Who is Monica Keena?
If you were a fan of the romantic drama series “Dawson’s Creek” which was broadcast from 1998 until 2003, you are certainly familiar with the character of Abby Morgan, a nasty high-school girl who flirts with football players, but did you know that the actress who portrayed this role, Monica Keena, requested that her character be written out of the series, because she didn’t like to be away from her boyfriend?
Another interesting fact about Monica is that the character of Rachel Lindquist from the series “Undeclared” was based on her, and her recurring role as Bonnie Crasnoff in the popular sitcom “Grey’s Anatomy”, brought her nominations for the Gold Derby Award for Drama Guest Actress, and the Online Film & Television Association (OFTA) Award for Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2005.
She is an actress with over 50 credits to her name, and besides the aforementioned television roles, she is perhaps known best for starring in movies such as “While You Were Sleeping”, “Aftermath”, and “Freddy vs. Jason”, among others.
Early life and education
Monica Keena was born under the zodiac sign of Gemini on 28 May 1979, in Brooklyn, New York City USA, thus she holds American nationality, and comes partly from a family of Irish descent on her father’s side.
She still resides in Brooklyn, where she was raised by her parents – father William is a financial sales manager, and her mother Mary Catherine is a nurse. Monica has an older sister, Samantha, about whom nothing is known since she prefers to keep her life away from the media’s attention.
Monica had an interest in art from an early age, and would draw, paint, dance and sing – she attended Saint Ann’s School for progressive children, but mother recognized her talent, thus Monica auditioned for LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts when she was 13 years old; she was accepted into both the vocal arts and the drama departments.
Upon matriculating in 1997, Monica enrolled at the University of New York, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English language, in 2000.
Roles in movies
Monica made her acting debut portraying Oksana Baiul in the 1994 TV movie “A Promise Kept: The Oksana Baiul Story”, followed by her roles as Mary in “While You Were Sleeping” in 1995, and as Violet in “Ripe” in 1996, while one of her most notable roles came in 1997, when she was cast to play Lilli Hoffman in “Snow White: A Tale of Terror”, also starring Sigourney Weaver, Gil Bellows and Sam Neil.
In the same year, Monica was seen as Alessandra Cullen in “The Devil’s Advocate”, opposite famous Al Pacino, Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron, while in the following year, she was cast to play Tinka Parker in “Strike!”.
The early 2000s saw Monica in “The Simian Line”, “Crime + Punishment in Suburbia”, and “Orange County”, followed by her role as Lori Campbell in the 2003 horror “Freddy vs. Jason”, and then in 2005, she was seen starring in “Man of the House”, “Bad Girls from Valley High”, and “Long Distance”.
Monica’s next role came in the 2006 movie “Fifty Pills”, and she was then seen in numerous TV movies, including “All She Wants for Christmas”, followed by her roles in “Brooklyn Rules” (2007), “The Narrows” (2008), and “Night of the Demons” (2009), among others.
In the 2012 action-adventure “40 Days and Nights”, Monica portrayed Tessa, and in the following year, she was seen as an Ambassador for Peace in “Isolated”, followed by her 2014 role as Elizabeth in “Aftermath”, also starring C. J. Thomason and Edward Furlong.
In 2027, Monica was cast to play Doctor Sweetie Jones in “The Ghost and the Whale”, and her most recent role was in the short movie “Klaus Eats Butterflies” in 2020.
Roles in series
Monica made her first television series appearance portraying Corey Russell in “Law & Order” in 1995, followed by her roles in “Feds” and “Homicide: Life on the Street” in 1997, and she was then cast to play Abby Morgan in “Dawson’s Creek”, a recurring role in the series until 1999.
From 2001 until 2003, Monica was seen as Rachel Lindquist in “Undeclared”, and concurrently, she portrayed Becky in “King of the Hill” (2003) before she portrayed Kristen in “Entourage” during 2004 and 2005, followed by her guest role in “Law & Order: Criminal Content” in the same year.
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As mentioned, she guest-starred in “Grey’s Anatomy”, and then she was seen as Madeline in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” in 2006. In the following years, Monica starred in “Ghost Whisperer” (2007) and “Private Practice” (2010), and was heard as Massage Woman in “Beavis and Butt-Head” in 2011.
Her most recent television role was her portrayal of Charlene McCann in an episode of the series “Castle”, in 2011.
Love life and relationships
There have been various rumors concerning both her love life and her sexual orientation, however, it’s known that she was dating James DeBello from 1999 until 2000, and then she was in a short relationship with Jonathan Brandis during 2000, while in the following year, she dated Shane West, an American actor, and punk-rock singer-songwriter – the two announced their engagement in October 2001, but broke-up soon afterwards.
However, the most publicized was her relationship with her co-star from “Night of the Demons” and “Aftermath”, Edward Furlong, especially after a domestic violence incident, and the filing of a restraining order. The two started dating in 2008, but broke up two years later, however, according to Daily Mail, they were spotted together at a mall in October 2016, although Edward had also been previously arrested twice, for allegedly assaulting Monica.
Some of their posts on social media since then point to some kind of reconciliation, and many people assumed that they are again in a relationship. In 2020, they adopted a puppy, and shared the news with their followers, although they haven’t confirmed that they’re a couple.
As of July 2022, it seems that Monica is in a relationship with Edward Furlong; she hasn’t been married, however, she was engaged once, and she doesn’t have children.
What is she doing today?
Monica’s fans will be happy to hear that she completed the filming of a pilot episode of the new series “Puckheads”, a sports comedy-drama, also starring Nicholas Turturro, Kevin Sizemore, and Colin Egglesfield.
She also stars in two new movies, entitled “Manson Girls” and “Karma”, which are currently in development.
Her fans can keep track of her life and work through her Instagram account, which has been followed by over 10,000 people.
Age, appearance, and net worth
Monica’s age is 43, and has blonde hair and piercing blue eyes; she weighs around 110lbs (50kgs) and is 5ft 1in (1.56m) tall, with vital statistics of 33-24-34.
According to sources, as of July 2022, her net worth has been estimated at over $500,000, with most of the income earned thanks to her acting talent.
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