She's rumored to play Ellie from "The Last of Us". If she does well at that role. She will really be the "next big thing".
shareShe'll be 19 going on 20 by the time they shoot the movie, and I think they barely have a screenplay at this time. Ellie is 14, almost 15 during the story of TLOU.
shareThere are very few 14-year-olds who portray 14-year-olds. Most kids that age do not have very good acting skills. They do not have the gravitas to bring emotion to complex roles outside of Disney. It is very rare for teens to be as good as say Chloe Grace Mortez, Dakota Fanning, Jodie Foster or Saoirse Ronan were as teens or children. And it is more expensive to use them with child labor laws.
Most real teens come across as annoying to most adults and simply will not have the chomps to carry a story. It's better to use a young small adult. It is also why using people as the actual age of the characters in GoT would have never worked. Maisie Williams is probably the best juvenile actor on the show. Sophie Turner has improved but had some pretty grindge worthy sceens, she also needs to be directed well. Isaac Hempstead Wright isn't very good at all but I guess we will see if he improves. Had Rob, Jon and Daenerys all been cast as 14-year-olds with Sansa and Arya being even younger it would have been a disaster.
Ellen Page was 19 when she played a 14-year-old in Hard Candy. She did it very convincingly and I could not imagine a real 14-year-old pulling off that role. Winona Ryder played teens through her late twenties. Stacey Dash played a 15-year-old when she was 30. Rachel McAdams played a 16-year-old at 24. Shailene Woodley continues to play teens. Jennifer Lawerenced played 16-year-old Katniss in her early 20's. 18-21 year olds regularly play young teens if they look young and immature enough. Williams is very short and still easily looks like a high school student.
The Last Of Us Soundtrack is amazing, just wanted to throw that in there.
www.jmberman.com
Online Mews, Reviews, Poetry, Music, and Ideas
Don't forget another great Canadian actress, TATIANA MASLANY of Orphan Black. She consistently played 8 - 10 years her junior until she was about 25-26. She played characters that much younger than herself and was very good at it. She even commented that Orphan Black was the first time she consistently played her own age.
Older actors have already gone through teen years so they can reflect back and better capture that age, especially if they are good. Teenagers are wrapped up in their own teen years so do not have the welf-reflection that helps them capture the role better. I know some of this may sound stereo typing, but I think it is generally true. But there are exceptions.
And Arya, I mean Maisie, is petite so has the size down right.