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Ella Ballentine

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Ella Ballentine
Ella Ballentine in 2017
Born
Ella Hope Ballentine

(2001-07-18) July 18, 2001 (age 23)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
OccupationActor
Years active2011–present

Ella Ballentine (born July 18, 2001[1]) is a Canadian Screen Awards-winning[2] television, film and stage actress. Ella is known for her roles in a diverse range of projects from musicals through television and film dramas to thrillers and horror.

Ballentine started her acting career in the 2011 Toronto stage production of The Railway Children, directed by Damian Cruden. She attended Mirvish Productions' open call at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where hundreds of kids showed up for the opportunity to play one of the children roles.[3] The production was staged at the Roundhouse Park, a National Historic Site.[4] Ballentine played the role of the youngest daughter, Francis Perks.[5] She continued with her stage career with the leading role of Felicia in Numbers,[6] a 2012 Toronto Fringe Festival play for which she received rave reviews.[7][8] In 2013 she returned to Mirvish Productions to play the role of Little Cosette / Young Eponine[9] in the highly acclaimed 25th Anniversary production of Les Miserables.

Ballentine's film acting debut occurred in Baby's First Christmas[10] for Hallmark Channel in 2012 where she played Kate, one of the main characters. The TV movie was directed by Jonathan Wright, and featured Casper Van Dien, Rachel Wilson, Natalie Lisinska (who she reunited with in the Good Stars), and Noah Cappe. This movie was followed in 2013 by the role of Jennifer[11] in Atom Egoyan's feature, The Captive, an official selection for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.[12] The same year Ella shared the screen with Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows and Christopher Heyerdahl, in The Calling, a feature film directed by Jason Stone. Ballentine played Clara[10] in her next role with costars Emmanuelle Vaugier, Richard Ruccolo, and Eva Link in a 2013 Lifetime movie, Clara's Deadly Secret, directed by Andrew C. Erin.

In her first feature lead, Ballentine co-starred with Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane in writer, Adam Alleca's directorial debut, Standoff. The movie was shot on a farm in rural Ontario in 2014, and released in 2015. The same year Ballentine played the co-lead in a family feature, Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti, directed by Richard Boddington. The movie originally intended as Direct-to-video release but it opened in theatres across the United States.[13]

Ballentine was selected to play the role of Anne Shirley[14] in a 2015 Television film adaptation of the classic Canadian novel Anne of Green Gables written by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The first instalment named, L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables previewed in Canada on YTV, on February 15, 2016. PBS[15] purchased the rights of the movie for the United States. The movie also received distribution deals across Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.[16] Subsequently, YTV has ordered two more episodes[17] (The Good Stars, and Fire & Dew) that were both shot in 2016 with Ballentine as Anne, Martin Sheen as Matthew Cuthbert, Sara Botsford as Marilla Cuthbert, Julia Lelonde as Diana Barry, and Drew Haytaoglu as Gilbert Blyth. All three episodes were directed by John Kent Harrison.

Back in 2015 Ella also landed the role of Lizzy in writer/director, Bryan Bertino's horror, The Monster. In this movie Ella co-starred with Zoe Kazan, and Scott Speedman who she already worked with a couple of years back in the feature film, The Captive. The Monster became an independent success with many award nominations for the movie and also for Ballentine.

In 2013 Ella was invited to the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction Gala as one of the "renowned Canadian performers enlivened the evening with dramatic readings of the five prize-nominated titles."[18]

Reception

In 2015, Ballentine costarred in Standoff with Laurence Fishburne and Thomas Jane. Although the movie received mixed reviews,[19] Ballentine's performance was praised by several media. Rene S. Garcia, JR. of Workingauthor.com wrote "And let’s not forget Ella Ballentine. I typically have no faith in child actors, but Ella strikes the perfect tone with her burgeoning independence, but emotional and physical dependency."[20] Eoin Friel from ActionElite felt that "Ella Ballentine almost steals the movie as Bird, the girl being pursued by Sade. The poor thing goes through an absolute nightmare and manages to never be the “annoying kid” in the film; she brings genuine heart to proceedings and is essential for Carter’s redemption."[21] According to in an interview on Collider, co-Lead, Thomas Jane "[Ella] was pretty wonderful. She was fun, too."[22]

Ballentine received critical acclaim.[23][24][25] for her portrayal of the classic character, Anne Shirley in a new 3 part TV movie adaptation of the classic Canadian novel, Anne of Green Gables. L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables was the first instalment, followed by The Good Stars. "Ballentine is charming as Anne” wrote Francesca Rudkin in the New Zealand Herald,[26] while Louise Keller in Urbancinefile states “[Ballentine] is outstanding. Wide-eyed and innocent, she proffers just the right amount of worldliness as the orphan who asks for just two things as she prays for the first time. That is a lovely scene.”[27] "I was absolutely delighted by actress Ella Ballentine’s portrayal of Anne Shirley. She was a worthy Anne.” wrote Sarah M Miduski.[28] Martin Sheen also has high opinion of Ballentine. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Sheen said "I adore [Ella]...She’s an extraordinary talent...She’s remarkable. And she’s very funny as well. We have great fun on the set and she’s got a great sense of humor. She’s a joy to work with.”[29]

According to critics, in the horror movie, The Monster "the spooky-good Ella Ballentine”[30] came up as "a minor revelation. She’s terrific as the child forced to grow up much faster than she’d like due to her negligent mother.”,[31] "a young actress chock-full of pure talent, Ella Ballentine gives an ... stunning performance as Lizzy”.[32] According to the Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chang "Ballentine gives a fine, fierce performance as a child wise beyond her years and unafraid of confrontation.”,[33] and Matt Donato from We Got This Covered writes "Ballentine rolls with the punches well for an actress her age, and this shouldn’t be understated”.[34] The Monster ended up on many websites top horror list for 2016,[35][36][37] and Ballentine gained a few suggestions for award considerations and a couple of award nominations, such us Fangoria Magazine's 2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actress. "If horror movie performances were given Oscars, [Kazan] would be a shoo-in. Same with Ballentine. These two are so believable” wrote Staci Layne Wilson in Dread Central[38] Bloody Disgusting, an American horror genre website with millions of visitors/month,[39] called Ballentine "The Most Baddas Horror Hero of 2016" in article devoted to her and her character.[40]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2011 Words
2012 The Intergalactic Space Adventures of Cleo and Anouk Anouk
2013 Lunchbox Loser Missy
2014 The Captive Jennifer
The Calling Rose Batten
2015 Standoff Bird
2016 Against the Wild 2: Survive the Serengeti Emma Croft
The Monster Lizzy aka. There Are Monsters
Milton's Secret Anna

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012 Baby's First Christmas Karen Pendrell Television film
2013 Clara's Deadly Secret Kate Television film
Time Tremors Medie Reno S1 E1-7'
2014 Reign Voland Girl TV Series, Episode:The Plague at IMDb
Saving Hope Rachel Stewart TV Series, Episode:The Other Side of Midnight at IMDb
2016 L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables Anne Shirley Television film
2017 Anne of Green Gables: The Good Stars
2017 Anne of Green Gables: Fire & Dew
2018 The Detail at IMDb Annabelle TV Series, Episode: It Takes a Village at IMDb

Video Games

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Time Tremors Medie Reno

Stage

Year Title Role Notes
2011 The Railway Children Francis Perks Roundhouse Theatre
2012 Numbers Felicia Factory Theatre
2013–2014 Les Misérables Little Cosette / Young Eponine Princess of Wales Theatre

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result
2014 Dora Mavor Moore Award Outstanding Performance - Ensemble in a Musical[41] Les Miserables Nominated
2016 Joey Awards Young Actress - MOW[42] L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables Won
2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Supporting Actress[43] The Monster Nominated
2018 Canadian Screen Awards Canadian Screen Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series[44] L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables: Fire & Dew Won

References

  1. ^ "Ella Ballentine's twit". Twitter. July 18, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  2. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards – Take Two". Northernstars.ca. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  3. ^ Mirvish Youtube Video of Casting March 11, 2011, retrieved March 3, 2017.
  4. ^ Ouzounian, Richard."British Hit The Railway Children Coming to Toronto's Roundhouse" Toronto Star. January 26, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2017
  5. ^ [1] Toronto Theatre Database. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  6. ^ Numbers 2012, retrieved May 17, 2014
  7. ^ "Toronto Fringe Festival", Ontario Arts Review, retrieved May 7, 2014
  8. ^ "Numbers portrays the Holocaust through dance sequences", The Canadian Jewish News, July 9, 2012, retrieved July 16, 2012
  9. ^ "Les Miserables, Toronto: Cast and Creatives", Les Miserables Official Website, archived from the original on June 7, 2014, retrieved May 8, 2014 {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Kondoloy, Amanda (October 10, 2013). "LMN Presents New Original Movie 'Clara's Deadly Secret'". Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  11. ^ "Cannes Film Review: 'The Captive'", Variety online, retrieved May 17, 2014
  12. ^ "Cannes Unveils 2014 Official Selection Lineup", Variety online, retrieved May 8, 2014
  13. ^ "Against The Wild 2: Survive The Serengeti (2016) Release Dates - Movie Insider". Movie Insider. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  14. ^ "Anne of Green Gables: A glimpse of the filming of a much-loved story", CBC.ca, retrieved August 3, 2015
  15. ^ Mattern, Jessica."PBS Will Premiere a New 'Anne of Green Gables' Movie On Thanksgiving Day" "Country Living" September 22, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  16. ^ "Breakthrough Entertainment Secures Global Licensing Representation for L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables""Breakthrough Entertainment" October 17, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  17. ^ "Corus Entertainment Green Lights Second and Third Instalments of L.M. Montgomery's Anne of green Gables: Good Stars and Fire & Dew" Corus Entertainment September 19, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
  18. ^ "Hon. Hilary M. Weston and the Writers' Trust Present $60,000 Literary Award to Graeme Smith for Account of Afghan War", Writer's Trust of Canada, retrieved May 17, 2014
  19. ^ "Standoff Rotten Tomatoes listing “, "Rotten Tomatoes”, Retrieved 01 March 2017.
  20. ^ Garcia. Jr., René S. "Standoff (2016) Review”, “Workingauthor”, August 9, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017
  21. ^ Friel, Eoin. "Standoff (2016 Review), “The Actionelite”, March 5, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  22. ^ Radish, Christina. "Thomas Jane on Working with Laurence Fishburne for the Indie Thriller ‘Standoff’”, "Collider”, February 12, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  23. ^ Rabinowitz, Dorothy. "‘Anne of Green Gables’ Review: Winning Hearts and Minds”, The Wall Street Journal”, November 17, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  24. ^ Croot, James. "Movie Review: Anne of Green Gables” "Stuff.co.nz”, 10 July 2016. Retrieved 01 March 2017.
  25. ^ Bruk, Diana. "Here's How PBS' "Anne Of Green Gables" Compares To The Classic Film”” "Country Living”, November 21, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  26. ^ Ruskin, Francesca "Movie review: Anne of Green Gables” “The New Zealand Herald”, 07 July 2016. Retrieved 01 March 2017.
  27. ^ Keller, Louis. ”Anne of Green Gables” Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  28. ^ M Miduski, Sarah. "An “Anne Of Green Gables Superfan Watches The Latest Adaptation” “Biff Bam Pop” November 28, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  29. ^ Raynor, Madeline. "Martin Sheen on PBS' Anne of Green Gables, the 1985 version, and farm animals” "Entertainment Weekly” November 21, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  30. ^ Whitty, Stephen. “'The Monster' review: Zoe Kazan faces her fears” “NJ.com” 09 November 2016. Retrieved 02 March 2017
  31. ^ Lyles, Jeffrey. “Lyles Movie Files” Lyles Movie Files. November 15, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  32. ^ “The Monster (2016) - Dark and Beautiful: Not Your Average Monster Story” “PopHorror” Retrieved 02 March 2017.
  33. ^ Chang, Justin. "Mother-daughter drama raises goosebumps in 'The Monster’” “Los Angeles Times” November 10, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  34. ^ Donato, Matt "The Monster Review” November 2016. retrieved 02 March 2017.
  35. ^ Lee, Carter."The Six Best Horror Movies of 2016 that are Truly Scarry" "Inquisitr" January 10, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017
  36. ^ Sanchez. Stephen."GEEK Year in Review: Top Ten Horror Films of 2016" "Geek" January 7, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  37. ^ Peintzman, Louis "The 19 Best Horror Films Of 2016""BuzzFeed December 28, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017
  38. ^ Jayne Wilson, Stacy. “The Monster (2016)”“Dread Central” 09 November 2016. Retrieved 02 March 2017.
  39. ^ Graser, Marc "Collective nabs Bloody-Disgusting" "Variety September 12, 2007. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  40. ^ Squires, John. "‘The Monster’: The Most Badass Horror Hero of 2016 May Be a Child" “Bloody Disgusting” November 17, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
  41. ^ "awards database". tapa.ca. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  42. ^ "Joey Awards" (PDF). Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  43. ^ "Never mind Oscar, here's the 2017 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards Nominees Ballot!". FANGORIA®. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  44. ^ "Winners Announced: 2018 Canadian Screen Awards". eBoss. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
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