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I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star

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You know Judy Greer, right? Maybe from The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, Carrie, Arrested Development, or The Descendants. Yes, you totally recognize her. And, odds are, you already feel like she’s your friend. 

In her first book of essays, I Don’t Know What You Know Me From, Greer writes about everything you would hope to hear from your best friend: how a midnight shopping trip to Walgreens can cure all; what it’s like to wake up one day with stepchildren; and how she really feels about fans telling her that she’s prettier in person. Yes, it’s all here—from the hilarious moments to the intimate confessions.

But Judy Greer isn’t just a regular friend—she’s a celebrity friend. Want to know which celebs she’s peed next to? Or what the Academy Awards are actually like? Or which hot actor gave her father a Harley-Davidson? Don’t worry; Greer reveals all of that, too. You’ll love her because, besides being laugh-out-loud funny, she makes us genuinely feel like she’s one of us. Because even though she sometimes has a stylist and a makeup artist, she still wears (and hates!) Spanx. Because even after almost twenty years in Hollywood, she still hasn’t figured everything out—except that you should always wash your face before bed. Always. 

235 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2014

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About the author

Judy Greer

7 books56 followers
Judy Greer is an American actress with an extremely wide range of films and television projects under her belt. She is probably best known by fans of Arrested Development as Kitty and in films such as 13 Going on 30 (in some countries Suddenly 30) as the awkward best friend of Jennifer Garner's character Jenna.

Some of Judy's other film and Television credits include: 27 Dresses, 2 and a Half Men, How I Met Your Mother and Jeff who lives at Home. To fans of the show Archer, Judy is known for her voice role as Cheryl.

Judy's most current film project is Kimberly Peirce's adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie as the kind gym teacher, Miss Desjardin who tries to stop Carrie's bullies.

In July 2014, Judy will be seen as the chimpanzee Cornelia, the wife and queen of ape king Caesar played by her Suddenly 30 co-star Andy Serkis.

Judy has two other projects coming out in 2015 including Tomorrowland and Disney/Pixar's The Good Dinosaur.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,065 reviews
Profile Image for Diane.
1,081 reviews2,720 followers
October 13, 2015
After reading this book, I agree that Judy Greer would make a great best friend. She is sweet, charming and funny. She has played the best-friend character in several movies, including The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, and 27 Dresses, and she understands the importance of this role:


Here's my theory: movie studios know that the star of the movie is someone no one can really identify with because we know too much about her — she's too beautiful, she's too rich — but once you give that gorgeous A-lister a blue-collar bestie, she suddenly becomes more relatable. Because the real secret is that the best friend is you! If that actress can be best friends with Julia Roberts/Jennifer Aniston/Cameron Diaz/Jennifer Garner, than so can you! Yes, we all want to be the star, we want to be the girl who gets the guy in the end, but the more realistic scenario is that we could maybe, actually be that person's best friend.


In real life, people often approach Judy and ask what they know her from. Judy has been in so many movies and TV shows that she tries to help (Do you like indie films or blockbusters?) but often, the person doesn't remember where they saw her. And Judy is OK with that.


You've heard the phrase, "There are no small roles, just small actors"? Well, I kind of disagree. There are small roles, but when you get a lot of them in a row, you can become a pretty successful actress, and that's what I've done. At least for now, I'm not saying I don't want bigger roles. I'm not that self-satisfied. And who knows how much longer I'll keep getting jobs. I don't have a crystal ball, and even if I did, I'd probably drop it by accident.


I listened to this book on audio, which was enjoyable. I checked it out because I've been on a Hollywood memoir kick lately and this seemed like a fun one. I've enjoyed Judy's performances -- my favorite is her character on Arrested Development -- and she has some good stories about how she got her start in acting, what it's really like to work in Hollywood and go to award shows, and how she balances family life with her career. In short, it's like having a long chat with a good friend, except she's got some fun stories about Ashton Kutcher and Jennifer Lopez.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys celebrity memoirs, or those who want to make a new best friend.
Profile Image for Kelly (and the Book Boar).
2,483 reviews7,781 followers
March 18, 2014
Find all of my reviews at:

ARC received from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley!!!

2.5 Stars

Right now someone might be reading this, asking “Judy Greer, she looks so familiar. Where do I know her from?????”

Maybe you watched her blossom from a Fern into a Violet . . .



or maybe you recognize her from one of her many best friend roles . . .



there’s a chance you were super stoked about M. Night Shyamalan’s follow up to “The Sixth Sense” only to find Judy co-starring in a real piece of crap . . .



or you saw her make out with one of your imaginary boyfriends . . .



or you watched the BEST. SHOW. EVER. religiously and got a bit cray-cray when it was canceled and wrote some nasty hate mail to the douchewads who would even dare to think about not continuing the Bluth family story only to learn that everyone else felt the same when you saw the Netflix commercial for the first time . . .



or maybe, just maybe you don’t recognize her face, but rather, her voice . . .



Bottom line is – a lot of you probably know Judy Greer from something. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance you have to kind of be a Judy Greer superfan in order to love this book. Unlike what the blurb tells you, Judy Greer is not the next Tina Fey or Chelsea Handler. This is not an “OMG this book is just soooooooo funny” read. It’s more like a collection of amusing, but not hilarious, anecdotes that your best friend ends up telling you over the years while you get a little boozy. (Excluding the chapter containing text messages she sends – those almost made me wet myself.)

As one of her best friends wrote: “I am the best friend of the girl who always plays the best friend – the girl in the movies that probably tons of girls think, “I’d totally be friends with her.” I am best friends with Hollywood’s go-to best friend." Yep, I love Judy Greer because she seems so approachable – she seems like she could be one of my best friends – and that’s why the book worked for me. Best friends (and all of their stories) are awesome – especially when they are like Judy Greer and will admit your boobs are bigger than theirs ; )


Profile Image for Mara.
401 reviews282 followers
December 3, 2014
Where do you know her from?
Actress Judy Greer has been in, well, everything (seriously, check her IMDB, which she's pretty obsessed with- it's kind of staggering). This, of course, is the point of her book (or at least its title, I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star ) — chances are, you recognize her, but there's also a pretty good chance you don't know from where, and, more likely than not, don't know her name (especially since, in her post-book career, she's often seen in Sprint commercials with a hamster voiced by Andrew Dice Clay, but I digress).

I, on the other hand, definitely know her name (it's Judy Greer, in case you didn't catch on) from watching the opening credits to every single episode of Archer (more times than I should admit in public) in which Greer voices Carol/Cheryl/Cherlene Tunt — railroad tycoon, and First Lady of the government-in-exile of La Rapúblic de San Marcos (and also Country Music).

Cheryl Tunt Judy Greer Archer

Judy has become become pretty adept at fan profiling in answering the implied titular question. If you're reading this, my next best guess(es) (after Archer, duh) would be Arrested Development (Kitty Sanchez - below), or maybe It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Fatty McGoo).

George Bluth and Kitty Sanchez

What about the book?
Oh yeah, the book. It was ok (I gave it three stars because it was probably a bad choice on my part). Judy's not a comedy writer (à la Tina Fey, Mindy Kaling etc.), she's an actress. I laughed out loud a time or two while listening, but this wasn't a gut-buster. Her life anecdotes are humorous, but no funnier than emails from my (admittedly hilarious) friends.

This also wasn't a tell all book about the stars with whom she's worked, which is probably a good career move for her, but a let down for me. I knew it wasn't going to be the behind the scenes all Archer all the time show, but it (and Arrested Development, IASIP etc.) was only mentioned once in passing. It's possible that they don't record together or whatever, but look at these people! I wanted something about at least one of them (e.g. why is Lucky Yates wearing those amazing glasses and a track suit?).

Archer Cast 2014 Television Critics Association Press Tour

What I knew it wasn't going to be, but still secretly wished it was:
You're Not My Supervisor: Growing Up Tunt (With My Stupid Brother Cecil). Obviously Adam Reed would have to write that book, and even though I knew that wasn't what this was, I guess I was hoping for at least a mention of her thoughts on being the voice of Cheryl. (I was trying to be realistic, and knew Cherlene probably wasn't feasible).

Yes, I've used this gif before, but who wouldn't want to know what was going on in that devious little mind?

Little Cheryl Tunt and the Gazebo

I know, I know, you just crave attention. But what about therapy cranes , Grandpapa dressing up like a ghost to scare black people, the train dwarf looking right at you with his dwarfy eyeballs? Give a girl SOMETHING!

Cherlene slapping Juliana

Your point? Unless Pam ate it.
I could go on all day with Archer greatness (and also gifs), but that would be off-topic to say the least. If you're curious about the life of a co-star (a successful one at that), time off "on location," step-parenting after marrying Dean Johnson (I love that she first name/last names her husband all the time) and why it actually sucks to go to the Oscars sometimes, then you'll like this book. I recently heard Judy talking audiobook recording with Gary Dell'Abate, and they both agreed that reading back your own words, you start to think "Who cares?!?" So, it's not like she was unaware that it felt padded. That said, I'm not looking for the five hours of my life back either.
Profile Image for Cassie.
494 reviews9 followers
March 12, 2014
2.5 stars.

While I still think Judy Greer would make a pretty cool best friend (as she so often plays in bit roles), she's not an especially engaging writer.

The book is primarily comprised of essays divided up into 3 roughly chronological sections: before Hollywood, movie/tv stardom, adult home life. Think more Tina Fey or Mindy Kaling than Kathy Griffin or Melissa Joan Hart (whose memoir I read a few weeks ago). It's no salacious tell-all and there's not very much detail about actually working on movies. Instead, the Hollywood bits highlight what's going on with Judy while she's not on set. She compares movie set friendships to camp friendships (sincere but short-lived), she laments being sequestered away in weird parts of the country on movie shoots because she misses her family, she watches Netflix in her hotel room during downtime. She doesn't sell anyone down the river, so if you're looking for juicy gossip about J-Lo or Jennifer Garner or Matthew McConaughey or whomever, you'll be disappointed. This is fine and well (and unsurprising), but it's not very exciting reading.

The real problem, I think, is that while Judy is perfectly affable and has sharp comedic timing as an actress, she's not a comedy writer like Fey or Kaling. She doesn't have a lot of insight to share and she just doesn't have the chops as an essayist. Her life is a little too mundane to carry the book. She hasn't faced any adversity outside of a few awkward teenage years and her rise to fame wasn't especially difficult. She meandered into acting and received fairly steady work since graduating from college, so there wasn't a struggle to get into the business. There are a few amusing anecdotes about how different LA is than Chicago or suburban Detroit, but she never seemed to be in dire straits. Without some juicy industry detail or quippy bon mots, there's not much to grip the reader. The only hook is that Greer is an actress, an occupation that people find inherently interesting, and it's not enough.

That said, I related a lot to Judy. We have similar Midwestern backgrounds and have a close extended family. I feel like I'd feel and do a lot of the same things as she does if I were in her position. Her essay about solo international traveling confirms my worst fears about doing the same. We'd get along. But would she like MY memoir? Probably not, because while I can be funny and witty sometimes, I'm pretty average. And therein lies the rub.
Profile Image for Jenny.
377 reviews14 followers
April 28, 2014
Judy Greer is one of those actresses that seems like she'd be really nice and down-to-earth and cool. And after reading her book, it seems like I have even more evidence that this is true. However, she's not terribly interesting. She's not a comedian so her essays are not laugh-out-loud hilarious. She's never struggled with an addiction to pills or an eating disorder so there aren't any stories about her waking up in the gutter or punching Michael Cera in the stomach in a pill-induced fit. She's an only child from a nice middle class midwestern family. She went to college and got a first big acting job right after graduation and she's been slow and steady ever since then. That's great and she seems cool . . . but it's not terribly interesting. The whole book reads like a blog I'd only read if I actually knew the person. Otherwise, it's just not riveting. She seems to run out of things to talk about towards the end and there is literally an entire essay about her texts that she sends to a friend and another one about how she likes shopping at Walgreens (and oddly enough I received an e-mail from Walgreens while I was reading the book and it has a health video from Judy Greer in there). Nice lady, just not terribly interesting to read about.
Profile Image for James.
Author 2 books452 followers
February 4, 2020
Growing up in Detroit is boring.
Being a childhood ballerina is hard.
Going to a good school is hard.
Giving up ballet to become an actor is hard.
Getting into acting school first try is hard.
Acting is hard but better than having a real job.
Working as a waitress is hard.
Working as a cloakroom attendant is hard.
Having parents that love and support you is hard.
The worst thing my Dad did to me is buy me a Barbie pink car.
He even painted a vanity plate for it that said *2B ... "Star to be." Geddit?
Spending time by myself is hard.
Traveling alone is hard.
One time someone spoke to me when I was on holiday.
Seriously, I am not making this up.
Bad things have almost happened to people that I care about.
But anyway, back to me.
Being famous is hard.
Being a co-star, so not as famous as someone else, is hard.
I literally don't know what you know me from.
Peeing next to celebrities feels weird.
Here's a chapter full of emails from my friends about how much they love me.
Here's a chapter full of text messages that I sent my friends.
Shopping makes me feel better.
Being in love is hard.
I love my dog so much I want to make a necklace out of his teeth.
I love my husband so much that I use his full name whenever I refer to him in this book.
Relationships are hard.
Raising kids is hard.
Hollywood is hard.
Living in LA is hard.
In short? Life is hard.
But writing a book? That's super easy, right?

----

I feel like I should qualify the above review for people who don't get the joke. For the record, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE AND ADORE JUDY GREER.

A friend quizzed me about the fact that I gave such a snarky review but still gave the book three out of five stars. So here is basically what I said to them.

I love Judy Greer too much to give it less than a three. Otherwise it would get a two out of five. She is literally the best person in everything that she stars in and I love her dearly. I so wanted to love this book!

It's not that it's terrible. It's just for something called "I Don't Know What You Know Me From: Confessions of a Co-Star" 1) She barely talks about the things she has starred in that you might know her from and 2) There are no real confessions.

I get the impression that Judy Greer in real life is lovely, funny, friendly, and far too nice to say anything bad about anyone. I could see the content of this book being an LA magazine column -- fun, frothy, lightweight. But as a book it was disappointing.

I still love Judy Greer though!
Profile Image for Sara.
245 reviews30 followers
March 14, 2014
I adore what I have seen of Judy Greer's work, I think she is beautiful and funny and I admire her ability to make zany and delusional look totally believable and effortless. I also love that Judy has suburban Detroit roots and unruly hair. I wanted to know more.

It turns out Judy and I are only meant to be best friends with her on screen and me on the couch. There are funny parts - her random texts to Janet were great and her descriptions of interactions with fans who can't place her and her recommendations for polite things to say to stars when you meet them, even if you don't know why you recognize them made me laugh. Stories of her relationships with her parents, dog, husband and stepkids were cute, her big love for her best friends is evident and her story about Ashton Kutcher and the Harley Davidson is adorable. But for the most part, I found it a little bit empty.

The book was sweet and a light, easy read. Judy makes a joke about reading through her old diaries and realizing that she was a very mature kid who basically stopped maturing at age 13. That seemed to match up pretty well with what I was feeling at that point of the book. This book is meant to be a breezy, fun read, not reveal an epic backstory or major revelations. And as an approachable, pleasant read, it is successful. Take it with you on a plane or on vacation, don't assign it to your book club.
Profile Image for Katie.
54 reviews10 followers
February 18, 2021
I really, really wanted to like this book. I love memoirs, and I'm fascinated with the life of an actress/comedienne- maybe because it just seems so different than my own. I've seen many of the movies and TV shows Judy Greer has co-starred in, and was hoping for some fun tidbits from the actors and people she's met in Hollywood. Well, there wasn't a lot of that. The book is made up of chapters devoted to various musings about a range of subjects. There's a little bit about her background, which was interesting. But, other than that, I found myself asking myself why I cared about her opinions on only children, feeding her stepkids, etc. Maybe if I already had a connection to her personality, I'd be more interested but since I only know her as an actress in small, quirky, and funny roles, I expected- 1. More humor in her writing and 2. More info about what we as readers most likely chose this book for- to hear specifics about being a co star. Would that mean dishing on some famous stars? Yes, but if you are writing a book as a co-star, isn't that to be expected? If I was Greer's writing teacher, I'd ask her to really consider her audience. I feel like if she had a more realistic or clearer understanding of this, she could have written better towards what we all wanted to hear about. With that, perhaps we would care a bit more about her personal views on food, siblings, etc. I would use this text as an example of 'knowing one's audience' and writing towards that audience. It's important for writers to understand why a reader may choose to read their writing, and to consider that as they write.
Profile Image for Faye*.
324 reviews96 followers
June 26, 2018
2.5 relaxed stars



This was nice. As you may have noticed, I like celebrity audio books, they are just so easy to listen to. Are there any big reveals or does Judy Greer give mind-blowing advice in this book? No. But what she does is tell you a bit about herself, her life, and her acting career. It's a super quick read for the beach or the subway albeit a bit very short.
The only "complaint" I have is that she almost doesn't talk at all any of her movie gigs and that's a bit disappointing. I wasn't expecting her to bash any of her co-stars or reveal scandalous on-set affairs but since she's had so many movie roles, you would think she has some stories about what it was like to work at popular movies like 27 Dresses, The Descendants, Elizabethtown, Jurassic World etc. etc. and not be the star. Or what it's like to do a voice-over for Archer. Is it fun? Is it harder or easier than acting? Does she like it more or less? Oh well, I guess I'll never know which isn't a tragedy but it would have been kind of nice, you know?
Profile Image for Melissa.
1,219 reviews
December 7, 2016
The first time I remember seeing Judy Greer in a movie was when I saw Jawbreaker. She played Fern, this nerdy girl who was obsessed with the class beauty. As a result of witnessing an unfortunate situation, she receives a makeover and eventually goes up against Rose McGowan's character. It's kind of like a Mean Girls or Heathers for the late '90s. Anyway, I was impressed by Judy. After that, she started popping up in other movies, as well as one of my favorite sitcoms, Arrested Development. Her IMDb resume is more than impressive. (It's also how I found out that we have the same birthday.) I don't even know where she found the time to write a book!

However, she wrote a funny and very entertaining memoir. It's even better as an audio book because you get to hear her read it out loud. She has a great voice that I enjoyed listening to. Really, it felt like I was listening to a close friend chat on the phone. (That would be a long conversation though!) Judy is very candid and honest about her life and I learned new things about her. She's also very easy to relate to. I'm glad I had a chance to listen to this book. I feel like I can go up to Judy and tell her exactly what I know her from! I will even tell her which books I've cast her in the potential movie versions of, one of them being Emily Giffin's latest novel. In any case, I do hope to meet Judy in person someday, if only to tell her how awesome I think she is and how much I loved her book!
Profile Image for Rebecca Sandham Mathwin.
236 reviews3 followers
May 2, 2014
Judy Greer is a working actress who's been in a ton of movies and TV shows. She's not a star and the vast majority of people probably don't know her by name but she's one of those actors who works a lot and who you'd probably recognize but not know the context of how you "know" her (hence the title).

She seems like a pleasant person but when I read memoirs of actors or anyone in show business I admittedly want drama and dirt and there is none to be found in this book. She's still working and I'm sure she doesn't want to offend anyone so it's understandable why she doesn't reveal much but I wonder why she chose to write this memoir now? I'm sure she has some crazy stories to tell and I bet she's observed quite a bit-I wonder why Judy didn't wait until she was retirement age so she could let loose and reveal more? Cute and decently written but not compelling.
Profile Image for Lori.
1,443 reviews
May 6, 2014
I would give this a 3.5. a pretty decent read. Judy Greer is an actress. the title of this book is pretty accurate. I imagine anyone who watches enough tv or movies have seen Judy Greer. she is usually the featured player, co-star, second banana, funny best friend etc. this is a pleasant read. Judy shares snippets from her life. She grew up in Livonia Mi. went to an acting college in Chicago and then headed for Los Angeles to pursue and acting career. She has been there since. This is NOT a tell all type of book.she does not have any bad things to say. actually she shares very little about the movies and tv shows she has been in. I found that kind of disappointing. I would have liked to read about some of the movies and tv shows she has been in. nothing bad just something. this was more of a journal sharing tidbits about her life. I guess that was nice. she did share about how Asthon Kutcher bought her dad a harley davidson. she seems like a nice lady. I think she is a good actress. I wish she had shared more about working on the movie and tv sets she worked on.I can see she has a good sense of humor. not a bad read. just wished I knew what her confessions of a co-star were.
Profile Image for Mike (the Paladin).
3,144 reviews1,849 followers
October 21, 2014
I picked this up on what i think would be called a, "whim". I do know at least a couple of places I "know Judy Greer (not her birth name) from". So I thought why not?

Actually the book is (and this is not a denigration), "cute". I'd say get the audio read by Judy herself. The quirky delivery and her openness will probably draw you in.

Judy is (as I said above) very open here and while I at first went into this only mildly interested I admit that there were times she had me laughing out loud...alone in a room....well except for my cat.

She's still very young and the book may be a bit early but it's a worthwhile read. She sounds very in love with her husband and happy in her own skin. Maybe...a nice person.
Profile Image for Donna.
3,975 reviews53 followers
September 13, 2017
This is an autobiography written as a group of essays. So with that being said, it doesn't really flow into a cohesive unit. But ...... I still liked this. She comes across as honest, but charming. She didn't seem guarded, apologetic, or full of herself. I liked her approach to this book as she talked about how she fell into acting, her career, and her family life. The one thing I enjoyed the most was her sense of humor. It seemed sarcastic at times, and therefore, it was like my mother-ship. This was an enjoyable read....so 4 stars.
Profile Image for Eric Klee.
210 reviews1 follower
March 24, 2014
Judy Greer is not entirely famous, and she acknowledges that by subtitling her book, "Confessions of a Co-Star." Yes, she does look familiar, but I could never tell you what I've seen her in or, by looking at a photo of her, even what her name was. And, if you showed me a photo out of context, I might say, "She looks a little familiar," but I couldn't tell you if she was an actress or the girl who rang up my shirts at American Eagle Outfitters.

Reading her memoirs is about as revelatory as looking up her credits on IMDB. They're not very "confessional." It felt like I was reading some random average person's diary. The chapters aren't "special." Nothing crazy or outrageous happens in them (like in Chelsea Handler's books). There is not much laugh-out-loud humor to them (like in Heather McDonald's books). And she doesn't hysterically poke fun at herself for only being a co-star actress (or D-list celebrity in the case of Kathy Griffin). So I'm not quite sure how she ever got a book deal. She doesn't really have an "angle."

All that being said, I truly enjoyed the book overall (when I was hesitant at first). The writing is very good, and Judy's very relatable. Despite her moderate success, she's been through a lot of the same things "normal" people have, and that's what makes her likeable. I felt like I got to know her as a person and that if we knew each other in real life, we'd possibly be friends and could hang out together at Starbucks. Or at least she'd gently and kindly blow me off.

I do know one thing: I will definitely know her name and face from now on, so this book can't do anything but help her become more recognizable. P.S. I already instantly recognized her in a new OJ commercial with Jane Krakowski.

P.P.S. I'm really disappointed that Judy didn't include a photo of her school crush Jeff Hunt that she goes on and on about. I would have liked to have seen what the big deal was.
Profile Image for Stacey.
362 reviews
September 25, 2015
I really enjoy Judy Greer and many of the movies where's she has played the best friend or side kick type role. I wouldn't be one of the people coming up to her on the street asking her "What do I know you from?". This was a really quick audiobook, read by Judy and I enjoyed it. Light and fun - I found her take on Hollywood interesting and enjoyed listening to her antic dotes.
My favorite Judy Greer movie is 13 Going on 30 (main character played by Jennifer Garner).
Profile Image for TraceyL.
990 reviews133 followers
December 3, 2018
It entertained me. There weren't a lot of crazy stories because she doesn't have a ton of them. Interesting little insight into the life of a working actress.
Profile Image for Angela Johnson.
487 reviews13 followers
July 20, 2017
I love Judy Greer. If I ran into her, there would NOT be a discussion trying to figure out where I know her from. I know her from The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, Arrested Development, 27 Dresses, even My Name is Earl. I get that she's become the sidekick, always cast as the best friend, but like she mentions in her memoir, that's who we really relate to. Watching The Wedding Planner, 13 Going on 30, etc. I can't relate to the girl that is "beautiful but doesn't know it" who just happens to always get the perfect and perfectly sculpted guy. And, really I don't want to relate to them. But I do think my favorite role she's played was Tom-Tom - I just loved that movie and her. I like to listen to audiobooks that are performed by the authors - especially memoirs. I loved this one too. Her voice and inflection always makes me smile. I recommend it for a fun, light read if you're looking to learn a little more about Judy Greer!
Profile Image for Amy.
745 reviews30 followers
April 4, 2015


“I can’t afford a full-time assistant or organize my life, I don’t have a chef cooking for me and my family, I barely have time to work out or walk my dog (OK, fine, I do have a dog walker, I mean, I’m not going to shortchange my dog Buckley, come on).”

Part one growing up in suburbs outside of Detroit not terribly noteworthy. Part two, where Judy Greer begins to discuss her Hollywood life gets only slightly more appealing. She writes without a clear voice. The tone’s neither funny nor serious. And it’s not well-written or edited. Funny actors and comedians aren’t’ necessarily funny storytellers or have real-life amusing anecdotes or interesting lives off-screen. People expect it and it’s not the case 75 percent of the time. That’s why many people are drawn to acting so that they can become another person or express themselves in another way.


What I learned:

M. Night Shyamalan was the first director to call Greer and offer her a film (The Village). She dully proceeds to describe her three month shoot on location. Bottom line: it’s a job.

She did a short-lived series called Miss Guided. I thought it had a cute premise and seemed promising. Don’t think it got picked up past one season, per most network series I like. Ashton Kutcher was a producer. After filming the pilot he asked her what she would do if ABC picked up the series. He asked her what she wanted to do if the series were to become a success. She told him she wanted to buy her dad a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Ashton told her that if the series was picked up by ABC, he’s buy her dad one. When ABC picked it up for seven episodes, true to his word, Ashton did just that. What a generous, sweet guy.



In the chapter titled “Celebrities I’ve Peed Next To,” Greer only mentions Jennifer Lopez, Debra Messing and Heidi Klum and she was doing films with two of them so how could she avoid peeing next to them at some point during the shoot?

Publicist/agents/ manager told her to tweet/ Facebook/ instagram (so message don’t trust celebrity tweets) “I become temporarily obsessed with watching my number of Twitter followers grow, with who is following who, who posts what, how many followers he/ she has, especially in comparison to me. It’s kind of a ridiculous time suck isn’t it?” She SO doesn’t understand Twitter and social media.



(received ARC from NetGalley)
Profile Image for Dana.
595 reviews14 followers
April 9, 2014
I have to say that I've always liked Judy Greer. She always plays the best friend in almost every movie I've seen her in, and her book makes the reader want to be friends with her. She writes like I imagine she would talk in life. Her book is filled with funny stories about growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, her girl-hood crushes, her current celebrity crushes, stories of her working through college at restaurants and nightclubs, and how hard it is to get an acting job and a decent place to live in Los Angeles.
Ms. Greer seems like an incredibly relatable person, talking about the embarrassing things that you know everyone goes through, just is polite enough to not discuss in public. She does go off on a few rants, but they're funny enough that you don't care, and she eventually does get back around to her main point. Her chapters are short, precise, to the point and funny. Family photos are included, but in my version, they were black and white, so when she was talking about a hair disaster, I wasn't sure if the color was part of that disaster or not.
All in all, an enjoyable read about someone you want to be friends with!
Profile Image for Lindsey Reeder.
62 reviews21 followers
December 4, 2013
Every time I told people I was reading an early advanced reading copy of a memoir from Judy Greer, they're reaction was "Is that the woman from Arrested Development?" or "Wasn't she in 27 Dresses?" Oh and don't forget "She was in The Wedding Planner, right?"

That's why I think the title of her memoir, I Don't Know What You Know Me From is perfect. She shares in the memoir that she's embraced her costar ways and has had the opportunity to work with some of today's biggest stars (which she talks about for in this book). Oh and wait until you hear what Ashton Kutcher did to surprise her!?

A charming, witty and fun memoir that can is comparable to Mindy Kaling and Tina Fey, Judy Greer had me smiling (and laughing) the whole time I read her book.

*It will be in stores in April 2014
Profile Image for Jennifer.
115 reviews18 followers
June 3, 2014
I loved the style this book was written in - it was like Judy was writing to a friend. It was interesting and fun getting to know her better. Despite her prolific career as an actress, she seems like a very genuine, down-to-earth person. The downsides were that there wasn't nearly as much humor as I had expected, it got a bit disorganized/choppy in the last section, and there were a couple chapters where she spent too much time getting down on herself. However, this was a very light and easy read, and I would recommend it if you've seen Judy in some memorable roles and want to learn more about her.
Profile Image for Muffin.
286 reviews8 followers
June 25, 2020
I read this because I like Judy Greer but it is so boring! Barely any stories about her years working in Hollywood with so many fascinating writers and actors. Instead, long passages about how she chose what kind of car to drive, or what her friends like about her, or whether or not she’ll have kids some day. I mean it, any reader would be shocked by how few Hollywood stories this Hollywood memoir contains. Eventually I grew to appreciate how effective this book was at helping me fall asleep each night, which also accounts for why it took me so long to finish.
Profile Image for Caitlin.
11 reviews2 followers
March 10, 2014
Whether you're curious just how little fun the Oscars can truly be or how to best explain to your friend that you accidentally peed on her shoes, Judy Greer's got an essay for you.

If you're a fan this book is fun and funny. If you have no idea who she is it's still fun and funny,and might inspire you to do yourself the favor of IMDbing the author. If nothing else you'll have fun discovering how many of your favorite movies/shows she's been in.
Profile Image for Christa.
345 reviews28 followers
February 17, 2016
This book made me want to be Judy Greer's best friend. I also totally didn't realize that she's CHERYL IN ARCHER which made me love her even more. She was funny and thoughtful and honest and full of way more neurotic thoughts than I anticipated, and all of these things made her easy to relate to. Also she made me really like Ashton Kutcher more.
Profile Image for Kristin.
110 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2016
i need to stop downloading e-books on ambien.
Profile Image for Tom Stamper.
597 reviews28 followers
August 25, 2020
Judy Greer writes with the same sense of humor you might imagine she possesses if you have seen her in movies or television. The first time I decided to learn her name was after seeing her pivotal role in The Descendants, although I knew that face from a myriad of other things. I had to read her filmography to remember what those other things were and them wham. She plays the kinds of second banana parts that often result in short careers but occasionally become Eve Arden careers and I think that’s what Greer has become. Arden was known for being acerbic in things like Mildred Pierce and I can imagine Greer handling a role like that with aplomb. There aren’t a lot of acerbic parts anymore and they usually get gobbled up by Emma Thompson so Judy Greer gives us an earnest quirkiness with enough different spice that it seems both familiar and refreshing.

Judy was an only child growing up outside of Detroit. She got into acting by happenstance in high school and tried out for DePaul University’s drama department because she was competitive with another of her high school friends who decided to audition. When you think of how hard it is to be a working actor anyone making a living is an aberration. The funniest comic actor I know got a commercial and one-off guest stints on shows like Fraser. But Judy Greer seems to have kind of accidentally gotten into acting and then got herself noticed at the right time. She could have easily become a writer by the talent she has shown here.

It’s a tough job trying to be modest while telling stories of acting with George Clooney. She compensates telling us that her only invitation to the Oscars had her sitting in a bar of strangers for 30 minutes until someone told her they were drinking with the seat fillers. We also get stories of how those kinds of dresses aren’t made for using the restroom. We don’t hear what came in her gift bag.

This is a short book if you’re interested in the film and TV business and about the perfect length for an airplane flight.
Profile Image for Wisty.
1,068 reviews1 follower
September 12, 2021
3.8 stars

As far as these types of book go, this was a fun one! Definitely had some out-loud chuckles throughout. Another review said that Judy seems great, but her life and therefore book is kinda boring, without much severe hardship or drama. I agree but I liked that!

In the book, Judy was saying that the best friend character she always plays is the one viewers can relate to/picture themselves as, because usually the lead in these movies is too glamorous and beautiful for anyone to connect with in that way. Her book feels the same. She had a fairly normal upbringing and yes, she's an actress, but she's got this persona of one who's hella relatable to her readers in a way that lots of Hollywood memoirs aren't. Point is, I like this woman and reading this book felt like chatting with a friend!

I like that she cries over everything, that's relatable. Wondered why she referred to her husband by his full name the whole time. Also, time to Google and make sure all the good things about her life from when she wrote this book are still going strong.
Profile Image for Nikki DeVaux.
208 reviews5 followers
April 28, 2021
I am baffled by the low GR rating, this book was such a cute, breezy read. I’ve enjoyed Judy’s work and would absolutely 100% no doubt in my mind want to be her friend. She cracked me up, I loved hearing her laugh when she was telling stories and the constant references to MI made my heart burst. I wish she would have talked about some of her movies more (aka I wanted to know behind the scenes gossip for 13 going on 30 & how much she loved Jennifer Gardner and Mark Ruffalo), but I did enjoy listening to her stories of growing up and her awesome relationship with her step-kids and husband. Definitely recommend if you need something to get your mind off of whatever’s going on in your personal life. Judy will make it all better.
Profile Image for Keri.
392 reviews50 followers
November 9, 2019
3.5 stars
Im happy every time I find out Judy Greer is in a movie I’m about to watch. She’s funny, relatable, and a good actress, so I was excited to find out she wrote a book. I feel like I know a lot more about her after this book, and I loved hearing her read it. I can’t help but wish I could hang out with Judy—I feel like we’d be great friends. Some reviews complain about the lack of juicy celeb gossip and seedy life details, but I found Judy’s life interesting and super relatable which I preferred to any drama filled antics. For me this book was an easy listen that I flew through and came out at the end even more a Judy Greer fan than before.
My main complaint was it seemed really weird to me that she constantly referred to her husband as ‘Dean Johnson’ rather than introducing him that way once and then referring to him as Dean all times afterward. Does she often call him by his full name in real life? That just seemed odd to me and therefore stood out every time.
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