Keisha Castle-Hughes
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| Keisha Castle-Hughes | |||||||
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| Born | March 24, 1990 Donnybrook, Western Australia, Australia |
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| Years active | 2003-present | ||||||
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Keisha Castle-Hughes (born March 24, 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand actress who rose to prominence playing Paikea Apirana (Pai), in the 2002 film Whale Rider. Castle-Hughes was cast as Pai at the age of eleven where she went from her Auckland classroom to the set in 2001. Whale Rider not only established Castle-Hughes as an actress but nominated her for many awards including an Academy Award for Best Actress of which she was the youngest female nominated in the Best Actress category.
Since her debut, she has starred in four films, one of which she played the main character, the Virgin Mary in The Nativity Story. The others are Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Hey, Hey, It’s Esther Blueburger and The Vintner's Luck.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] 2001-2006: Early career success
In 2003, Castle-Hughes made her debut in the independent film Whale Rider of which she portrayed Paikea Apirana (Pai). Despite not having had any previous acting experience, the 11-year-old actress went directly from her Auckland classroom to the set when the film began shooting in New Zealand in late 2001, and received widespread critical acclaim for her performance and turned Castle-Hughes into an international celebrity. A year later she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress at the 76th Academy Awards. This made her the youngest female nominated in this category.
She soon followed the role by appearing in Prince's controversial music video for his song "Cinnamon Girl" and with a shoot in Vanity Fair magazine. In 2004, Castle-Hughes was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[1]
Castle-Hughes' most recent film roles were as Queen Apailana in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and the Virgin Mary in The Nativity Story, released in 2006. New York Times critic A. O. Scott said that she "seemed entirely unfazed by the demands of playing Mary. She had the poise and intelligence to play the character not as an icon of maternity, but rather as a headstrong, thoughtful adolescent transformed by an unimaginable responsibility."[2]
[edit] 2007-present: Recent and future projects
In 2007 she returned to her major roles. She began with starring in the comedy-drama film Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger, which was filmed in late 2006.[3] She will again reunite with director Niki Caro for the film adaption of The Vintner's Luck, which is currently in production.[4] She is about to begin shooting the staring role in Mona's Dream, the story of Mona Mahmudnizhad [5]
[edit] Personal life
Born on March 24, 1990 in Donnybrook, Western Australia to Desrae Hughes, a Māori mother and Tim Castle, an English-Australian father, Keisha Castle-Hughes was 18 months old when her family moved to New Zealand; her parents (who had never married) later separated. Castle-Hughes became a New Zealand citizen in 2001. She has three younger brothers and a younger sister. Her siblings include Rhys, Liam, Maddisyn, and Qayde. She is currently living in Papakura, Auckland and was once a student of Waiuku Primary School, Bailey Road School, Penrose High School, and Rosehill College, all in Auckland. On April 25, 2007, she gave birth to a daughter, Felicity-Amore, at age seventeen. The baby's father is Hughes' boyfriend of four years, Bradley Hull, 21.[6]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Whale Rider | Paikea | |
| 2005 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | Queen of Naboo | |
| 2006 | The Nativity Story | Mary | |
| 2008 | Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger | Sunni | |
| 2009 | The Vintner's Luck | post-production |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Organisation | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | New Zealand Film and TV Awards | Best Actress | Whale Rider | Won |
| Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| 2004 | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
| Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Young Actor/Actress | Won | ||
| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Promising Performer | Won | |||
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
| Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Breakthrough Performance | Won | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role - Female | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role | Nominated | ||
| Teen Choice Awards | Choice Breakout Movie Star - Female | Nominated | ||
| Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress in an International Film | Won | ||
| 2007 | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress | The Nativity Story | Nominated |
[edit] References
- ^ Academy Invites 127 to Membership
- ^ The Virgin Mary as a Teenager With Worries The New York Times. December 1, 2006.
- ^ For Keisha, the show must go on The Adelaide Advertiser. October 23, 2006.
- ^ "Keisha Castle-Hughes and Niki Caro reunite for Vintner's Luck", Feature, The New Zealand Herald (2007-05-22). Retrieved on 2007-09-11.
- ^ [1]Mona's Dream. October 2008.
- ^ "Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes Has Baby Girl". People (2007-04-29). Retrieved on 2007-04-30.
- ^ Keisha Castle-Hughes
[edit] External links
- Keisha Castle-Hughes at the Internet Movie Database
- The Nativity Story Official website
