We value Laura San Giacomo for the bite she brings to polite company. Her frankness is funniest when it unsettles the people around her, though supporting parts do not always give her enough to do.
Fi1m perspective
Cynthia Bishop wants her sister's husband and sees little reason to feel ashamed about it. In sex, lies, and videotape (1989), Laura San Giacomo makes that appetite funny without asking us to approve of her. We laughed at how unembarrassed she is beside Andie MacDowell's tightly contained Ann. San Giacomo has the best lines, but the pleasure is also in how little Cynthia needs anyone else's permission to enjoy herself.
That film debut remains our starting point for her work, because Steven Soderbergh gives her more to do than provide a rude interruption. He wrote, directed and edited a film in which four people's different ways of speaking carry the drama. Against James Spader's almost motionless Graham and Peter Gallagher's complacent John, her directness makes the conversations less comfortable and much funnier. The part could have become a collection of provocations; San Giacomo makes Cynthia's appetite as credible as Ann's unease.
Pretty Woman (1990) gives her a smaller task as Kit De Luca: keeping the supporting company from becoming too agreeable. Héctor Elizondo's kindly hotel manager supplies reassurance around Julia Roberts and Richard Gere's romance, while San Giacomo supplies some welcome bite. She does the job well, though we would have liked more for her to work with. Kit is a pleasure, but Cynthia is the stronger reason to seek her out.
The move towards television brought a lead as Maya Gallo in Just Shoot Me (1997–2003), giving her comic timing a more sustained role. As Rhetta Rodriguez in Saving Grace (2007–2010), alongside Holly Hunter, she had scope for a more sympathetic dramatic performance. Occasional film appearances continued, including Dr Moreno in Honey Boy (2019). Those parts suggest more possibilities than another outspoken friend brought in to sharpen someone else's scene. For San Giacomo with a part that rewards close attention, start with sex, lies, and videotape.
Biography
Laura San Giacomo is an American actress. She made her credited film debut as Cynthia Bishop in Steven Soderbergh's sex, lies, and videotape (1989), for which she won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female.
She trained at the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama. San Giacomo is also known for playing Kit De Luca in Pretty Woman (1990) and Maya Gallo in the NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me! (1997–2003). She received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations and has had recurring roles in series including Saving Grace (2007–2010) and NCIS (2016–2024).
