Irish American; her father emigrated from Ireland and her mother is a first generation Irish-American.

Born in Chicago, Illinois to a car salesman father and a bartender mother, and grew up on the South Side of Chicago.

Is best friends with Indie Rocker Liz Phair.

Grew up with Lara Flynn Boyle and attended high school together at the prestigious Chicago Academy for the Arts.

She had to wear a wig during the production of The Craft (1996) because she shaved her head for her role in Empire Records (1995), which was filmed a year earlier.