UVa graduate gains notice in Hollywood

Jen Lilley can be seen on the small screen now in MTV’s “Disaster Date” and on the big screen later in “The Artist,” which got a warm reception at the Cannes Film Festival.

But although the 2007 University of Virginia graduate is more likely to be spotted on a red carpet than at the Rotunda these days, the actress still has a taste for her alma mater.

“Sometimes I get sentimental, and I want a Gus Burger,” Lilley said. “I miss the [UVa] gardens, and I miss the Gus Burger.”

Lilley had plenty of chances to savor the White Spot’s iconic fried-egg-topped cheeseburger during her student days. For a while, she managed the Sweet Spot, a coffee shop that was next door to the White Spot on the University Corner. Lately, though, it’s her acting career that has landed sunny side up.

The Roanoke native graduated early from UVa and had three job offers in her hometown, but instead of teaching kindergarten or environmental science classes, she decided to give Hollywood a shot. Since then, she has been building a career in comedy and drama.

Fans of the CBS comedy series “Rules of Engagement” got a glimpse of her on May 12 as the “bubbly barista.” On MTV, viewers can see her flair for improv comedy in the new fourth season of “Disaster Date,” which can be seen at 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Lilley plays all sorts of quirky characters to unnerve a series of blind dates — guys who have no idea that she’s actually an actress. One minute, she’s lurking behind a nerd’s retainer, and the next, she’s a conceited valley girl.

Once the cameras start rolling, the hapless dates don’t have a clue what’s going on. But at audition time, Lilley was the one trying to figure out the show’s playful premise.

“It was surprisingly fun,” Lilley said. “I remember going into the audition thinking, ‘What is this?’ ” But she quickly found her footing and bonded with her colleagues.

“[On] what other show are you going to be able to play twenty kooky characters? It was like a family. I actually cried when we wrapped.”

She said she’d love to go back if the “Disaster Date” folks asked her, but if the green-eyed blonde were recognized from the current season’s episodes, it could spoil the element of surprise.

Lilley enjoys both comedy and drama, but in Hollywood, her flair for making people laugh seems to be getting her noticed.

“I didn’t really think I was funny until I got out here,” Lilley said. She said that her family members have a knack for humor, especially her father, and she has many fond memories of sitting around the table and listening.

Fans of “iCarly” on Nickelodeon will be able to see Lilley in the show’s latest movie, “iParty with Victorious,” at 8 p.m. June 11.  A crossover between the shows “iCarly” and “Victorious,” it’s packed with popular characters.

She played Monie, a makeup artist to the stars whom Lilley describes as “Spencer’s crazy ex-girlfriend,” and she came away with a lot of respect for a cast that welcomed her warmly. Lilley was on hand for the celebration of the show’s 100th episode, and she said parents can feel good about letting young viewers look up to the cast members.

“I would work with them again in a heartbeat,” Lilley said. “I have never had so much fun on a TV set.

“None of them are jaded or blown up by their fame. They’re so down to earth. I feel like they deserve a good fan base because they are so amazing.”

In Hollywood, Lilley’s not seen only as being funny. She’s been told she has “a 1920s face.” That’s fine with her, because she’s a huge fan of silent movies.

When auditions began for “The Artist,” director Michael Hazanavicius’ film about a fictional leading man whose star begins to dim with the arrival of talkies, “I remember calling my agent and saying she had to pitch me for my 1920s face,” Lilley said. “I’m enamored of the time period.”

It also resonated because Lilley has studied the work of Clara Bow, a silent film superstar whose “Bronx accent and kind of a Betty Boop voice” made success in talkies more challenging.

French actor Jean Dujardin, an A-lister in France, plays a film star whose career begins to cool off just as his bubbly protege’s begins to ignite. The film’s theatrical release is expected later this year, so toward the end of the film, keep an eye out for a character billed as Onlooker No. 1, and you’ll get to judge Lilley’s 1920s face for yourself.

Taking a black-and-white silent film to Cannes was a gutsy move for Hazanavicius, but audiences gave it a 15-minute standing ovation.

And there’s a possibility Lilley might have a bigger presence on the small screen. She was booked for series regular roles on three different television pilots this year, which is a rare feat. She’s still waiting to hear if any of them will be added to the networks’ fall schedules.

Local fans can help her out by heading to her fan page — www.facebook.com/JenLilleyFanPage — and pressing “like.” Being liked helps a lot in Hollywood, and Lilley said it can increase the chances that one’s pilot will be picked up.