Millicent Simmonds

Millicent "Millie" Simmonds (born 2002/2003) is an American deaf actor who stars in Wonderstruck (2017) directed by Todd Haynes and based on the book of the same name. Simmonds, who uses American Sign Language, plays the young version of the deaf character Rose.

Background

Simmonds is a native of the U.S. state of Utah.[1] She lives in Bountiful, Utah.[2] At twelve months old, Simmonds lost her hearing due to a medication overdose.[3] When she was three years old, she started attending the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, where she participated in its drama club. After completing sixth grade, she mainstreamed at the Mueller Park Junior High School in the fall of 2015. She has performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah, and her sole film experience before Wonderstruck was a deaf student's short, "Color the World".[2]

Simmonds, who read Wonderstruck upon publication, received news of open casting for the film adaptation from her former drama teacher and auditioned for a role in the film. She competed with over 250 others. When she won the role, she moved to New York City with her mother and her younger siblings to film Wonderstruck. She used American Sign Language interpreters to communicate on set and also received a tutor to continue schoolwork while filming.[2] Vanity Fair's Charles Bramesco said of her casting, "A Utah native without any major film credits to her name, young Simmonds is expected to make quite a splash both as a new face in the industry as well as an icon for deaf and otherwise sensory-disabled actors."[4] When Wonderstruck premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, the Associated Press's Jake Coyle said Simmonds's screen debut was "hailed as a breakthrough".[5]

KSL-TV's Liesl Nielsen reported in May 2017, "Millie plans to continue both acting and advocating for the deaf community and is currently in negotiations for her next film, which also includes some A-list stars, though she’s not allowed to say too much more at this point."[6]

References

  1. ↑ Lincoln, Ross A. (April 21, 2016). "Deaf Performer Millicent Simmonds To Co-Star In Todd Haynes' 'Wonderstruck'". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 Crofts, Natalie (April 15, 2016). "Bountiful girl cast in lead role for upcoming movie 'Wonderstruck'". ksl.com. KSL-TV. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Cragun, Nathaniel (March 4, 2016). "Deaf filmmaker's latest work advocates greater cause". The Signpost. Weber State University. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ Bramesco, Charles (April 30, 2016). "Carol Director Todd Haynes Breaks New Ground in Casting His Next Film". Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  5. ↑ Coyle, Jake (May 18, 2017). "'Wonderstruck', with deaf newcomer Simmonds, lands at Cannes". ap.org. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
  6. ↑ Nielsen, Liesl (May 11, 2017). "Deaf Bountiful girl films lead role in upcoming movie 'Wonderstruck'". ksl.com. KSL-TV. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.