Ritter was scouted by a modeling agent at the age of 15 at her local shopping center, the Wyoming Valley Mall, during a modeling event. In a Philadelphia Style magazine interview, Ritter said she was "tall, gawky, awkward, and really, really skinny." While in high school, she traveled to New York City and Philadelphia to model, and signed with the Elite Model Management agency and Wilhelmina Models.[7] Ritter moved to New York and established an international modeling career, appearing in print ads and on television. She did magazine, catalog, and runway work in Tokyo, New York City, Paris, and Milan.[9]
Acting
An audition Wilhelmina had placed her in for a Wendy's television commercial helped Ritter transition into acting. Her "outgoing and bubbly and funny" performance personality had entertained the casting people, she told Philadelphia Style.[7] She won bit parts in films starting in 2001, and played a 1950s art history student in Mona Lisa Smile in 2003. In 2006, she appeared in All This Intimacy, a two-act, Off-Broadway play by Rajiv Joseph, at the Second Stage Theatre.[10] (Ritter later starred in the 2011 premiere of Zach Braff's play All New People, also at Second Stage, co-starring Anna Camp, David Wilson Barnes and Justin Bartha and directed by Peter DuBois.)[11]
Ritter's early guest starring and recurring roles on television included Gia Goodman, the daughter of Mayor Woody Goodman (Steve Guttenberg) on the second season of Veronica Mars; Rory Gilmore's friend, Lucy, on Gilmore Girls for eight episodes in 2006–07; and the first iteration of Allison Stark on the Fox sitcom 'Til Death (a role eventually played by four different actresses through the show's run).
She was cast as a young Carol Rhodes in an episode of The CW's teen drama series Gossip Girl, titled "Valley Girls," broadcast May 11, 2009. The episode was a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off series, set in 1980s Los Angeles; intended to chronicle the teenage years of character Lily van der Woodsen.[12] Ritter described Carol, Lily's sister, as "the outcast" and "an '80s Sunset Strip rocker" to Access Hollywood.[13] The series was not picked up by the network for the 2009–10 season,[14] by which time Ritter appeared as Jane Margolis in the second season of Breaking Bad.[12]
Ritter starred in 2010 as the sharp and quirky Lily in the Starz television series Gravity, alongside Ivan Sergei, Ving Rhames and Rachel Hunter.[18] The comedy-drama centers on a group of outpatient suicide survivors.[19] She also played the manager of an Irish band[18] in the 2011 comedy Killing Bono, a film directed by Nick Hamm and based on the book Killing Bono: I Was Bono's Doppleganger, about the early days of U2.[20] Beginning in January 2010, the film shoot lasted for six weeks in locations from Belfast to London.[21]
Ritter starred in and co-wrote (with director Kat Coiro) the 2011 independent comedy Life Happens, with Kate Bosworth and Rachel Bilson. The film is about two best friends dealing with the pregnancy and subsequent motherhood of Ritter's character.
In February 2011, Ritter landed the lead role in the ABC situation comedy Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. She starred as Chloe, a New York City party girl and con artist who attempts to rip off her new roommates after they move in, but befriends and mentors one of the applicants.[22][23] The series was canceled on January 22, 2013, after two seasons.[24]
Ritter went on to star in two NBC television comedy pilots in 2013 and 2014 that were not picked up as network series. She played Nora in the pilot for Assistance, based on the play by Leslye Headland.[25][26] Her casting as aerospace engineer Dr. Mary Kendricks in the astronaut-themed comedy Mission Control was announced by the network in February 2014;[27][28] but on October 15, NBC said it was not moving forward with the show.[29]
A July 9, 2013, press release stated Ritter would star in Jake Hoffman's directorial debut, Asthma, about the indie rock scene in New York City.[30]
On December 5, 2014, Ritter was cast to star in the Marvel Television series Jessica Jones in the title role, as a former superhero turned private investigator. About her casting, executive producer and show-runner Melissa Rosenberg stated that Ritter "brings both the hard edge and the vulnerability the role demands".[31] Ritter revealed she read the comic book to prepare for the role and expressed her delight on working with women.[32] All 13 episodes of the first season premiered on Netflix on November 20, 2015.[33] Ritter later reprised the role on The Defenders alongside Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, Mike Colter as Luke Cage and Finn Jones as Danny Rand / Iron Fist, and returned for the second season of Jessica Jones in 2018.[34] She directed an episode in the third season of Jessica Jones, marking her directorial debut.[35]
Other ventures
Ritter and her childhood friend William Thomas Burnett formed the indie rock duo Ex Vivian, for which Ritter sings and plays guitar.[36] Their self-titled debut album was released in 2012 on Burnett's WT Records.[37] Ritter's debut novel, a psychological thriller titled Bonfire, was released on November 7, 2017, by Crown Archetype.[38]
Personal life
Ritter moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 2007.[39] She promotes animal rights, posing for PETA ad campaigns, including a campaign warning pet owners of the dangers of leaving animals in vehicles during the summer, and another against SeaWorld keeping orcas in captivity.[40][41][42] She is an avid knitter,[43] and has appeared on the cover of Vogue Knitting.[44]
Ritter is currently in a relationship with musician Adam Granduciel.[45][46] Their son was born on July 29, 2019.[47]
^Kelli Bender, "Exclusive: Krysten Ritter Stars in New Anti-SeaWorld PETA Campaign," PeopleArchived April 16, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, August 4, 2016.