Mary Elizabeth Kelly popularized the idea of "mouth acting " onTikTok .- She contorts her mouth into the shape that mimics famous actors, such as Drew Barrymore.
- Kelly told Insider she had no idea she was so skilled until she gave it a go over the pandemic.
Mary Elizabeth Kelly has gone viral on TikTok multiple times for impersonating celebrities, including her on-point mimicry of Drew Barrymore. Viewer favorites are often quick snapshots of celebrities like Kristen Stewart, Meryl Streep, and Olivia Coleman reading out a recipe, ordering coffee, or meeting a dog.
Kelly, 31, has been on TikTok for about 10 months. She goes by the handle @mare_kell and posts
"The whole journey has been crazy," she said.
You may have noticed mouth acting without realizing
"Mouth acting" involves contorting her face, particularly her mouth, into the shape that mimics famous actors. Along with the change in voice, it makes Kelly's impressions particularly memorable. Barrymore tends to smile while she talks, for example, while Jennifer Coolidge sticks her lips out. Keira Knightley's jaw has an under-bite, while Emma Stone pushes her bottom teeth further back. Kelly's original mouth acting video, impersonating these celebrities and more, has over 14 million views.
Kelly thinks it's down to the novelty of mouth acting and the fact people may have noticed how actors' mouths differ, but never really thought too much about it.
"Every day I'll watch something and I'll be like, 'They're a total mouth actor,'" Kelly said. "It's sort of a coinage of something that people haven't really had had a word for."
@mare_kell the original mouth acting w/ pics! ##fyp ##mouthacting ##original ##impressions ##TWDSurvivalChallenge ##MaxPlumpJump ##TostitosUnspokenBonds
♬ original sound - Mary Elizabeth Kelly
Kelly is now one of the most recognizable faces when it comes to TikTok impressionists, but she wasn't always aware of her talent. She first tried it out while watching "Pirates Of The Caribbean" last Christmas.
"Johnny Depp was doing bizarre things with his mouth while acting, and Keira Knightley is so intense with her mouth too," Kelly told Insider. "And I was like, this is a thing? Like, I think this is a thing."
Kelly had done impressions for her friends, but she decided to film a video for TikTok to try her style out on a wider audience during the pandemic. "It sort of just came pouring out," she said.
Mouth acting is a lot less technical than people might realize
Kelly studied acting at Northwestern University, where she specialized in musical theatre. When the subsequent Broadway audition circuit in New York didn't work out, Kelly realized she was "made for a screen, not necessarily for a stage," so she moved to LA last year with her husband to pursue a career in television and movies.
Kelly said she's always been analytical when she watches movies, constantly thinking about what actors have been in before, or what accents they are putting on.
She considers herself more of a mimic - watching someone over and over until the impression clicks into place: "It's a sort of muscle memory."
@mare_kell ♬ original sound - Mary Elizabeth Kelly
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Kelly gets a lot of requests pouring in, often for the cast of "Grey's Anatomy," which she had never watched before she gave the characters a try. Kelly's favorite impression to do is probably Barrymore, she said, but other celebrities are more of a challenge.
"When I look very different from that person, I have a hard time," she said. With Blake Lively, who she doesn't resemble very much, Kelly said she has to watch them very carefully and "actively try to match my mouth to what I'm watching."
When this happens, she tries to get more of the "essence" of the person.
"Cause you know, there are limits to the face," she said.