Mia Wasikowska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mia Wasikowska
Wasikowska in 2018
Born	(1989-10-25) 25 October 1989 (age 35) Canberra, Australia
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present

Mia Wasikowska (born 25 October 1989) is an Australian actress. She started acting on Australian TV in 2004 in the show All Saints. Her first movie was Suburban Mayhem in 2006. She became more widely known for her role in the TV series In Treatment in 2008.

Mia gained global fame in 2010 when she played Alice in Tim Burton's movie Alice in Wonderland. She also appeared in the film The Kids Are All Right that same year. Since then, she has starred in many movies, including Jane Eyre (2011), Stoker (2013), and Crimson Peak (2015). In 2016, she played Alice again in Alice Through the Looking Glass. She often appears in independent films, like Damsel (2018) and Judy and Punch (2019).

Early Life and Interests

Mia Wasikowska was born in Canberra, Australia, on October 25, 1989. She has an older sister and a younger brother. Her mother, Marzena Wasikowska, is a photographer from Poland. Her father, John Reid, is an Australian photographer. When Mia was eight, her family lived in Poland for a year. Her mother was working on a photo project about her own move from Poland to Australia.

At age nine, Mia started ballet lessons. She hoped to become a professional dancer. By age thirteen, she was training 35 hours a week. However, a heel injury and the pressure of ballet made her quit at 14. She says ballet helped her feel less nervous during acting auditions.

Mia loved European and Australian movies from a young age. She was inspired to try acting after seeing Holly Hunter in The Piano. She felt that acting was a way to explore different human feelings. She contacted many acting agencies online and got one response. Even without much acting experience, she got a meeting and started her journey into film.

Career Highlights

Starting Out in Acting (2004–2009)

Mia's first acting role was in 2004 on the Australian TV show All Saints. She was 15 when she got her first movie role in Suburban Mayhem (2006). For this role, she was nominated for a Young Actor's Award.

In 2007, Mia appeared in the crocodile movie Rogue. She was very quiet on set, earning the nickname "Rowdy" from other actors. She also starred in the short film I Love Sarah Jane, which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.

Mia then got a part in the HBO TV series In Treatment (2008). She played a troubled teenager and received great reviews for her performance. This show helped her get roles in American movies. She played Chaya in Defiance and aviation pioneer Elinor Smith in Amelia (2009).

For the film That Evening Sun (2009), Mia quickly learned a Southern American accent. She was the only non-American actor in the movie. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female for this role.

Becoming a Star (2010–2016)

In 2008, Mia was chosen to play Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. She sent a video audition and had several live auditions before getting the part. Tim Burton chose her because of her "old-soul quality."

Mia Wasikowska at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2010

Mia played a 19-year-old Alice returning to Wonderland. She loved the character and felt young women could relate to Alice's feelings of not fitting in. The movie was a huge success, earning over $1 billion worldwide.

In the indie comedy The Kids Are All Right, Mia played Joni. Joni is the daughter of a lesbian couple who searches for her biological father. Mia even suggested that her character wear pajamas in some scenes to show how comfortable she was at home.

In 2011, Mia filmed Jane Eyre, playing the main character. She read the novel after finishing Alice in Wonderland and asked her agent if there was a script. The director, Cary Fukunaga, cast her after a recommendation from director Gus Van Sant.

Mia was named one of the world's most influential people in the Time 100 list in 2011. She was also invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

She appeared in the film Lawless in 2011. Later, she filmed the lead role in Stoker (2013), which was director Park Chan-wook's first English-language movie.

In 2012, Mia filmed The Double and the vampire drama Only Lovers Left Alive. She also starred in Tracks (2013), playing Robyn Davidson, who walked across Australia with camels.

Mia made her directing debut on a part of The Turning, a collection of short stories. In 2013, she filmed Maps to the Stars with director David Cronenberg. She also played the main role in Madame Bovary.

In 2015, Mia starred in Guillermo del Toro's gothic romance Crimson Peak. Critics praised the movie's look and the actors' performances. In 2016, she returned as Alice in Alice Through the Looking Glass. After this, she focused more on independent films.

Recent Independent Films (2017–Present)

In 2017, Mia appeared in the historical thriller The Man with the Iron Heart. She also performed in a stage show called Changers: A Dance Story.

Wasikowska at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2018, she was in the western Damsel and the thriller Piercing. The next year, she starred in Judy and Punch. She also made her theater debut in a play based on Lord of the Flies in Sydney. She appeared in the drama Blackbird in 2019.

In 2020, Mia was in the Netflix movie The Devil All the Time. In 2021, she starred in Bergman Island. As of 2021, Mia has been focusing more on directing and writing her own films. She also starred in the family drama Blueback (2022) and Club Zero (2023).

Personal Life

Mia loves photography and often takes pictures of her travels and movie sets with a Rolleiflex camera. One of her photos was even chosen as a finalist in a national photography prize in Australia in 2011. Mia lives in Sydney, Australia. She also knows some Polish.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Mia Wasikowska at the 2012 AACTA Awards

Television

Video games

Awards and Nominations

Mia Wasikowska has received many awards and nominations for her acting. Here are some of them:

See also

In Spanish: Mia Wasikowska para niños