Cuthbert made it her mission to break through into Hollywood. Her parents would give her six weeks (that’s it?) to land a role and make a name for herself, leading to Elisha making it down to the wire before landing her first big, primetime acting gig on a show that went down in history- 24.
Elisha Cuthbert would appear on the show through the entire run, finishing out in 2010 where she would play Kim, the daughter of series protagonist Jack Bauer. The series would end up as a massive hit, leading to roles for not only series lead Kiefer Sutherland but for Elisha and others as well.
The Big Break
With small parts in comedies like Old School and much-loved romances like Love, Actually, Elisha’s looks and acting ability landed her the title role in the 2004 comedy The Girl Next Door. She would play said girl, a pornographic actress that moves in next door and causes the main character played by Emile Hirsch to fall head over heels in love.
Elisha would boom as a sex symbol almost overnight, becoming the dream girl of teenagers across America after seeing the movie. She would lean full-on into the momentum, taking on roles in the horror remake House of Wax alongside Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki as well as Supernatural’s Paris Hilton (Supernatural had the weirdest guest spots). Still, it would cement Elisha as a scream queen at the same time.
She finished out the 2000s strong, with episodes of 24 taking up most of her time as well as making appearances in music videos for bands like Weezer. Going into the 2010s she would land a few television roles, with a six-episode stint in the short-lived The Forgotten as well as three seasons of the criminally cut-short Happy Endings.
Love life
Speaking of, Elisha would find love around the same time, marrying then-captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dion Phaneuf. The two would marry in 2013 and are still together today with two kids since with their most recent being born last year in 2022. Despite the new challenges of motherhood, Elisha kept going through the 2010s and beyond, still working just as hard.
Most of the later 2010s would be spent in a recurring role in the Ashton Kutcher and Sam Elliot Netflix production The Ranch, unfortunately bringing her in close proximity with Danny Masterson. Thankfully, her role on the show would outlive his and stay as a steady gig for the remainder of the decade while Elisha took some time away to raise her first child. During the same time she would star in a sequel to the cult hit Goon starring Sean WIlliam Scott, focusing on one of Elisha’s favorite sports, ice hockey.
Where is Elisha Cuthbert Now?
Though she’s slowed down her output recently to take time with her second child, Elisha did have two films release in 2022. Bandit starred her opposite Josh Duhamel and Mel Gibson, while her other effort The Cellar saw a return to her scream queen roots in the remake of the Irish horror film The Ten Steps.
These days she still has projects on the table, but of course, is taking more time with her family and friends as she goes. Elisha is a rather private person, not sharing much on socials outside of the occasional happy birthday to costars or retweeting her friends’ posts. The actress did recently join Instagram, though under her married name of Elisha Phaneuf instead of the name we all know her by. There isn’t much there yet, seeing as the first post was only made last week, but surely with enough time, Elisha will be connecting to fans the world over through the miracle of the internet.
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