Linda Cardellini has cut anything but a straightforward path through Hollywood. Over three decades, she’s played a disaffected teen in Freaks and Geeks, a villainous sorority girl in Legally Blonde, and the brainy, turtleneck-clad Velma in Scooby-Doo, moving between comedy and drama with an ease few actors can claim. Now, she’s taking another left turn in Peacock’s Crystal Lake, the highly anticipated Friday the 13th prequel series. Playing a lounge singer, a mother, and a murderer all at once, she “contains multitudes,” as her friend, biggest admirer, and future They Know co-star Bill Hader points out. In conversation, the two take a tour through Linda’s idiosyncratic career, from playing America’s favorite nerd to its newest nightmare.
By Bill Hader
TUESDAY 3 PM OCTOBER 20, 2026 NEW YORK CITY
LINDA CARDELLINI: Are we going to talk about your haircut, Bill? Looks nice.
BILL HADER: I’m about to do press for Cat in the Hat and I’ve been told, “You need to get a haircut. We need to make sure you look like a human.”
CARDELLINI: Are you going to wear a hat?
HADER: [Laughs] Yeah, it’s The Cat in the Hat. You got to wear a hat.
CARDELLINI: I’m very excited about that.
HADER: It’s a very sweet movie. It’s a lot like your show, Crystal Lake.
CARDELLINI: That’s right.
HADER: I walked in and the kids were watching it and I was like, “What’s this?” Then you popped up and I was like, “Oh my god, is this Crystal Lake?” They were like, “Yeah, this is so fucked up.”
CARDELLINI: They’re not far off. It’s a little fucked up.
