Greta Lee will be back on cinema screens on 7 August, when Magnolia Pictures releases "Late Fame" in select theatres — her first film role since "Past Lives" turned her from a working character actor into an Oscar-adjacent leading lady. The film, directed by Kent Jones, premiered roughly a year ago at the Venice Film Festival and finally reaches audiences this summer (The Hollywood Reporter).

Lee plays Gloria, a working actress still hunting for gigs — a character that sits close to her own story. Willem Dafoe co-stars as Ed Saxberger, a postal worker and former poet. The cast and premise carry the hallmarks of a small-budget indie: Killer Films produced, and Magnolia will open it in limited release before any wider expansion. Sandra Hüller, the German actor acclaimed for "Anatomy of a Fall," was originally attached to the role of Gloria before Lee stepped in (The Hollywood Reporter).

The road to "Late Fame" runs straight through "Past Lives." Celine Song's debut feature, distributed by A24, opened in theatres in 2023 and earned an Academy Award nomination. Lee, who turned 40 that same year, played Nora — a Korean-born playwright living in New York — and received a Golden Globe nomination for lead actress (The Hollywood Reporter). Before that film, she was best known for supporting turns in the television series "Girls" and "Russian Doll." Born in Los Angeles, she studied theatre at Northwestern University (The Hollywood Reporter).

The breakout opened doors across the industry. Lee joined two Disney franchise projects — "Tron: Ares" and "Toy Story 5" — and earned an Emmy nomination for her role as Stella on Apple TV+'s "The Morning Show." That character's arc has since closed: Lee confirmed in October 2025 that Stella exits the series after an AI-related downfall in the sixth episode of the latest season (The Hollywood Reporter). She also appeared as herself in the Apple series "The Studio" (The Hollywood Reporter).

Beyond "Late Fame," Lee is attached to star in "11817," a science-fiction film directed by Louis Leterrier and set for release on Netflix (Collider). Jones, her "Late Fame" director, previously made the 2018 film "Diane."

For audiences who found Lee through "Past Lives," "Late Fame" offers a different texture — an intimate, character-driven piece rather than a romance spanning decades and continents. The Venice premiere a year ago means the film has already travelled the festival circuit. Now it meets the public, and Lee's career moves with it.