Margaret Cho, Chris Parnell Join Crohnie Cast
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- Margaret Cho joins the cast of Derek Mari’s feature film Crohnie, marking her role in the ensemble comedy based on the writer-director’s experience with Crohn’s disease
- Chris Parnell is cast in Crohnie, adding his comedic profile to the film’s ensemble alongside Margaret Cho and John Pirruccello
- Derek Mari writes, directs, produces, and stars in Crohnie, expanding his 2019 short film of the same name into a feature exploring chronic illness and creative ambition
- John Pirruccello joins the Crohnie ensemble, rounding out a cast that includes Max Jenkins, Pam Murphy, and Chet Bashari Anekwe
- Crohnie centers on a young comedian navigating the physical and emotional toll of chronic illness, a broken healthcare system, and his parents’ divorce as his career-defining performance nears
- Jamie Sanger and Andrew Nibbi produce through 178 Blank Productions alongside Mari’s Blink & Miss Productions, with Matt Burke as cinematographer and Erika Fisher as production designer
Why it matters: The casting of established comedic actors like Cho and Parnell elevates visibility for a film tackling invisible illness—a subject rarely centered in mainstream comedy—while Mari’s personal lens as writer, director, and star signals an authentic, auteur-driven approach to chronic disease narratives.
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