Helena Howard
Kaitlyn Helena Howard (born July 23, 1998) is an American actress. She is known for her breakout role in Josephine Decker's film Madeline's Madeline, which was hailed by IndieWire as one of the 50 best performances of the 2010s decade[1] and 2nd in The New Yorker's list of the 50 best film performances of the 21st century.[2]
Helena Howard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Kaitlyn Helena Howard July 23, 1998 New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2016–present |
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 one of the participants of the festival, and recited a monologue from Blackbird by David Harrower. When she finished, Decker said of Howard's performance that it was "the best she had seen" in her life, and both of them started crying. After the show ended, Decker and Howard exchanged some information, 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. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for Howard's performance, which IndieWire hailed as 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
| 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 | |
| TBA | I Saw the TV Glow | Jane Schoenbrun | Post-production[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
- ^ 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.
- ^ Brody, Richard (2021-03-06). "The Best Movie Performances of the Century So Far". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
- ^ "Helena Howard on Instagram". Instagram. July 23, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Alemoru, Kemi. "Helena Howard". Dazed. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Helena Howard – Message in a Model". YouTube. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Bramesco, Charles (August 6, 2018). "Helena Howard Is Going to Be a Star". Vulture. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Bramesco, Charles (August 6, 2018). "Helena Howard Is Going to Be a Star". Vulture. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Ongley, Hannah (August 10, 2018). "meet helena howard, breakout star of 'madeline's madeline'". i-D. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Riess, Jeannie (August 20, 2018). "Helena Howard and Josephine Decker Trek to Storm King". The New Yorker. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Ebiri, Bilge (January 28, 2018). ""Madeline's Madeline": The Best Film I Saw at Sundance". The Village Voice. from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.[verification needed]
- ^ "TWIST - Short Film". First Hunt Films. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ Porter, Rick (July 31, 2018). "Amazon Pilot 'The Wilds' Cast Its First 4 Castaways (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "Hollywood comes to Colonie to film 'Shoplifters of the World' (w/slideshow)". SpotlightNews.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ "Helena Howard on Instagram". Instagram. November 23, 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mandinach, Zach (October 18, 2018). "Nominations Announced for the 28th Annual IFP Gotham Awards". IFP. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ Warren, Matt (November 16, 2018). "These Are Your 2019 Film Independent Spirit Award Nominees!". Film Independent. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
External links
- Helena Howard at IMDb