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A Primer on The Fighter’s Seven Sisters

The L.A. Times has an essential piece about the sisters in The Fighter, the film’s Greek chorus of Boston accents and teased hair. Three-thousand women auditioned for the parts, and the seven who got them include some with no acting experience, some who live in L.A., and one who is Conan O’Brien’s sister, Kate. (You can watch Conan talk about his sister’s part in the film during his recent interview with The Fighter’s Amy Adams.) To supplement the LAT’s piece, we’ve put together a primer on all seven of the actresses, so you can tell them apart, learn which one Adams punched in the face, and pick your favorite. (Team Donna!)

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Erica McDermott — Cindy “Tar” Eklund
Age: 37
Credits: “Bridesmaid,” Knight and Day, “performance in a community theater production called Mommylogues, which she took on after a few weeks of acting classes.”
Fun Fact: The Massachusetts native and stay-at-home mom landed the part after “the casting director was going around the casting call saying, ‘You’re too pretty,’ and ‘You’re too pretty.’ So I got up in her face and said, ‘You think I’m too pretty? Because in my acting class they said you have to take a risk.”
In the Movie: Amy Adams says to her, “Don’t call me skank. I’ll rip that nasty hair right out of your head.”

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Melissa McMeekin — Little Alice Eklund
Age: 38
Credits: The Visionary
Fun Fact: IMDb claims she has a tattoo of David Spade’s signature on her foot. Almost didn’t audition: “I was going to turn around when I saw how many people were there, but my Mom had to pee and she made me go inside.”
In the Movie: Tries to explain which sisters are Wards and which are Ecklunds to the HBO guys.

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Bianca Hunter — Cathy “Porky” Eklund
Age: N/A
Credits: Serpico(!), Goodfellas, Bad Lieutenant, Trees Lounge
Fun Fact: “She holds a bizarre distinction in the history of cinema as the girl who simulated oral sex on Harvey Keitel’s character in a famous scene from 1992’s Bad Lieutenant — but left behind acting in the late 1990s to raise her three children as a single mother.”
In the Movie: The sister who initially dubs Amy Adams’s Charlene an “MTV girl.”

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Kate B. O’Brien — Phyllis “Beaver” Eklund
Age: N/A
Credits: None
Fun Fact: Conan’s sister!
In the Movie: Dares say to her mother, “What’s Micky supposed to do, Dickie’s in jail!”

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Jill Quigg — Donna Eklund Jaynes
Age: 35
Credits: Gone Baby Gone
Fun Fact: As a commenter pointed out below, this past October, Quigg was arrested and charged with burglary. (That’s method for you.)
In the Movie: The crazy-looking one who gets the idea to go beat up Charlene (Adams).

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Dendrie Taylor — Gail “Red Dog” Eklund
Age: N/A
Credits: Has been working steadily since 1986, dozens of credits include Wings, NYPD Blue, ER, Everwood, War of the Worlds, Veronica Mars, Sons of Anarchy, In Treatment.
Fun Fact: See below.
In the Movie: The one Amy Adams punches in the face!

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Jenna Lamia — Sherri Ward
Age: 35
Credits: Strangers With Candy, Oz, NYPD Blue, The Box
Fun Fact: According to IMDb, has “attended Amherst College, New York University and the Sorbonne in Paris.”
In the Movie: The one Melissa Leo cuts down by reminding her, “What are you doing opening your mouth in my kitchen. You owe me 200 dollars.”

Just who are the sisters in ‘The Fighter’? [24 Frames/LAT]

A Primer on The Fighter’s Seven Sisters