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With more than 80 television and film credits to her name, including four seasons of Netflix’s Atypical, as well as This Is Us, Grey’s Anatomy, and Criminal Minds, Wendy Braun has built a career defined by range, presence, and precision.

Now, Braun is stepping into a standout moment with her performance as Elizabeth Prescott in Amazon Prime Video’s Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, a sharp, commanding private equity boss who brings intensity, gravitas, and surprising humanity to the screen. The performance, which has sparked both audience buzz and Emmy conversation, showcases Braun’s ability to balance grounded realism with razor-sharp comedy and emotional complexity.

Off screen, Braun is also a Forbes-featured founder and creative leader whose work continues to inspire artists and entrepreneurs around the world.

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A TV critic recently declared you an “Emmy-worthy villain” for your performance in Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, while the role continues to generate audience buzz and awards conversation. How does it feel to see Elizabeth resonate the way she has?

It’s incredibly meaningful. Any time my performance truly connects with audiences, that’s the win for me. And to see Elizabeth spark this kind of reaction, especially as a villain audiences love to hate, while also being submitted by Amazon for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, feels very special.

What fascinated me about playing Elizabeth was the absolute certainty she operated from. She’s incredibly driven, highly strategic, and completely committed to her vision of success. I was interested in exploring a woman who moves through the world with that kind of unapologetic conviction, especially inside such a chaotic and unpredictable environment. Stepping into someone that fearless on a project like this was incredibly exciting as an actor.

In Company Retreat, your character Elizabeth is often the “menace” in the room, yet you’ve mentioned she likely sees herself as a mentor trying to elevate a company. How do you find the humanity inside a character meant to be the antagonist?

The villain rarely thinks they’re the villain. Elizabeth just has a very different perspective.

I wanted her to exude warmth while relentlessly pursuing profit, because no person is ever just one thing. She may come across as a menace, but in her mind, she’s a mentor trying to elevate and expand the company, even if that eventually means stripping it for parts.

That contradiction is what made her fascinating to me. When you stop judging a character and start understanding their logic, that’s where the humanity lives. That’s when a performance becomes layered and real.

One of my favorite audience reactions was hearing people say that the more they disliked Elizabeth, the more they found themselves rooting for Anthony and the small business. That dynamic became such an important heartbeat of the show.

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Elizabeth carries an extraordinary sense of control, even inside complete chaos. What was it like embodying that kind of power and authority as an actor?

There’s something incredibly freeing about playing a woman who doesn’t second-guess herself.

Elizabeth walks into every room completely certain of who she is, what she wants, and how she plans to get it. As an actor, embodying that level of focus and conviction demands complete surrender to the character.

And to do that in this kind of environment where the stakes were so high required intense preparation and a real willingness to let go.

I think so many women are conditioned to soften themselves, explain themselves, or filter their power to be liked. Elizabeth doesn’t do that. She’s strategic, commanding, unapologetic, and that made her wildly fun to play.

Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat required an unusual balance of structure, spontaneity, and precision. What was it like working in an environment where the stakes were so high?

Honestly, it was one of the most high-pressure environments I’ve ever worked in because every single person understood how fragile the format was. At any point, one slip-up from anyone could have destroyed the entire season. It’s unlike any other show because of that pressure and the fact that everything happened in one take.

It felt like walking a high wire without a net, which also made it exhilarating.

I had to fully understand the language, psychology, and mindset of a private equity boss so that no matter what happened, I could respond instinctively as Elizabeth. That level of preparation gave me freedom inside the unpredictability.

Some of the most powerful moments happened because we stayed fully committed, trusted each other, and trusted our instincts.

What you discover working on a show like this is that confidence doesn’t come from controlling the moment. It comes from knowing you can handle whatever is thrown your way.

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Your characters often carry a strong sense of authority. Has playing women in positions of power changed the way you think about leadership?

Absolutely. One thing I’ve learned from playing powerful women is that true authority is less about control, and more about certainty.

When I step into those roles, those characters are not waiting for permission. They’re not second-guessing. They trust themselves, make decisions quickly, and fully commit.

That’s something I’ve carried into my own life as well. Whether I’m on set, leading a creative project, or building something meaningful, people can feel when someone is grounded in who they are. That energy shifts a room.

For me, great leadership is about being of service. It’s about creating connection, clarity, and possibility for the people around you.

Beyond your acting career, you’re a Forbes-featured founder who’s built a global creative empowerment platform supporting creatives in more than 25 countries. How has embracing that multi-hyphenate path expanded you as an artist?

I think we’re living in a new era of the multi-hyphenate creative.

For a long time, artists were taught to stay in one lane, but I’ve found that exploring different creative paths actually deepens your understanding of yourself. If the work is rooted in something authentic and meaningful to you, it naturally strengthens your voice as an artist.

I’ve always wanted to entertain, inspire and uplift, so to be starring on a hit show while also helping other people live their dreams is so deeply rewarding and feels like the fullest expression of that.

Watching students go from self-doubt to series regular roles, Broadway stages, TEDx talks, published books, and all kinds of personal and professional breakthroughs reminds me how transformative life can be when people finally have the right support, guidance, and belief around them.

For me, storytelling, creativity, and helping people all come from the same place. They’re different expressions of the same purpose.

**Left:**
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**Right:**
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Hollywood is an industry built on rejection, reinvention, and constant evolution. What has allowed you to sustain success, longevity and momentum creatively?

I think longevity comes from staying connected to purpose instead of constantly chasing validation. There have been many moments where things didn’t go according to plan, but every challenge reshaped me in ways I couldn’t have predicted at the time.

What’s helped me most is staying open, continuing to learn, and not clinging to one version of success.

The industry changes constantly, but authenticity, resilience, and meaningful connection never go out of style.

Living a full life outside this business matters too. I live outside Los Angeles with my husband of 19 years, our teenage sons, and our rescue dog. It’s a quieter life, and I think having that balance keeps me grounded creatively.

After decades in the industry, what continues to inspire you creatively?

This show inspired me in so many ways. The level of commitment, craft, and collaboration required from every single department made this experience incredibly rewarding.

I think maintaining a childlike curiosity is essential as an artist. I still love discovering new layers of myself through characters, stories, and taking creative risks. Every role reveals something new emotionally, psychologically, or physically, and that process never stops being exciting.

I’m especially drawn to projects that challenge me creatively, ones that require precision, vulnerability, unpredictability, or transformation. I think the real gift of a long career is that you keep evolving. In many ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.

There’s an extraordinary sense of presence and fearlessness in your performance. Where does that kind of confidence come from?

Thank you so much. Confidence, for me, has never come from feeling fearless. It comes from learning to trust myself in the midst of uncertainty. I’ve learned to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Every meaningful chapter of my career and life has involved stepping into something before I felt fully ready and figuring it out while I’m in motion. It’s almost like building the plane as you fly it.

Over time, you realize confidence isn’t about controlling every outcome. It’s about knowing you can handle whatever is thrown your way.

On this show, I think we all showed up “doing it scared.” It was both terrifying and thrilling, which made it incredibly rewarding.

After filming Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat, I genuinely feel like I can do anything.

You’ve spoken a lot about stepping into experiences that feel expansive and even intimidating. What kinds of stories or roles are calling to you most in this next chapter?

I’m especially drawn to complex women, characters who are intelligent, unpredictable, emotionally layered, and maybe a little dangerous.

I love stories that explore power, ambition, vulnerability, and contradiction, because that’s what makes people fascinating to me.

I also want to keep expanding creatively beyond what people might expect from me. Some of the most defining experiences in my life and career have come from stepping into things that felt uncertain, intimidating, or impossible at first. This show was definitely one of them, and I am changed for the better because of it.

Ultimately, I want to continue entertaining, uplifting, and inspiring people. That’s when I feel most alive.

Connect with Wendy:
WendyBraun.com
@mswendybraun

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Wendy Braun
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director + Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Fashion Stylist: Alison Hernon at Exclusive Artists
Hair: Danielle Waterman
Makeup: Marc Cornwall at Artists By Timothy Priano using ILIA
Set Design: Jasin Cadic
Photo Assistant: Dani Sax
Fashion Stylist Intern: Emma Morales
Marketing Intern: Rina Andreatta
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Lily Kalbasz, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
BTS by Micaela Barros Zelaznik, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Studio: LOFT ELEVEN TEN

Wendy Braun — The Vision Behind the Villain