"Gal" Friday! Paula Patton

After graduating magna cum laude from the USC Film School, Paula Patton scored her first acting role with a small part in 2005's Hitch, which starred Will Smith. She’s also appeared in Déjà Vu, Mirrors, Swing Vote, Precious, Just Wright, and in limited IMAX release today alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

In fall 2010, Patton was announced as succeeding Sharon Stone as the new full-time assistant district attorney on the NBC legal drama and one of my favorite shows, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, after she landed the lead female role in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, her role on SVU was reduced to one episode. This makes me sad, but I’m still looking forward to seeing her on the big IMAX screen later today, and inducting her as an official “gal” Friday for posterity.