Helena Howard
Born
Kaitlyn Helena Howard

(1998-07-23) July 23, 1998 (age 25)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active2013–present

Kaitlyn Helena Howard (born July 23, 1998) is an American actress. After being discovered by director Josephine Decker at age 15, she made her film debut in the drama film Madeline's Madeline (2018), which IndieWire named as one of the 50 best performances of the 2010s[1] and The New Yorker listed as the second-best film performance of the 21st century.[2]

Early life

Howard was born on July 23, 1998, in New York City, New York.[3] Her parents, both artists, are Julia Binet and Will Howard. Her mother is of Scandinavian and Eastern European descent, and her father is African American of mixed descent. She has a younger brother, Liam. Howard grew up in the New Jersey area,[4][5] and attended the Union County Academy for Performing Arts.[6]

Career

After she was discovered by Josephine Decker in 2014 at the Union County Teen Arts Festival, where Decker was a judge, Howard starred in her critically acclaimed feature film Madeline's Madeline. This was Howard's screen debut and she played the titular role.[7]

Howard was a participant in the festival, and recited a monologue from David Harrower's Blackbird. When she finished, Decker said of Howard's performance that it was "the best she had seen" in her life, and they both started crying. Decker and Howard exchanged some information after the show ended and met up a month or so later; Howard ultimately helped develop the story of the film through several improvisation workshops with Decker and others.[8][9]

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2018. It was released on August 10, 2018, by Oscilloscope Laboratories. It received critical acclaim, particularly for Howard's performance, which IndieWire named one of the 50 best performances of the 2010s.[10]

Howard's next role was in the short film Twist, which had its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.[11] She stars as Nora Reid in Amazon's The Wilds.[12] Howard also appeared as Cleo in the film Shoplifters of the World.[13][14]

Filmography

Film and television

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Director Notes
2018 Madeline's Madeline Madeline Josephine Decker
2019 Twist Hannah Aly Migliori Short
2020-2022 The Wilds Nora Reid Sarah Streicher Serial
2020 Don't Look Deeper Aisha Jeffrey Lieber, Charlie McDonnell ongoing serial
2021 Shoplifters of the World Cleo Stephen Kijak
2024 I Saw the TV Glow Isabel Jane Schoenbrun [15]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Reference
2018 Gotham Awards Breakthrough Actor Madeline's Madeline Nominated [16]
Independent Spirit Awards Best Female Lead Nominated [17]

References

  1. ^ Zilko, David Ehrlich,Kate Erbland,Eric Kohn,Anne Thompson,Chris O'Falt,Tambay Obenson,Christian Blauvelt,Christian; Ehrlich, David; Erbland, Kate; Kohn, Eric; Thompson, Anne; O'Falt, Chris; Obenson, Tambay; Blauvelt, Christian; Zilko, Christian (2019-07-23). "The 50 Best Movie Performances of the Decade". IndieWire. Retrieved 2019-08-31.((cite web)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Brody, Richard (2021-03-06). "The Best Movie Performances of the Century So Far". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  3. ^ "Helena Howard on Instagram". Instagram. July 23, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  4. ^ Alemoru, Kemi. "Helena Howard". Dazed. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  5. ^ "Helena Howard – Message in a Model". YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  6. ^ Bramesco, Charles (August 6, 2018). "Helena Howard Is Going to Be a Star". Vulture. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  7. ^ Bramesco, Charles (August 6, 2018). "Helena Howard Is Going to Be a Star". Vulture. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  8. ^ Ongley, Hannah (August 10, 2018). "meet helena howard, breakout star of 'madeline's madeline'". i-D. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  9. ^ Riess, Jeannie (August 20, 2018). "Helena Howard and Josephine Decker Trek to Storm King". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Ebiri, Bilge (January 28, 2018). ""Madeline's Madeline": The Best Film I Saw at Sundance". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.[verification needed]
  11. ^ "TWIST - Short Film". First Hunt Films. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
  12. ^ Porter, Rick (July 31, 2018). "Amazon Pilot 'The Wilds' Cast Its First 4 Castaways (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "Hollywood comes to Colonie to film 'Shoplifters of the World' (w/slideshow)". SpotlightNews.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  14. ^ "Helena Howard on Instagram". Instagram. November 23, 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  15. ^ Kit, Borys (August 24, 2022). "Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine Starring in A24 Horror Thriller 'I Saw the TV Glow' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. ^ Mandinach, Zach (October 18, 2018). "Nominations Announced for the 28th Annual IFP Gotham Awards". IFP. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  17. ^ Warren, Matt (November 16, 2018). "These Are Your 2019 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees!". Film Independent. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

External links

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