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Rowan Blanchard

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Rowan Blanchard
Blanchard in 2015
Born (2001-10-14) October 14, 2001 (age 23)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • activist
Years active2006–present[1]

Rowan Blanchard (born October 14, 2001[2][3]) is an American actress and activist. She began acting as a child, and played Rebecca Wilson in the action film Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (2011). She rose to prominence after playing Riley Matthews on the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World (2014–2017), which earned her nominations at the Kids' Choice, Teen Choice, and Young Artist Awards. She then starred in the TNT/AMC series Snowpiercer (2020–2024) and the Hulu coming-of-age film Crush (2022).

Blanchard was established as a teen idol following her breakthrough on Disney, and is noted for supporting various charitable causes and her outspoken views on social media. Time included her on their list of "Most Influential Teens" in 2015.

Early life

Blanchard was born on October 14, 2001, in Los Angeles, California,[2][3] to Elizabeth and Mark Blanchard-Boulbol, who are yoga instructors.[4][5] Her great grandfather was Syrian;[6] and her great grandmother was Armenian.[7] Her paternal great-grandparents met in Aleppo, present-day Syria.[8][9] She was named after a character in Anne Rice's The Witching Hour.[10] Rowan has two younger siblings, Carmen and Shane.[11]

Career

Blanchard began acting in 2006 at the age of five,[11] first being cast as Mona's daughter in The Back-up Plan and was in the main cast of the Disney Junior Original Series Dance-a-Lot Robot as Caitlin. In 2011, she was cast as Rebecca Wilson in Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, and as Raquel Pacheco in Little in Common.[12][13] The former earned her a Young Artist Award nomination.[14]

In 2013, Blanchard was cast in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, a sequel to Boy Meets World, as Riley Matthews, the daughter of Boy Meets World characters Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence.[15][16] She also sings the title song with co-star Sabrina Carpenter, among other songs for the network.[17] The series premiered in 2014, and ran for three seasons until 2017.[18] Although Brian Howry of Variety gave the series a mixed review, he said that Blanchard was an "appealing lead".[19] Max Nicholson of IGN agreed, writing that she had "the same go-getter spunk of predecessor Ben Savage, but she also nails the wide-eyed innocence that made Cory such a lovable lead in the original." He also called the "Girl Meets Rileytown" episode one of her "best performances yet, proving her dynamic range as actress once again."[20][21] For Girl Meets World, she received nominations at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and Young Artist Awards.[22][23][24] Also for Disney, she played Cleo in the Disney Channel Original Movie Invisible Sister, which premiered in October 2015.[25]

Blanchard in 2017

From 2017 to 2018, Blanchard had a recurring role as Jackie Geary on the ABC series The Goldbergs.[26][27] In 2016, she was cast in the minor role of Veronica Kiley in Ava DuVernay's film A Wrinkle in Time,[28][29] an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name. Her performance was partially improvised, and Blanchard said "I've never had so much freedom and so much trust from a director ever."[30] It was released in 2018 to mixed reviews.[31]

In March 2019, Blanchard was cast as Alexandra Cavill in TNT/AMC's[32] Snowpiercer, a futuristic thriller series based on the 2013 South Korean-Czech film of the same name.[33] The series premiered in 2020, and Blanchard was promoted to the main cast from the second season onwards.[34] She co-stars with Jennifer Connelly, whom Blanchard told TV Insider that "I feel really, really grateful that the show provided me opportunity to work with [her] because she’s been acting since she was a child and I’ve been acting since I was a child."[35] Snowpiercer ran for four seasons with mixed to positive reviews, concluding in 2024.[36]

It was announced in 2021 that Blanchard would co-star with Auli'i Cravalho in the Hulu movie Crush,[37] which was released in April 2022 and became the third most streamed film of its release week.[38][39] It received generally positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised Blanchard's performance.[40] Tomris Laffly of Variety called her "instantly likeable",[41] and Christy Lemire for RogerEbert.com wrote that both Blanchard and Cravalho "assert themselves confidently with more mature material while still bringing all that well-honed comic timing".[42]

In 2023, Blanchard guest starred on the comedy-drama series Poker Face as Lily Albern.[43]

Other ventures

Blanchard is an activist on issues such as feminism, human rights, and gun violence. Most of her comments regarding these issues are posted via Twitter or Tumblr, and she has spoken at the UN Women and US National Committee's annual conference as part of #TeamHeForShe, a feminist campaign.[44] She was inspired to do so after being harassed at age 12, and "started putting things on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram, because I realize that I have a following, and most of the people who watch our show, I would say, are girls. And I didn’t want them ever going through that."[45]

In February 2018, Blanchard wrote and released the book Still Here.[46] She began writing it in December 2015 and was assisted by her cousin who worked at a book publishing company. According to Blanchard, Still Here is not "specifically about being about being a teenage girl. It’s just about growing up, whenever that is."[47]

In April 2018, Blanchard criticized Israel and its military on her social media and shared her own post with a photo of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi holding the Palestinian flag. In the same post, she voiced support for the Palestinians during the 2018–2019 Gaza border protests.[48] In May 2018, she criticized Israel once again in her social media and shared another photo of Tamimi. She wrote that "Gaza qualifies under every definition of genocide yet massacred protestors must always be identified as 'peaceful'."[49]

Media image

Blanchard for a photoshoot in 2017

Blanchard was established as a teen idol of the 2010s.[50] In 2015, Time included Blanchard on their list of "Most Influential Teens".[51][52] Also in 2015, Rolling Stone included her on their list of "18 Teens Shaking Up Pop Culture" and said she was "not only a strong actress but has also made a name for herself as an outspoken feminist activist".[53] In 2016, Interview called her "one of the most exciting voices of her generation" and said "with ease" that she exuded "ease, confidence, and urgency".[45] That same year, she appeared on Harper's Bazaar's "Rising Style Icons Under 20 Years Old" list.[54]

Personal life

In 2014, Blanchard had revealed on Instagram that she had been struggling with depression.[55] She wrote: "As I found myself, this year in particular, going through ups and downs with depression, I realized that instead of rejecting and ostracizing these teenage feelings (human feelings), I can learn to love the intensity of them and know that everything is momentary."[55]

In a series of tweets in January 2016, Blanchard stated that while she had "only ever liked boys" in the past, she was "open to liking any gender" and identifies as queer.[56]

Filmography

Film

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2010 The Back-up Plan Mona's 7-year-old kid Cameo appearance
2011 Little in Common Raquel Pacheco
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World Rebecca Wilson
2016 The Realest Real Paige Short film
2018 A Wrinkle in Time Veronica Kiley
2019 A World Away Jessica
2022 Crush Paige Evans

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2010 Dance-a-Lot Robot Caitlin Main role
2014–2017 Girl Meets World Riley Matthews Lead role
2015 Best Friends Whenever Riley Matthews Episode: "Cyd and Shelby's Haunted Escape"
Invisible Sister Cleo Television film
2017–2018 The Goldbergs Jackie Geary Recurring role; 12 episodes
2018 Neo Yokio Bergdorf Chan / Salesclerk 3 / Teenage Girl Voice role; episode: "Pink Christmas"
2018–2019 Splitting Up Together China Episodes: "Messy", "China-curious"
2020–2024 Snowpiercer Alexandra Cavill Main role
2023 Poker Face Lily Albern Episode: "The Orpheus Syndrome"

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations received by Rowan Blanchard
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2012 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Feature Film — Young Actress Ten and Under Spy Kids: All the Time in the World Nominated [14]
2015 Young Artist Awards Outstanding Young Ensemble in a TV Series Girl Meets World Nominated [22]
2016 Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Star: Female Nominated [57]
2017 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Female TV Star Nominated [23]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Changemaker Herself Nominated [24]

References

  1. ^ "This is Who I Am: Rowan Blanchard | Girl Meets World | Disney Video". video.disney.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Rowan Blanchard: "Riley Matthews"". Disney Channel Medianet. Archived from the original on August 12, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Kelleher, Jennifer (October 14, 2018). "8 Ways Rowan Blanchard Proved She Was Wise Beyond Her Years". E! News. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  4. ^ "Yoga Los Angeles :: Mark Blanchard Power Yoga Studio City". Markblanchardsyoga.com. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "Debbie Gibson Online Store – EY Workshop". Debbiegibsonmerch.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "Rowan Blanchard Says She's "Sick to My Stomach" About the Conflict in Syria". Teen Vogue. April 7, 2017. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  7. ^ Sasso, Samantha (March 29, 2017). "Rowan Blanchard On Beauty, Brows, & Growing Up On The Internet". www.refinery29.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  8. ^ Stone, Chelsea (April 7, 2017). "Rowan Blanchard Says She's "Sick to My Stomach" About the Conflict in Syria". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  9. ^ "Interview with a Yogi". Yogalaw. Archived from the original on May 7, 2014. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  10. ^ "Rowan Blanchard: 25 Things You Don't Know About Me". US Weekly. December 2015. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  11. ^ a b "Rowan Blanchard's "Who I Am" (Disney Channel)". Disney Video. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  12. ^ "Review: 'Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D'". Los Angeles Times. August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  13. ^ "Not your average 13-year-old: Rowan Blanchard, special guest at Kidz Expo Saturday, dives into weighty, worldwide subjects | Chattanooga Times Free Press". www.timesfreepress.com. April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "33rd Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. January 26, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
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  25. ^ Bibel, Sara (January 9, 2015). "Disney Channel Greenlights Original Movies 'Invisible Sister' Starring Rowan Blanchard & Paris Berelc & 'Further Adventures in Babysitting' Starring Sabrina Carpenter & Sofia Carson". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  26. ^ Swift, Andy (February 6, 2017). "Rowan Blanchard Joins The Goldbergs in First Post-Girl Meets World Role". TVLine. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  27. ^ "You Got Zuko'd". Disneyabcpress.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  28. ^ "A Wrinkle in Time Press Kit" (PDF). Walt Disney Studios. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  29. ^ Gettell, Oliver (November 1, 2016). "A Wrinkle in Time adds Zach Galifianakis, André Holland, Rowan Blanchard". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  30. ^ Paige, Rachel (March 9, 2018). "Rowan Blanchard improvised her most heartbreaking scene in "Wrinkle In Time"". HelloGiggles. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  31. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 14, 2016). "Ava DuVernay's 'A Wrinkle In Time' To Hit Theaters In Spring 2018". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  32. ^ White, Peter (March 14, 2024). "'Snowpiercer': AMC Picks Up Season 4 After TNT Scrapped Sci-Fi Drama". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  33. ^ Petski, Denise (March 27, 2019). "Rowan Blanchard Joins TNT's 'Snowpiercer'". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  34. ^ Petski, Denise (May 15, 2019). "'Snowpiercer' Moves To TBS With Early Season 2 Renewal". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  35. ^ Darwish, Meaghan (January 25, 2021). "'Snowpiercer' Star Rowan Blanchard on Playing Alexandra, From Her Loyalties to Life Aboard Big Alice". TV Insider. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  36. ^ Schwartz, Ryan (June 3, 2024). "Snowpiercer Season 4: AMC Drops Teaser Trailer for Final Episodes Ahead of July Premiere". TVLine. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  37. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 10, 2021). "Rowan Blanchard & Auli'i Cravalho To Star In Hulu Coming-Of-Age Film From Director Sammi Cohen". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  38. ^ Galuppo, Mia (August 10, 2021). "Rowan Blanchard, Auli'i Cravalho to Lead Hulu Coming-of-Age Romance Feature". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  39. ^ Prange, Stephanie (May 4, 2022). "'The Batman,' 'Moon Knight' Again Top Weekly Whip Media Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  40. ^ Mohan, Monita (April 29, 2022). "The Beauty of 'Crush' Is That It's a Coming-of-Age Story, Not a Coming Out Story". Collider. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  41. ^ Laffly, Tomris (April 29, 2022). "'Crush' Review: Hulu's Teen-Centric Queer Rom-Com Plays It Too Safe". Variety. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  42. ^ Lemire, Christy (April 29, 2022). "Crush movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  43. ^ Petski, Denise (October 4, 2022). "'Poker Face': Rhea Perlman, Chelsea Frei, Rowan Blanchard Join Rian Johnson's Peacock Series". Deadline. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  44. ^ Duff, Chelsea (June 29, 2015). "Rowan Blanchard gave the most moving feminist speech for at the UN Women's Conference". Girls' Life. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015.
  45. ^ a b "Rowan Blanchard". Interview Magazine. March 24, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  46. ^ McCarthy, Lauren (September 20, 2017). "15-Year-Old Rowan Blanchard Has Announced Her First Book". W. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  47. ^ "Rowan Blanchard on the Anxiety She Felt Releasing Her New, Very Personal Book, Still Here". W Magazine. February 22, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  48. ^ Blanchard, Rowan [@rowanblanchard] (April 6, 2018). "Instagram may have little, if any, affect on a war so brutal and so unimaginable to those of us who use it daily to watch the news from a removed lens. But I am absolutely positive that I, being a white person from America, have a very vague actualized understanding of the very sickening, murderous injustice of what is going on the grounds in Palestine, and an even vaguer understanding of what it means to be 17 year old Ahed Tahimi (pictured) right now. That said, I do not believe Instagram can be a way of ending a war as violent and as hard to actualize as this, but maybe it is a way of reminding my audience (that is predominantly from the west or especially America), that the world is a lot bigger than America, and there is a lot to read and a lot to learn about and a lot of personal will to be viewed as controversial rather than to remain silent and removed even with a slight cognizance of brutal, violent conflicts such as this. This morning, Palestinians continued their #GreatMarchOfReturn, an unarmed protest along the Gaza Strip demanding to return to their home. Solidarity with the people of Palestine. Solidarity with teen activists from places other than first world, western countries, who are doing unimaginable work every day, without social media, news, etc giving space for them" – via Instagram.
  49. ^ Blanchard, Rowan [@rowanblanchard] (May 14, 2018). "Gaza qualifies under every definition of genocide yet massacred protestors must always be identified as 'peaceful'. How do white settlers so successfully deform language that no matter how astounding their violence, it is always the colonized who have the burden of proving peace?" zaina alsous, today, may 14 2018" – via Instagram.
  50. ^ Analyssa (April 27, 2022). "Rowan Blanchard on Not Labeling Our Gay Comedies, Impressing Crushes, and Hulu's "Crush"". Autostraddle. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  51. ^ Lee, Nhi (December 8, 2015). "Cory and Topanga's daughter is one of TIME's "30 Most Influential Teens"". THE EYE. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  52. ^ "The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2015". Time. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  53. ^ Spanos, Brittany (September 16, 2015). "18 Teens Shaking Up Pop Culture". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  54. ^ "21 Teenagers Who Already Dress Better Than You". Harper's BAZAAR. October 31, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  55. ^ a b Feldman, Lucy (May 16, 2018). "How Teens Are Redefining the Conversation Around Depression". Time. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  56. ^ Weaver, Hilary (January 18, 2016). "Girl Meets World Star Rowan Blanchard Came Out As Queer and Went to Bat for Her Disney Character, Too". New York Magazine's The Cut Blog. Archived from the original on May 9, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  57. ^ Eliahou, Maya (June 9, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards 2016--Captain America: Civil War Leads Second Wave of Nominations". E! Online. NBC Universal. Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
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