Why Ella Emerson-Tao From Crew Girl Looks So Familiar

Chances are you probably haven't seen a coming-of-age sports drama about rowing crew before, but this probably isn't the first time you've seen one of the stars of Netflix's hit show "Crew Girl." Jessica Paré, the actress who plays Ella Emerson-Tao, has had major appearances in shows like "Mad Men" and "SEAL Team" along with plenty of film roles. "Crew Girl," a Canadian show that hit Netflix on September 10, follows Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau), a teenager who joins the boys varsity rowing team at her new Massachusetts school. Paré plays her mom, and the reason the two left Los Angeles for the East Coast in the first place was because of some shady financing on her husband's part.

Paré's most famous on-screen husband didn't defraud investors, but he wasn't especially honest, either. Paré played Megan Draper (née Calvet), the second wife of "Mad Men" protagonist Don Draper (Jon Hamm) in the first half of the 2010s. This was Paré's first major role on TV following her time as a future First Lady on the mid-2000s WB series "Jack & Bobby." She became a much better-known figure after she memorably sang "Zou Bisou Bisou" in the "Mad Men" Season 5 premiere.

Paré's next regular TV role came on "SEAL Team," which premiered on CBS in 2017 before making the jump to Paramount+ during Season 5. She played Amanda "Mandy" Ellis, the CIA liaison for the titular team. Paré has directed a few "SEAL Team" episodes, too.

Jessica Paré, who was born in Montreal, Quebec, and speaks both English and French fluently, first appeared on the screen in a tiny part in a 1990 episode of the American series "The Baby-Sitters Club." But most of her early roles were for Canadian productions, including her first leading part. Paré was cast as the lead for "Stardom," a 2000 indie comedy-drama. Like "Crew Girl," there's a sports element to the film, though it's really only the start of the plot. Paré plays Tina Menzhal, an Ontario girl who is playing hockey when she's discovered by a fashion agency and quickly becomes very famous — with all the challenges that come with that.

Paré's other film credits include the Canadian vampire comedy "Suck," "Hot Tub Time Machine," and the 2015 Saoirse Ronan-led period romance "Brooklyn."

As of this publishing, Netflix has not yet renewed "Crew Girl" for Season 2, but considering the show seems to be catching on, it's quite possible that audiences will see Paré continue to play Ella Emerson-Tao.