Actress Alison Brie stars in the Netflix film Horse Girl, released February 7 – but it is far from her only recent Netflix project. The 37-year-old has been a major presence on the streaming service over the past year, also starring in two of its most well-known TV shows: BoJack Horseman (which aired its final episode in January) and GLOW (which will air its final season in 2020). With so many projects, it's fair to wonder if she has a deal with Netflix or if there is some other reason she's been so active on the platform.
In Horse Girl, directed by Jeff Baena (The Little Hours), Brie plays a young woman who works at a fabric store and starts experiencing bouts with mental illness. The psychological thriller premiered at Sundance Film Festival last month and has attracted mixed reviews, but many have been favorable of Brie's performance; the Hollywood Reporter called it "fine tuned," and The Wall Street Journal called it "distinguished." Her work in Horse Girl is a contrast in tone from GLOW, Brie's hit series about the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling from the 1980s. Brie has attracted similar praise for her performance in the show, and despite it being more of a straightforward comedy, she displays an impressive dramatic range.
Brie also voices Diane Nguyen, a major character in BoJack Horseman, which might be the most beloved of her three Netflix projects to hit screens in recent months. The show has been considered one of the best on television since its premiere in 2014, and it recently concluded after six seasons to major critical acclaim. By all accounts, Brie has been one of the service's biggest stars: her last three major projects have all been on Netflix.
It's unlikely that this is anything other than a coincidence, as there are no public reports of a long-term, guaranteed deal. Brie has always been a prolific actress since breaking onto the scene as Trudy Campbell in Mad Men. She has appeared in at least four movies and TV shows per year since 2015. In 2016, she had nine projects, including a voice role in the video game Marvel Avengers Academy and an appearance in the pilot for Teachers. She does roles in feature films, TV shows, games, and even music videos and short films.
Meanwhile, Netflix has been churning out more and more content as the years go by, with increasing pedigree: this year The Irishman, The Two Popes, and Marriage Story all got significant attention from the Oscars. The streaming wars may be getting started, but as of right now, Netflix is still the dominant force in terms of original content.
For any actor or actress that works as much as Brie, it's getting more and more likely that their work will end up on Netflix. She's not the only one who has been on a number of Netflix shows recently: fellow Mad Men star Kiernan Shipka has also been prolific on the streaming service (she starred in The Silence, Let It Snow and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). But since Brie has had so much success there, it's likely that her positive experiences have made her more likely to work with them again. Audiences shouldn't expect every single one of her projects in the future to end up on the streaming service, but nevertheless, Horse Girl continues a long and successful collaboration between Alison Brie and Netflix.
