Quvenzhané Wallis
| Quvenzhané Wallis | |
|---|---|
| Born |
August 28, 2003 Houma, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, model, singer |
| Years active | 2011–present |
Quvenzhané Wallis (/kwə.ˈvɛn.ʒə.neɪ/; kwuh-VEN-zhuh-nay;[1] born August 28, 2003)[2][3] is an American child actress. She is known for her role as Hushpuppy in the drama film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012),[4] for which she became the youngest actress ever and the first person born in the 21st century to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.[5][6]
She is also well known for starring in the 2014 Annie remake, receiving a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for her work in the movie.
She was also featured in Beyoncé's short film Lemonade, appearing in the music video "Formation". The album/DVD was released on April 23, 2016.
Early life
Wallis was born in Houma, Louisiana, to Qulyndreia (Jackson) Wallis, a teacher, and Venjie Wallis, Sr., a truck driver.[7]She has one sister, Qunyquekya, and two brothers, Vejon and Venjie, Jr.[2][8][9] "Quven", the first part of her name, combines the first syllables of her parents' first names.
Career
Wallis, at age five, lied about her age to audition for her very first acting job, the starring role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, because the minimum age to be considered was six. She eventually beat out 4,000 others for the role of Hushpuppy, the indomitable child prodigy and survivalist who lives with her dying father in the backwoods bayou squalor of Louisiana.[10] Director Benh Zeitlin told The Daily Beast that when he auditioned Wallis, he immediately realized he had discovered what he was looking for, and changed the Beasts script to accommodate her strong-willed personality. Her reading ability, loud scream, and the skill of burping on command impressed the director and won her the part.[9] Zeitlin has also stated that "it was just the feeling behind her eyes".[11]
The film premiered at Sundance Film Festival in January 2012 to rave reviews, winning the Grand Jury Prize. In May 2012, Wallis flew to France for the premiere of the film at the Cannes Film Festival. The film received much acclaim and praise for Wallis' outstanding performance and it went on to win the prestigious Caméra d'Or award for Best first Feature Film. On January 10, 2013, at age nine, Wallis became the Academy Awards' youngest nominee for Best Actress and third youngest in all categories.[12] However, she was just six during the filming.[13] Wallis is the first African-American child actor to earn an Oscar nomination. She is also the first person born in the 21st century to receive an Academy Award nomination.
Wallis had a role in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013), and collaborated with Sundance for the second time on a short film called Boneshaker. In 2014, she played the title character in a remake of the musical Annie.[14] For this, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and received praise from most reviewers, despite the film being considered a poor adaption of the classic Broadway show.[15] In May 2014, Wallis was named the face of Armani Junior, Giorgio Armani's line for children and teens. This makes her the first major child celebrity to be the face of a luxury brand.[16]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Beasts of the Southern Wild | Hushpuppy | |
| 2013 | Boneshaker | Blessing | Short film |
| 2013 | 12 Years a Slave | Margaret Northup | |
| 2014 | Annie | Annie Bennett | |
| 2014 | Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet | Almitra | Voice |
| 2015 | Fathers and Daughters | Lucy | |
| 2016 | Lemonade | Herself | Musical film |
| 2016 | Trolls | Harper (voice) | |
Awards and nominations
See also
- List of accolades received by Beasts of the Southern Wild
- List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees
References
- ↑ "How to Pronounce Quvenzhané Wallis". inogolo. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
- 1 2 "Beasts of the Southern Wild press kit" (PDF).
- ↑ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1274). Aug 30, 2013. p. 20.
- ↑ Nicholson, Amy (June 29, 2012). "Quvenzhané Conquers Hollywood: 20 Questions for the 8-year-old star of Beasts of the Southern Wild". Boxoffice.com. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- 1 2 Blakely, Rhys (January 10, 2013). "Youngest v oldest actress vie for Oscar as Lincoln leads the pack". The Times. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- 1 2 Walker, Tim (January 10, 2013). "Quvenzhané Wallis v Emmanuelle Riva: Best actress Oscar contested by oldest and youngest ever nominees". The Independent. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
- ↑ The Deadline Team. "OSCARS Interview: Quvenzhané Wallis". Deadline. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ↑ McKnight, Laura (May 13, 2010). "Houma girl to star in independent film". The Daily Comet. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- 1 2 Ebert, Roger (June 22, 2012). "Quvenzhané. A small force of nature". Roger Ebert's Journal. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
- ↑ Truitt, Brian (June 26, 2012). "Quvenzhane Wallis makes 'Southern Wild' sing". USA Today. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ↑ Haramis, Nicholas (3 December 2014). "There's Something About Quvenzhané Wallis". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
- ↑ Day, Patrick Kevin (January 10, 2013). "Oscar nominations: Quvenzhane Wallis is young but not youngest ever". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ Alexander, Bryan (January 10, 2013). "History-making Quvenzhane Wallis: 'This is special'". USA Today.
- ↑ Rottenberg, Josh (February 24, 2013). "Beasts of the Southern Wild' breakout Quvenzhané Wallis to star in new big-screen 'Annie'". EW.com.
- ↑ Annie (2014 film)#Critical reception
- ↑ Merle Ginsberg (22 May 2014). "Quvenzhane Wallis Named Face of Armani Junior (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ "34th Annual Young Artist Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Retrieved 2013-03-31.