Fans of the FX television series “Better Things” know American actress Rebecca Metz best as Tressa. She’s been keeping us entertained for decades in the various roles she has held in comedy series. As viewers, we often know little about the person behind the character of our favorite shows. To more fully explore the real person behind the role, here are 10 things you probably didn’t know about Rebecca Metz.
1. She has something in common with Bruce Springsteen
Rebecca was born on September 29, 1974, in Freehold Township, New Jersey. She grew up in the city of her birth and graduated from the local school. She turned 45 in the Fall of 2019 with a career that is in full swing in the entertainment industry. Freehold Township also happens to be the hometown of singer Bruce Springsteen.
2. She is a college graduate
After Rebecca completed her high school studies, she went about the business of preparing for her career. She was accepted at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. She was successful in earning her degree in drama studies and graduated from the institution prior to launching her acting career.
3. She comes from a family of entertainers
Here is another bit of trivia that most people don’t know about Rebecca Metz. Her mother and father were both involved in the performing arts. In fact, they were both inspirations for her decision to follow a creative path in life. Metz’s mom and dad were both classically trained singers and they supported her decision to go into the field of acting as her career choice.
4. She wanted to act since she was a child
There was another inspiration for Rebecca’s career choice. She shared that when she was a little girl, she loved watching “The Muppet Show.” Looking back, she admitted that although it’s humorous now, she thoroughly enjoyed watching the characters in the backstage scenes having a crisis and chaos, then trying to keep it from the audience when they got onto the stage. Children pick up on a lot of small things that get stuck in their memories and for her, this was something that looked like a lot of fun and it got her creative juices flowing. She wanted to become a part of that kind of fun and it sparked her interest in becoming an actress.
5. Her first acting job was in 1998
Rebecca Metz has been acting professionally for more than 20 years. Her first appearance on television was in the 1998 television series “Politically Incorrect.” She had a minor role and made just one appearance but it was a start. Her next acting gig was in 2000 in “Strong Medicine” with another minor role in the series “That’s Life” the same year. In 2002 she appeared in a few other minor roles in “The King of Queens,” “ER” and “Angel” in 2004.
6. She established her reputation with minor roles in television
Rebecca Metz appeared in 2 episodes of “Gilmore Girls” from 2002-2004. She continued with the same pattern in 2005, making guest appearances on “Medium” “Committed,” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” This trend continued with an occasional appearance in “Eve” “Scrubs,” “Without a Trace,” “Nip/Tuck,” and appearances in two film shorts “K-7” and “The Shabbos Bigfoot” in 2006. Rebecca Metz has become the queen of guest appearances on television series only showing up on one or two episodes throughout most of her acting career. She’s not complaining about it either. She shared that she has been thankful for the work and that it’s been a lot of fun.
7. Metz got a break in 2015
Rebecca Metz finally got a bit of a break in 2015 when she was cast in a more regular recurring role in the television series “Shameless” She played the part of Melinda. More recurring roles would come her way shortly. In 2016, she landed the role of Tressa in the television series “Better Things” and four years later, she’s still an integral member of the cast. In 2018, she was cast as Jenna Wrather in “Coop and Cami Ask the World” and she’s scheduled to remain in the role at least through the 2020 season.
8. Rebecca has had a busy year
We also learned that Metz will appear in the recently completed film “Magic Camp. Although there hasn’t been a lot of information shared about the project yet, we learned that she plays a character named Mrs. Jenkins and that the film is in its completed stage of development. So far, she has an amazing 50 credits in her acting portfolio, most of them from making small appearances in a lot of popular television series.
9. Rebecca is also a stage actress
Metz has a long resume when it comes to television appearances, but she has also appeared in commercials as well as stage productions. She performed in “The Behavior of Broadus (Sacred Fools,” Shiela Callaghan’s “Kate: Crackernuts” at the 24th Street Theater, and more. Stage acting is not for the faint of heart because it requires concentration, focus, and confidence. There are no second takes when you’re performing in front of a live audience. This gives us a whole new level of respect for her.
10. Rebecca Metz is a success in her chosen career
Metz may not have achieved superstar status as a leading lady or an A-lister, but her reputation in the acting community is nonetheless impressive. She has enjoyed all of the work that her schedule can handle, and she’s been involved in entertaining viewers regularly for a couple of decades. She is happy with the life that she has chosen and she loves what she does. This is truly the mark of success. Rebecca provides support in the majority of her roles and this is just as important as the performances delivered by the lead actors. For this, we say, thank you Rebecca for all your contributions.
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