Director Will Gluck is speaking out about Amanda Bynes and her last on-screen role. The child actress stepped away from the spotlight following her role in the 2010 movie “Easy A,” in which she starred opposite Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Lisa Kudrow, and Stanley Tucci. The film, which first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, was a major financial success, grossing $75 million against a budget of only $8 million. The film earned Stone a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical, and it won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Comedy.
‘Easy A’ Director Addresses Amanda Bynes’ Last On-Screen Role
In 2010, Amanda Bynes played mean girl Marianne Bryant in “Easy A,” opposite Emma Stone’s Olive Penderghast. When Olive’s little white lie spirals out of control, she leans into her new provocative persona and sews a red “A” onto her clothes, echoing Hester Prynne’s punishment in “The Scarlet Letter.”
Director Will Gluck recently admitted that the role was “kind of tough for” Bynes while speaking to Jess Lucero on the Plus One podcast on Wednesday, October 21. “She was a huge star, and then she had to play, like, a second banana to Emma,” he admitted. “But she was great.”
Will Gluck Said He Was ‘Shocked’ By Amanda Bynes’ Struggles
Although Bynes found success as a child star, she quit acting following her role in “Easy A” and famously struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues beginning in 2012.
Her parents were granted a conservatorship for her from 2013 to 2022. During that time, she was subject to psychiatric holds and inpatient treatments amid several run-ins with the police.
Looking back, Gluck said that he was “shocked” to see what became of her career, telling Lucero that she was “100 percent a pro.”
“Her parents were on set, too,” he continued. “I was shocked after all this happened, and everyone said to me during the time, ‘Did you see anything?’ I said, ‘Literally, not at all.’”
Amanda Bynes Never Auditioned For Her Role In ‘Easy A’
He also revealed that the actress didn’t actually audition for her role in “Easy A.”
“She didn’t audition for Easy A, but we met, though, beforehand,” the director added. “She was one of the few people who didn’t audition on that movie. We met for a long time. And she was great on that set.”
Lucero praised Bynes, saying that she was “obsessed” with her performances. She went on to reveal that the “She’s the Man” star was actually one of the actresses who got her interested in pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
“She was so good, too,” Gluck agreed, noting that it was “strange” what happened to her career.
Amanda Bynes Revealed That She ‘Literally Couldn’t Stand’ Her ‘Easy A’ Role
Although Gluck had nothing but praise for the actress, Bynes told Paper magazine in 2018 that she absolutely hated her role when she watched the film.
“I literally couldn’t stand my appearance in that movie, and I didn’t like my performance. I was absolutely convinced I needed to stop acting after seeing it,” she said, although she admitted that her drug use might have altered her perception of the film.
“I was high on marijuana when I saw that, but for some reason it really started to affect me. I don’t know if it was a drug-induced psychosis or what, but it affected my brain in a different way than it affects other people. It absolutely changed my perception of things.”
Amanda Bynes Released A New Song In 2026
Bynes is now sober and working to turn her life around. In 2022, she told PEOPLE magazine that she has been “working hard” to improve her health so that she can live and work independently.
“I would like to thank my fans for their love and well wishes during this time. I would also like to thank my lawyer and my parents for their support over the last nine years,” she said at the time.
“In the last several years, I have been working hard to improve my health so that I can live and work independently, and I will continue to prioritize my well-being in this next chapter,” she added.
She attempted to make a comeback in April 2026 with a new song, “Girlfriend,” along with Zabba and Fenix Flexin. Juan McLean wrote and composed the single.
