Kat Dennings began her career early, landing a small role on Sex and the City in 2000, and since then, she’s appeared in numerous TV shows and movies like WandaVision, 2 Broke Girls, and Thor. Despite her achievements, it seems she’s been beaten down by life at every possible turn.
1. Dennings’ First Commercial
Before officially moving to Los Angeles as a teen, Kat booked her first commercial gig when she was just 9 years old. But as you’ve probably assumed, this early experience was a real dumpster fire. Dennings was cast in a commercial for Orleans’ low-fat potato chips, but instead of the advertised snack, the producers filled the bag with regular potato chips. Later, Dennings learned that the actual product used a fat substitute called Olean, which is known for causing painful side effects and is banned in some countries. As a result, the commercial never aired, and the Orleans product never hit the market.
2. The “Edgy” Character Typecats
Early on, Dennings was often cast as the “emo” or “edgy” girl, which shaped the bulk of her career. After appearances in shows like Raising Dad and a couple of roles in indie films, her big break came in 2007 with Charlie Bartlett, playing a chill high schooler side-by-side with her future best friend, Anton Yelchin. Dennings continued this trend with Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, identifying with the “not like the other girls” type. In a 2019 interview, she noted her connection to “emo” characters, citing her life experiences. However, with roles in Thor and WandaVision, Kat expanded her range and was finally freed from being typecast.
3. Her Private Photo Got Leaked
Dennings was one of many celebrities affected by a notorious leak of personal photos between 2010 and 2017. Unfortunately, public sentiment largely blamed the victims, including Kat, for taking the photos in the first place, subjecting them to unjustified judgment and even slut-shaming. When Chris Evans was in a similar situation in 2020, fans responded with empathy and support rather than judgment. Dennings commented on this double standard, saying that it would be nice if public respect for women were the same as it was for Evans. And she’s absolutely correct.