1994–2006: Modeling career and early acting After high school, Hendricks worked as a
receptionist and shampoo girl at a salon before entering a competition to appear on the cover of
Seventeen magazine. This resulted in her signing with
IMG Models, after which she moved to
New York City at age 18, forgoing her pre-acceptance into
Virginia Commonwealth University's drama school. She began modeling in New York,
London, and
Japan between the ages of 18 and 27 before transitioning into commercials. She lived in London for around a year during this period, living with two friends who were teachers. In her early twenties, she moved with her mother and brother to
Los Angeles, California. Initially, she pursued a career in the administrative sector of the music business, but was dissuaded by friends, and kept working as a model before auditioning for acting roles. She appeared in commercials for
Carl's Jr. and
Dr. Pepper, and starred in the music video for
Everclear's "One Hit Wonder" (1997). She was the hand model in the poster for the film
American Beauty. She made her television debut in the MTV anthology series
Undressed. Her first starring role was as an intern on
Beggars and Choosers, a
Showtime comedy series about a group of young professionals that was filmed in
Vancouver and ran from 1999 to 2001. She also had a guest role on the series
Angel in 2000. She subsequently appeared in the television film
The Big Time (2002), and had recurring guest roles on
ER (2002),
The Court (2003), and
Firefly (2002–2003). After a guest appearance on
Tru Calling, she was cast as Nicolette Ray in the
UPN legal drama
Kevin Hill, which aired during the 2004–05 television season.
2007–2015: Mad Men and rise to prominence In perhaps her best-known role to date, Hendricks played office manager
Joan Holloway on the AMC series
Mad Men, set in a series of fictitious advertising agencies in 1960s New York City. Her performance received critical praise, and earned her six
Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series over the show's seven seasons. Also in 2007, Hendricks made her feature film debut in
La Cucina, a
drama film that premiered on
Showtime in December 2009, starring Hendricks as a writer. That year, she also starred in the thriller film
South of Pico, and appeared in four episodes of the
NBC series
Life (2007–2008) in the recurring role of Olivia, detective
Charlie Crews' soon-to-be stepmother and Ted Earley's love interest. In 2010, she appeared in the musical video for "The Ghost Inside" on
Broken Bells by
Broken Bells. She appeared in a supporting role in the action-thriller
Drive (2011), directed by
Nicolas Winding Refn. The following year, she was cast in a supporting role in
Sally Potter's drama film
Ginger & Rosa, playing the countercultural mother of a teenager growing up in the 1960s. In 2011, she appeared onstage in a production of
Stephen Sondheim's
Company at the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She lent her voice and likeness in the 2011 racing video game
Need for Speed: The Run, playing the role of Sam Harper. In 2014, she played the lead character in Ryan Gosling's directorial debut
Lost River, a fantasy film set in Detroit; it received mixed reviews. She voiced Zarina in
Disney's
The Pirate Fairy. She starred in the novel adaptation
Dark Places (2015). After the conclusion of
Mad Men in 2015, she starred as a prostitute in two seasons of the
Comedy Central series
Another Period (2015–2016), set in the early 20th century.
2016–present: Good Girls and other roles In 2016, she appeared as one of the leads in Refn's thriller film
The Neon Demon, portraying a modeling agent. Critical response to the film was polarized, though the French film magazine
Cahiers du cinéma named it the third-best film of 2016. The same year, she starred in six episodes of the series
Hap and Leonard, playing the ex-wife of investigator Hap Collins. In 2018, she appeared in home-invasion based horror film
The Strangers: Prey at Night, playing the matriarch of a family under siege by killers. Upon release, the film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics, though
The Guardians Benjamin Lee praised Hendricks's performance. It was a commercial success, however, grossing $30 million. In 2018, Hendricks returned to television in the
Amazon Prime series
The Romanoffs, reuniting with
Mad Men creator
Matthew Weiner. She stars as one of the leads on the
NBC comedy crime series
Good Girls, playing a woman who attempts to gain financial control of her life by holding up a grocery store. The show ran until 2021. In late 2018, Hendricks starred opposite
Sienna Miller in the drama
American Woman, portraying a woman helping her sister raise her family in rural Pennsylvania. She also voiced
Gabby Gabby, the main
antivillain in the
Disney/
Pixar animated sequel
Toy Story 4 (2019). In 2020, Hendricks voiced Officer Jaffe in the Warner Bros. 2020
Scooby-Doo film
Scoob!. ==Personal life and public image==