Marisa Coughlan revisits Excelsior’s The Lobby where some scenes were filmed for Blue Eyed Girl, a comedy-drama about a woman returning to her hometown to tend to family obligations. But … does romance enter the picture? No plot spoiler here! Photo: Chris Emeott
Discover the hometown story behind Marisa Coughlan’s Blue Eyed Girl.
After falling in love with movies as a child, all Minnesota native Marisa Coughlan ever dreamed about was being an actress. Fast forward to today and she’s not only an actress but a successful writer and producer as well—with her most meaningful production paying homage to the state where she grew up.
Blue Eyed Girl, written by Coughlan over the course of a few years after her move back to the Wayzata area after 20 years in Los Angeles, is partially a love letter to her home state. “I spent a lot of time in Wayzata as a teenager and used to go to Willow Creek Movie Theater to watch movies and fantasize about someday being in them,” she says. “Moving back home triggered a lot of memories growing up, and I really had a new appreciation for Minnesota.”
Directed by J. Mills Goodloe, some scenes from Blue Eyed Girl were filmed at McCormick’s Pub & Restaurant in Wayzata. Photos: Marisa Coughlan
Coughlan wrote, starred in and produced the film, which shares a story she sees as an often-untold common narrative. “I like to categorize it as a coming-of-age film for people in their 40s,” she says. “In some ways, almost like a female midlife crisis movie, because I sort of felt, as a woman post-40, there’s not a ton of content that really addresses women at that age and what they’re going through.”
The film is also partially a love letter to her late father, who passed away in 2004. Moving home brought back childhood memories, especially those with her father. “It’s inspired by our dynamic, in a way, and a little bit of nostalgia for those days when I was younger,” Coughlan says. “When my dad was around and I could talk about life’s issues with him—that’s one of the things I miss.”
Marisa Coughlan is joined by Eliza Coupe (left) and Bridey Elliot (right), who portray Coughlan’s onscreen sisters.
The story’s messaging is so relatable that people reach out to Coughlan on social media or share in person how it resonates with them. It’s the dichotomy of looking at one’s life from the lens of where a person is versus where they thought they’d be in life. “What my intention was, in a way, is to reflect upon the fact that sometimes the grass isn’t necessarily greener,” she says. “The grass is actually fairly green under your own feet if you just take the time to notice.”
The movie, which was released in November 2025 and can be found on Amazon Prime, Apple TV and Paramount Plus, was entirely shot in Wayzata and Excelsior—an area Coughlan was more than excited to show off to her co-stars when they filmed at the height of Minnesota’s beautiful fall season.
In the film, written and starring Marisa Coughlan, Beau Bridges (center) co-stars as Jack, the ailing father of Jane (played by Coughlan).
Coughlan was appreciative of the collective community’s willingness to help throughout the process. “I was just blown away by our community and how much people got behind us,” she says. “We had people show up and work in the background of scenes. We had people give us locations for free. We had so much goodwill, and it was such a wonderful, positive experience … I’m super grateful to have had that experience and to have the community that we have that leans in to help each other.”
Opening Credits
Marisa Coughlan’s story starts with a St. Paul upbringing, but she quickly became familiar with the West Metro as she attended Breck School. Following her graduation, she moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California and pursue her childhood dream of acting.
Her introduction to the industry wasn’t easy. After two years of booking small guest star roles, Coughlan began to wonder if she would make it in the industry. Then, in 1999, she caught her big break alongside Helen Mirren and Katie Holmes in Teaching Mrs. Tingle—a role she almost didn’t stick around to get. “I was really, truly questioning whether I was going to stay in the business,” Coughlan says. “It was a little guest star here, a guest star there … You’re at that point in life where you have to figure out a way to sustain yourself and have a real career. Then, as I was very close to hanging it up, I booked Teaching Mrs. Tingle out of nowhere.”
Marisa Coughlan takes in all the local vibes at the Excelsior Bay docks. Photo: Chris Emeott
Two years after that breakthrough, Coughlan landed a role in Super Troopers, which she reprised in the second and upcoming third adaptations. She also secured a recurring role in TV’s Boston Legal as well as the starring role in Lifetime series Side Order of Life.
After around 10 years in the industry, Coughlan got the itch to start writing. It came from experiences on shows where she didn’t feel a strong sense of agency and where she brought ideas to directors that were immediately shut down. A TV development connection paid her to produce a pilot she wrote. Although the pilot episode was never picked up, the experience established her credibility as a writer.
Coughlan says each role she’s played in the production of a show provides a different kind of creative outlet. For the pilot she wrote, she enjoyed hiring her team, including actors, set creators and wardrobe department members. While she loves writing, the self-proclaimed extrovert finds the solitude during the writing process to be isolating. Even so, writing satisfies that sense of agency she doesn’t get when she’s acting. “The writing taps into part of my frustration as an actress where you’re always telling someone else’s story,” Coughlan says. “It is nice, as a writer, to be able to tap into the things that are actually weighing on you … to reflect on those and the human experience as you see it.”
After over 20 years in Los Angeles, Coughlan, her husband, Stephen Wallack, and four children moved to the Lake Minnetonka area, despite Coughlan still being involved in the acting scene in Los Angeles. The couple wanted their children to have a similar upbringing they did, including enjoying the proximity to family, experiencing the four seasons and being part of a close-knit community.
Behind the scenes on Super Troopers 3, actress Marisa Coughlan is in her acting element. Photo: Marisa Coughlan
Looking ahead, find Coughlan on the big screen this August as she reprises her role of Ursula Hansen in the upcoming Super Troopers 3. She also recently shot an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. And don’t think this is the last of her writing. She has other scripts in the works and is eyeing another possible movie in Minnesota.
Marisa Coughlan
Instagram: @marisa.coughlan
