Joanna Lauren Christie (born 10 April 1982)^[1] is an English actress and singer. She is noted for her work in the play Equus (2007) alongside Daniel Radcliffe, but is best known for her role as Girl in the Broadway musical Once. Christie played Connie Murphy, one of the lead female characters, in the hit Netflix television series Narcos.

Early life

Christie was born and raised in Huddersfield, in West Yorkshire until the age of 13, when she was awarded a music scholarship to study flute, piano, and voice^[2] at Oundle School in Northamptonshire. Five years later, she moved to London to attend drama school at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.^{[citation needed]}

She joined the National Youth Theatre at 17, where she made her breakthrough stage role in Immaculate Conceit, a play about a stripper who is pregnant with the next messiah.^[1][3] She then found small roles in television,^[4] before joining Kevin Spacey's Old Vic, New Voices collective for a year in 2005.^[3][5] She was delighted to be part of the collective of actors taking part in the 24-hour plays at The Old Vic. The group received its name because Spacey, who selected the actors, believed them to be the best new actors around.

After a five-month tour of India performing Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in Jaipur in 2006, she returned to Britain,^[6] but endured a lean year and nearly gave up acting altogether when she landed the role of Jill Mason in her West End debut in Equus at the Gielgud Theatre.^{[citation needed]} She beat over 300 other actresses to the role opposite Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in Thea Sharrock's high-profile revival of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play.^[7]

Personal life

Christie has lived in New York since April of 2013 and her hobbies include yoga, running, kickboxing, and scuba diving.^[8][9] She used to be part of her brother's band called Luke J Christie & The Held Breath until she moved to New York City to star as Girl in Once.

Road to Broadway

Christie said that being on Broadway is "every dream [she's] ever had come true."^[10] However, right before she landed the role in Once, she was about to give up. "I felt like I was at my lowest, and I decided to go back to university to do anthropology,"^[11] she said in an interview with broadway.com. Her audition process was rather strenuous, having to learn two full songs on the piano and three scenes in a Czech accent in a mere 24 hours.

Music projects

Christie recorded a song called "This Gift" with Glen Hansard, who composed many of the songs in Once. The song was released on his solo album, Rhythm and Repose. She says that it is "one of the biggest honours of my life so far...I still can't quite believe it!"^[8]

On 20 April 2014, she collaborated with her Once cast members and contributed her piano and vocal talents for a live-album recording of the Adam Brown and Friends performance at the Bowery Poetry Club.

Family

Christie's mother, Sue, in addition to conducting for the Millhouse Green Male Voice choir in Penistone, sings with The Mastersingers.^[2] Her father Paul, who died in 2012, was a property developer.^[2] Her brother Luke is also a musician, singer, and songwriter. The pair have a band together called Luke J Christie & The Held Breath.^[8] She was inspired by her parents, who taught her that she "could do anything [she] wanted in life and to always be [her]self and follow [her] own path."^[8] She has been highly influenced by her parents her whole life. "I owe all my success to my parents for giving me the opportunities to get to this point in my career and I would like to pay tribute to them...I'm just so grateful to my mum for giving me the gift of music and to both her and my dad for always supporting and encouraging me," she explained in a 2013 interview with the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.^[2]

Filmography

Television

Theatre