As a devoted Girls fan, naturally upon watching the series, I've been canvassing the work of the talented stars of the show. It's hard not to be intrigued by the funny and cynical series regular Alex Karpovsky, who plays Ray Ploshansky, manager of Grumpys Cafe and boyfriend of Shosh on the show. The Russian-Jewish Bostonian studied grad level Anthropology at Oxford University before dropping out and moving to New York to pursue stand up comedy which didn't work out so well for him, leading him to turn that energy into writing monologues and creating films. Karpovsky has been a star in indie film for a decade now and began by creating low budget films for small audiences at film festivals, Karpovsky then met Lena Dunham one summer at SXSW Festival, where she asked him to play the role of resident mooch Jed in her debut film Tiny Furniture. From there, we've been seeing more of him each Sunday on HBO, as well as on the big screen.
Alex Karpovsky has two films coming out this month that he wrote, directed and starred in. Rubberneck, a psychological thriller in which he plays a scientist who has a lingering infatuation with a co-worker, and Red Flag, an improvisational comedy. Both films are being released by Tribeca Film. Additionally, Karpovsky stars in Supporting Characters by writer/director Daniel Schechter which is on VOD & iTunes now. The modest indie explores the relationship tribulations and friendship amongst two editors as they are putting the finishing touches on their own indie film in the movie. The film is smart aesthetically shot on high definition digital video with your average Manhattan apartment and street scenery.
Aside from taking Tribeca Film by storm in 2012, Karpovsky has also landed an acting role in the upcoming Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis , starring Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake, which is set to be his major motion picture debut.
His fantastic filmography should be enough for you to check out Alex Karpovsky's work if you haven't, (The early cuts, too!) however, if you're not convinced, get a feel for his clever quirkiness in Rookie Magazine's ongoing Ask A Grown Man video series below:
photo via Terry Richardson
