# Erica Leerhsen
**Erica Leerhsen** (full name Erica Lei Leerhsen) is an American film and television actress best known for lead and prominent roles in early-2000s horror films, including Erica Geerson in *Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2* (2000), Pepper Harrington in *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* (2003), and Nina in *Wrong Turn 2: Dead End* (2007).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) She also appeared in three [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen) films and one of his plays, and worked steadily in television as a series regular and guest actress.[2](https://www.shockya.com/news/2014/09/03/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-horror-films/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976, New York City, New York; raised in Ossining, New York[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) |
| Education | Boston University College of Fine Arts, B.F.A. in acting, summa cum laude, 1998[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) |
| Breakout role | Erica Geerson, a Wiccan, in *Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2* (2000)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) |
| Signature horror roles | Pepper in *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre* (2003); Nina in *Wrong Turn 2: Dead End* (2007)[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976) |
| Woody Allen collaborations | *Hollywood Ending* (2002), *Anything Else* (2003), the play *A Second Hand Memory* (2004), and *Magic in the Moonlight* (2014)[2](https://www.shockya.com/news/2014/09/03/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-horror-films/) |
| Television | Series regular as Amanda Bowles on *The Guardian* (2001); guest roles on *The Sopranos*, *Alias*, *Ghost Whisperer*, *CSI: Miami*, *The Good Wife*, and *Person of Interest*[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/20455/erica-leerhsen) |
| Producing | Producer on the short *Pacific Standard* (2014) and co-executive producer on *Dominion* (2015)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) |
## Background and training
Leerhsen was born in 1976 in New York City and raised there with her two sisters, Nora and Debbie.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) Her father, Charles Leerhsen, was a longtime editor at the celebrity publication US Magazine, which became US Weekly in March 2000.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) After going to St. Augustine's School and Ossining High School, where she was a choir member, Leerhsen earned a B.F.A. in acting summa cum laude from Boston University College of Fine Arts in 1998.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) Her early stage work included roles at New York theaters such as the Classic Stage Company and the McGinn-Cazale Theatre.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976)
## Film career
**Blair Witch 2 and early roles.** Her first screen role was as Sarah in the short film *Junior Creative* (2000), which received favorable reviews.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) During that production she was cast in *Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2*, the sequel to *The Blair Witch Project*, as Erica Geerson, a practicing Wiccan.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) She had originally auditioned for the part that went to [Kim Director](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-director), arriving with short blond hair in what director Joe Berlinger described as a "completely Gothed-out" look; Berlinger instead cast her as Erica and made the character a long-haired redhead.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) In a later interview she described the film's hostile reception as a formative experience, saying the press tour "was the ultimate hazing process" that she came to value.[5](https://www.joblo.com/interview-erica-leerhsen/)
**The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.** In 2003 she played Pepper Harrington, one of the young travelers, in the remake *The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*, a commercially successful release.[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976) An often-repeated anecdote from her screen test holds that her screams were loud enough that people on other floors of the building called the police to report that a woman was being attacked.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) She described the shoot as far more taxing than *Blair Witch 2*, recalling that she and co-star [Jessica Biel](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-biel) lost their voices after screaming through dozens of takes of a van scene.[5](https://www.joblo.com/interview-erica-leerhsen/)
**Woody Allen and other work.** Allen cast her in a supporting role in *Hollywood Ending* (2002) and then offered her the part of Connie in *Anything Else* (2003) based on that work.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) • [5](https://www.joblo.com/interview-erica-leerhsen/) In 2004 she appeared in his [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) play *A Second Hand Memory* at the Atlantic Theatre, and she returned for a supporting role as Caroline in his 1920s-set romantic comedy *Magic in the Moonlight* (2014), her third film collaboration with him.[2](https://www.shockya.com/news/2014/09/03/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-horror-films/) Between these, she starred in the independent thriller *The Warrior Class* (2007) as Annie Sullivan, the love interest of [Anson Mount](https://www.edgepedia.org/anson-mount)'s character, and in *Little Athens* (2005) and *Mozart and the Whale* (2005).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) • [3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976)
**Return to horror.** She played Nina in *Wrong Turn 2: Dead End* (2007), performing many of her own stunts; the sequel was reported as one of the best-selling straight-to-DVD titles of its year.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) • [6](https://www.horrorsociety.com/2015/12/17/140420/) She then took lead and supporting roles in independent genre films including *Living Hell* (2008), *Haunted Traxxs* (2009), *Lonely Joe* (2009), *The Butterfly Room* (2012), *Phobia* (2013), and *Mischief Night* (2013).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) • [6](https://www.horrorsociety.com/2015/12/17/140420/) In interviews she has expressed an allegiance to the horror genre, crediting it with giving her many of her best roles.[2](https://www.shockya.com/news/2014/09/03/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-horror-films/)
## Television
Leerhsen was a series regular as Amanda Bowles on the CBS legal drama *[The Guardian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-guardian-tv-series)* beginning with its 2001 pilot, though the character was written out after several episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/20455/erica-leerhsen) Her guest credits include Birgit Olafsdottir in the *Sopranos* season-three premiere "Mr. Ruggerio's Neighborhood" (2001), Kaya in *Alias* (2003), Hope Paulson in *Ghost Whisperer* (2005), Brenda Sanders in *CSI: Miami* (2006), Dana Briglio in *The Good Wife* (2011), and Amy in *Person of Interest* (2012).[3](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/20455/erica-leerhsen) She has said she prefers film work but enjoys television's action-oriented parts, citing *Person of Interest* as an example.[2](https://www.shockya.com/news/2014/09/03/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-horror-films/)
## Personal life
She married David Wilson on June 29, 2012, and was previously married to Antony Galvan from 2007 to 2008.[7](https://www.imdb.com/es-es/name/nm0498713/bio/) She lives in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713) Her producing credits are the short film *Pacific Standard* (2014) and *Dominion* (2015), on which she served as co-executive producer.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713)
## References
1. [Erica Leerhsen, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0498713)
2. [Interview: Erica Leerhsen Talks Magic in the Moonlight and Horror Films, ShockYa (2014)](https://www.shockya.com/news/2014/09/03/erica-leerhsen-talks-magic-in-the-moonlight-and-horror-films/)
3. [Leerhsen, Erica 1976-, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/leerhsen-erica-1976)
4. [Erica Leerhsen, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/20455/erica-leerhsen)
5. [INT: Erica Leerhsen, JoBlo.com](https://www.joblo.com/interview-erica-leerhsen/)
6. [Where Are They Now?: Erica Leerhsen, Horror Society (2015)](https://www.horrorsociety.com/2015/12/17/140420/)
7. [Erica Leerhsen - Biografía, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/es-es/name/nm0498713/bio/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Le to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license