Max Greenfield

Max Greenfield spent his teenage years in Dobbs Ferry imitating the comedians of Saturday Night Live. He wasn't looking for academic validation because his mind was already on the TV studios of New York. His goal was physical comedy and the fast pace of the 1990s sitcoms.

It only worked halfway.

Before becoming a familiar face, he spent years landing tiny roles in series such as Gilmore Girls or Boston Public. In 2005, he landed the role of Leo D’Amato in Veronica Mars. It was a recurring role that gave him some visibility with young audiences but didn't guarantee him rent money or professional stability.

Crafting a Likable Narcissist

The casting for New Girl in 2011 radically changed his financial situation. Greenfield auditioned for the role of Schmidt with a confidence that bordered on the absurd. The producers were looking for someone who could deliver arrogant lines without making viewers want to switch off the TV right away.

And he got there thanks to a mix of vulnerability and an obsession with fitness.

For seven seasons, he played that character in an almost manic way. He received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations in 2012, but never took the trophy home. His salary per episode went up while his public image merged with that of the guy who keeps dollars in a glass jar as punishment for his arrogance.

But being typecast was a real risk.

The Haven of Free-to-Air Television

Many actors run away from traditional sitcoms after a massive hit. Greenfield did the opposite. In 2018, he signed on to star in The Neighborhood on CBS. It is a multi-camera, white-bread sitcom that doesn't try to reinvent anything in the industry.

Critics systematically ignored her.

But the audience ratings in the United States were massive. Greenfield plays Dave Johnson, an optimist who moves to a Los Angeles neighborhood where no one expected him. In 2024 the series reached its seventh season, securing its place on millions of screens every week.

Outside of television, he looked for projects with a different tone. In 2015 he worked alongside Sally Field in Hello, My Name Is Doris. It was a restrained role that showed he could handle light drama without resorting to the shouting of his earlier work.

In 2020 he appeared in Promising Young Woman under the direction of Emerald Fennell. He played Joe, a character who explores toxic masculinity from a much darker perspective. It was a deliberate choice to move away from the physical comedy that had given him so much during the previous decade.

He also explored publishing. He wrote a children's book titled I Don’t Want To Read This Book in 2021. The book grew out of his own struggles with reading as a child and became a small children's book franchise for kids facing similar challenges.

In 2024, he appeared in the film Unfrosted by Jerry Seinfeld for Netflix. The shoot focused on the fictional story of how Pop-Tarts were created in the 1960s. Greenfield played Rick Ludwin in a production with an estimated budget of $70 million.