In a successful TV series, it's important to have compelling main characters that
make the viewers want to tune in for every episode. But those winning leads shouldn't
get all the credit for a show's success. The supporting players,
and often the antagonists, are vital to filling out the world of the show.
Take, for example, the character of Yasmine from the Netflix series
Cobra Kai. Her penchant for being nasty to her classmates might not have you rooting for her,
but when the character returned to the halls of West Valley High after not appearing in season 2,
there's a good chance you realized how vital she is to the ecosystem of the show.
And that is a testament to the performance of the actor who plays her, Annalisa Cochrane .
You may also be thinking that she looks kind of familiar.
Cobra Kai is far from Cochrane's first on-screen performance. From TV guest spots to starring
roles in films, Cochrane already has an impressive list of credits to her name.
Here are a few TV series and movies where you may have seen Cobra Kai's resident mean girl.
"Consider me more of an admirer from afar."
"Oh my god."
As with many actors getting their start in the business,
Cochrane's career began with a string of short films and guest star appearances on TV shows.
Before her recurring role on Cobra Kai, you may have spotted her on episodes of Modern Family,
Major Crimes, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
"This is super weird!"
"Hey! Shh. This is our thing."
She parlayed that work into a multi-episode arc on
the long-running daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless in 2017,
and also had a one-episode role on Days of Our Lives around the same time. However, for her
next recurring part, she moved away from soaps and into the world of edgy contemporary reboots.
After finishing up her run on The Young and the Restless, Cochrane joined the
cast of the Paramount Network reboot of '80s teen movie satire Heathers.
She played Shelby on the short-lived series, a cheerleader who is barely on
the periphery of being acknowledged by the popular clique at Westerberg High School.
Although her character faces a considerable amount of bullying on the series,
according to Cochrane, her experience filming the show couldn't be more different.
Speaking with entertainment website Close-up Culture,
Cochrane talked about the experience of shooting Heathers, saying,
"Every show that I've been on has been a remarkable experience,
but this one, in particular, stands out… Not only did it have me amazed at every episode,
every costume, every crazy detail,
but it gave me a community of like-minded people who I call some of my best friends today."
The series itself ended up being a bit of a debacle overall,
being met with controversy, a delayed rollout, and poor critical reception — but
it sounds like it was a rewarding experience for Cochrane nonetheless.
"See? Heath is in the girls' bathroom."
"It's Heather."
"Does it say 'Heather' on your birth certificate?"
"Does it say aborted queef weasel on yours?"
Other than popping up on soaps and high school set TV dramas, Cochrane has also done a lot
of work in the world of horror and sci-fi. She starred in the 2019 film Apparition as Skyler,
a woman whose friend invents an app that is able to give the living direct communication with the
dead. They test it out at an abandoned former boys school where a horrible tragedy happened,
and to nobody's surprise but their own, that ends up being a really big mistake.
She also co-starred in the ensemble film Confessional, where she plays Raquel,
one of several college students who receive a mysterious request to come
to a sound booth on campus. Once there, they are grilled
about their connection to the mysterious deaths of some of their fellow students.
On the TV and streaming side, Cochrane nabbed parts on two recent horror and sci-fi anthology
series. On Hulu's Into the Dark, she appears in the segment titled "Pure."
The eerie supernatural thriller combines the nightmarish subculture of virginity
pledges and purity balls with some good old-fashioned supernatural possession.
Although the Jordan Peele produced Weird City is more sci-fi than horror,
it also uses social issues to draw its viewers into a sense of unease.
The episode "Go to College" is about a young woman from a lower social class who finds herself at a
university with some exceptionally suspicious rich kids, one of whom is played by Cochrane.
"Amazing! You are hilarious. I already feel like we're besties."
Playing the mean girl may not always win you the most love from fans,
but as Annalisa Cochrane proves, doing it well can be a work of art.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Looper videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.