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 actress from Australia. She started her acting career on Australian TV in 2004. Her first movie role was in Suburban Mayhem (2006).

She became well-known after her work on the TV series In Treatment in 2008. She was even nominated for an award for her role in the film That Evening Sun (2009).

In 2010, Mia became famous worldwide. She played Alice in Tim Burton's movie Alice in Wonderland. She also appeared in the film The Kids Are All Right. Since then, she has starred in many different movies. These include Jane Eyre (2011), Stoker (2013), and Crimson Peak (2015). In 2016, she played Alice again in Alice Through the Looking Glass. She has continued to act in many independent films.

Early Life and Interests

Mia Wasikowska was born in Canberra, Australia, on October 25, 1989. She went to several schools in Canberra and nearby Queanbeyan. She has an older sister named Jess and a younger brother named Kai.

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. This was because her mother received a special grant for her photography.

Ballet Training

At age nine, Mia started studying ballet. She hoped to become a professional dancer. By age thirteen, she was training for 35 hours a week. This was on top of going to school full-time. Her daily routine involved leaving school early to dance until late at night.

However, a heel injury made dancing harder for her. She also started to feel less passionate about ballet. She didn't like the pressure to be physically perfect. So, at fourteen, she decided to stop dancing. Even so, she believes ballet helped her stay calm during auditions.

Discovering Acting

Mia watched many European and Australian movies when she was young. She especially loved the Three Colours movies and My Brilliant Career. Even though she was shy in school, she wanted to try acting. She was inspired by actresses like Holly Hunter and Gena Rowlands.

She felt that acting in movies was a way to explore human feelings. She searched online for Australian talent agencies. She contacted all twelve she found. Only one agency replied to her. Despite having no acting experience, she got a meeting after calling them many times.

Acting Career

First Roles (2005–2009)

Mia Wasikowska got her first acting job in 2004. It was a two-episode role on the Australian TV show All Saints. She was almost 15 when she got her first Australian movie role. This was in Suburban Mayhem (2006). She was nominated for an award for this film. That same year, she also appeared in a short film called Lens Love Story.

In 2007, Mia was in the crocodile horror movie Rogue. She also got a part in the drama September. The director chose her right after her audition. She also starred in the short film I Love Sarah Jane. This film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.

Breakthrough in the U.S.

When she was seventeen, Mia got her first big role in the United States. She played Sophie, a gymnast, in the HBO drama In Treatment. She sent an audition tape for the role. This part meant she had to leave school in Canberra. She moved to Los Angeles for three months. She continued her studies through online courses.

She received great reviews for playing the troubled teenager. People especially praised her American accent. She said that growing up with American movies and TV shows in Australia helped her learn the accent easily.

This show helped Mia get roles in American movies. She played Chaya in Defiance (2008). The director said her inner feelings were very clear, even when she was still. Her next role was as Elinor Smith in the 2009 movie Amelia. In 2008, she received an award for her work on In Treatment.

Mia also played Pamela Choat in the 2009 independent film That Evening Sun. The director wanted actors from the Southern United States. But Mia impressed him with her quick learning of a Southern accent. She was the only non-American actor in the film. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for this role.

Worldwide Recognition (2010–2016)

In July 2008, Mia was chosen to play Alice in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. She auditioned several times before getting the part. Tim Burton said he chose her because she had an "old-soul quality." He felt she could show the story through Alice's eyes.

Mia played a nineteen-year-old Alice who returns to Wonderland. She felt a connection to the character. She had read the Lewis Carroll books as a child. She also liked the 1988 stop-motion film Alice. Mia saw Burton's film as a chance to explore Alice's character more deeply. She felt young women her age could relate to Alice. She said Alice felt a bit uncomfortable with herself and society. Mia felt similar about those things.

Wasikowska at the Independent Spirit Awards on 5 March 2010

Mia also starred in the comedy The Kids Are All Right. She played Joni, the daughter of a lesbian couple. Joni was conceived through artificial insemination. At her brother's request, she searches for their biological father. Mia wanted Joni to wear pajamas in some home scenes. She felt it showed Joni was comfortable with herself.

On October 25, 2010, Mia received the Hollywood Awards' Breakthrough Actress Award. She also won an Australian Film Institute award for her role in Alice in Wonderland. Alice in Wonderland was one of the highest-earning films of 2010. It made over $1 billion worldwide.

From March to May 2010, Mia filmed Jane Eyre. She played the main character, Jane Eyre. She started reading the novel after finishing Alice in Wonderland. She asked her agent if there was a script for it. Two months later, she got the script and met with the director.

Mia also appeared in Restless (2011). She played a sixteen-year-old girl who was very ill. For this role, she had to cut her long hair short. From December 2010 to February 2011, Mia filmed Albert Nobbs.

In April 2011, Mia was named one of the Time 100 most influential people. In June, she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is the group that gives out the Oscars.

Wasikowska at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

In 2011, Mia had a small role in Lawless. Later that year, she filmed the main role in Stoker. Lawless was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012. Stoker was shown at Sundance in January 2013.

Her next movie, The Double, began filming in the UK in May 2012. In July, she filmed the vampire drama Only Lovers Left Alive. She played the younger sister of Tilda Swinton's character. Filming for Tracks began in October 2012 in Australia. Mia played the main role in this film.

Mia also made her directing debut on a part of The Turning. This was a collection of short stories. It was shown in August 2013. In July 2013, she started filming Maps to the Stars in Toronto. This movie was released in 2014. She then played the main role in Madame Bovary. Filming for this started in September 2014 in France.

Mia replaced another actress in Crimson Peak (2015). This was a gothic romance film. She starred alongside Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain. The movie was released in October 2015. Critics generally liked the film. They praised the acting and direction.

In 2016, Mia played Alice again in Alice Through the Looking Glass. This film did not do as well as the first one. After this, Mia started to appear in more independent films.

Independent Films (2017–Present)

In May 2015, Mia joined the cast of The Man with the Iron Heart. This was a historical thriller. Filming began in September 2015 and ended in February 2016. The movie was released in 2017. That same year, she was in a stage show called Changers: A Dance Story.

In 2018, she appeared in the black comedy western Damsel. She also starred in the thriller Piercing. The next year, she starred in Judy and Punch. This film was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019. From July to August 2019, Mia made her theater debut. She played Ralph in a play called Lord of the Flies. She also appeared in the drama Blackbird.

Mia's only movie release in 2020 was The Devil All the Time on Netflix. She was part of a large cast in this film. In 2021, she starred in Bergman Island. This film was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021. As of 2021, Mia has been focusing more on directing and filmmaking. She has written a movie script and is looking for people to help fund it.

She starred in the family drama Blueback, which premiered in 2022. In February 2022, it was announced that Mia would play a unique schoolteacher in the film Club Zero. Filming for Club Zero began in July 2022. The movie was released in 2023. She also filmed Fing, which is expected to be released soon.

Personal Life

In her free time, Mia Wasikowska loves photography. She often takes pictures of her travels. She also photographs her film sets using a special camera. During the filming of Jane Eyre, she had a secret pocket sewn into her costume. This allowed her to hide a digital camera and take pictures between scenes.

One of her photos was chosen as a finalist in a national photography competition in Australia in 2011. Mia Wasikowska lives in Sydney, Australia. She can speak some Polish.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes productions that have not yet been released

Wasikowska at the 2012 AACTA Awards

Television

Video games

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Mia Wasikowska para niños