The Stunning Transformation Of Catherine Reitman
Writer, director, producer, and actress, Catherine Reitman, is a Netflix star and hard-working mom. After struggling with postpartum depression (twice), Reitman decided to write Workin' Moms, a Netflix hit series that follows four moms that experience varying effects of motherhood. Reitman, mother of two young boys, co-directs, co-produces, and co-stars in the series (via Hollywood Reporter).
It's not easy being a star and a mom, but Reitman was born to be a Jill of all trades while being open, honest, and public about her wild life. Starting as a child of film directors and getting involved with television, Reitman's comedic transformation is just beginning.
Catherine Reitman's beginnings started in film
Reitman was born in film, being the daughter of filmmaker Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters) and Genevieve Deloir, a Canadian actress and director, as well as the sister of filmmaker Jason Reitman (via People). When Reitman, born in 1981, was a toddler, her mom directed the film Casual Sex, but then she decided to quit because wanted to be there for her children's childhood. Reitman said in an interview to The Kit, "I'm torn because I am making the exact opposite choice. I'm going after my dreams and I feel incredibly selfish. I want to keep growing, I don't want to stop, and when I think about that choice she made it's a little bit of a brain-breaker for me."
After attending Cate School and attending the University of Southern California with a major in acting, she began to make her way into movies and TV by starting out as a film critic (via Global Intel). Reitman then had a role on Blackish and was also in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia where she played Maureen Ponderosa. She also provided a voice in Space Jam (via Decider).
Catherine Reitman married her husband pretty fast
Reitman married Philip Sternberg in 2009 (he also costars and is the executive producer in Workin' Moms). The power couple met in 2007 when Reitman was auditioning for a part, and within six months, they were engaged (via HITC).
"We moved faster than either of us had ever experienced in previous relationships," says Sternberg. "We were saying 'I love you' within the first month and were engaged by six months. We just knew." (via TRNTO)
The pair married in Santa Barbara at Reitman's parents' home and took a honeymoon to Italy.
'Workin' Moms' was based off of Catherine Reitman's real experiences as a mom
Following her first pregnancy, Reitman was kicked out of her Mommy & Me group for expressing her dark thoughts after the birth of her son, Jackson (via Hollywood Life). Reitman wrote a beautiful essay for Glamour in early 2019 which details her postpartum depression and her desire to laugh through it all. "On that day I remember thinking that I was now broken," she wrote. "That having a child had changed my chemistry forever. Who was I now? While I understood the tasks that were required of me, I no longer had any sense of self." Her husband encouraged her to begin writing about her experiences and eventually, Workin' Moms was the result.
"As the job took over and time passed, so did my PPD," she continued. "I'd occasionally find myself back in a dark patch, only to feel lighter the next day. There was no quick fix for me. Having an outlet, a place where I could express myself and counter my dark fantasies with epic wins of mothers smashing through glass ceilings, pulled me through the fog."
Reitman has certainly come a long way from her early days as the child of two parents who were in show business, and has now solidly carved out a chunk of it for herself.