ComScore

Casey Wilson Reveals Where Penny from ‘Happy Endings’ Would Be Now

Penny Hartz will always be the hot mess BFF we secretly wish we had. From her unwavering positivity and unique pronunciations (ah-mah-zing!) to her talent for abbreviating every other word, we imagine that ABC's Happy Endings wouldn't be nearly as entertaining without her shenanigans. So yes, while it's been nearly a decade since the finale aired, we still wonder about the hopeless romantic. Would she be in a relationship right now? And how would she have handled the pandemic?

We caught up with actress Casey Wilson, who's now partnering with Hellmann’s for their #GetSpicy campaign, and chatted about the character, as well as her dream role and the best part of writing screenplays.

casey wilson penny
Bob D'Amico/Getty Images

While discussing Happy Endings, Wilson said that the possibilities are endless when it comes to Penny's fate, especially considering how far she's willing to go to land the guy of her dreams. "I just hope that she would be alive," Wilson told us. "She's such a mess. I mean, who knows what could happen to a girl like her in seven years?"

Wilson continued, "She's like, such a chaos monster, but I love her so much."

Loyal fans of the show might recall that in the final season, Penny came really close to finding her true partner in crime when she dated Pete. But sadly, after their engagement, the wedding was called off. So one can't help but wonder: Would Penny have better luck with finding love today? Wilson certainly hopes so. "My hope for her is that she's found the one," she said. "But in reality she's probably still living with Max, her best friend, and dating all over the place."

happy endings 3
Jordin Althaus / Getty Images

As for how Penny would navigate the pandemic, Wilson said she wouldn't handle it too well—especially since it would've taken a toll on her love life. She told us, "I feel like the pandemic would probably hit Penny pretty hard in the dating department."

In addition to Happy Endings, Wilson also opened up about her work behind the camera, where she writes episodes and movie scripts (most notably Bride Wars). She said, "I think writing allows me to try to create roles for myself. If I'm not reading them, I love to write roles for other women. That's always been my focus. And I just think female stories, especially female friendships, are so interesting and fun and funny."

As for her dream role, Wilson revealed that she wants to do an episode of Black Mirror. "I love dark thrillers and things like Black Mirror. I would love to do something like that because I'm normally on the comedy end of things. I would love to do that."

It's a far cry from Penny Hartz, but we're totally down to see Wilson take on a darker role.

Want all the latest celebrity news sent right to your inbox? Click here.

Check out our weekly podcast, Stream On, featuring reviews and debates about the best shows, movies and more!


nakeisha campbell bio

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

  • Writes celebrity news, TV/movie reviews and SEO-focused entertainment articles
  • Interviews celebrities and covers red carpet events
  • Has 8+ years of experience covering entertainment topics