Emily Jane Browning (born 7 December 1988) is an Australian film actress and singer. Browning made her film debut in the Australian television film The Echo of Thunder, subsequently, she played recurring roles in Australian television shows Blue Heelers and Something in the Air. Her breakthrough role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship, which introduced her to a wider audience. In 2005, Browning won the Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Violet Baudelaire in the comedy film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004).Browning is also known for her roles in the horror film The Uninvited (2009), the action film Sucker Punch (2011), and the independent film Sleeping Beauty (2011). Her role in Sleeping Beauty was highly praised and in 2011 was named the Breakthrough performer of the year by Hamptons International Film Festival.
I'm a massive daydreamer. I'm constantly lost within my own fantasies and my own thoughts personally, and I think maybe that is sort of represented in what we do for a living, the fact that we make believe everything and we escape into these other characters for a living.
2
I'm not going to do a pop album anytime soon. I'm not going to dye my hair blonde and wear pink mini-skirts.
3
I went to this weird little hippie primary school and we did a lot of plays. The first one was "Alice in Wonderland" and I played Alice. It was all in Italian - it was such a bizarre school.
4
In my everyday life I'm a little bit nervous and not particularly brave. I feel like if I can be completely brave in my work then I'm doing something right.
5
[on what you bring as an artist] You can't judge it and you can't analyze what you do, because what you bring is original and beautiful and special.
6
The whole point of our job is to be able to realistically portray a human being and if you don't experience life, if all you experience is acting and being on set, how on Earth are you going to be able to connect to real people and portray these characters? I realized if I want to do this, I have to have a life.
7
[on a scene that was cut in Sucker Punch (2011)] I had a very tame and mild love scene with Jon Hamm. It was like heavy breathing and making out. It was hardly a sex scene . . . I think that it's great for this young girl to actually take control of her own sexuality. Well, the MPAA doesn't like that. They don't think a girl should ever be in control of her own sexuality because they're from the Stone Age. I don't know what the fuck is going on and I will openly criticize it, happily. So essentially, they got [director Zack Snyder] to edit the scene and make it look less like she's into it. And Zack said he edited it down to the point where it looked like he was taking advantage of her. That's the only way he could get a PG-13 (rating) and he said, "I don't want to send that message". So they cut the scene!
8
My family are very supportive and always have been. They weren't the kind of parents that pushed me into it. I know a lot of parents of kid actors I've worked with have pressured them into acting, but my parents are different. I'm really lucky to have them because they let me make my own decisions.
9
After Hollywood, you know if people are interested in you or in the fact that you've been in a movie. You know who your real friends are.
10
I was lucky - the first eight productions I auditioned for, I got cast.
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Fact
1
Music video: Appeared in the music video "Light Surrounding You" by Evermore.
2
Even though she turned down the lead in Twilight (2008) she worked with the director and author of the film, later in her career. She worked with director on Catherine Hardwicke' on Plush (2013) and with Stephanie Meyer on The Host (2013), the adaptation of the novel that Meyer produced.
3
She is a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish).
4
Ranked #4 in the 2011 Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Faces.
5
Ranked #28 in "The Annual Independent Critics List of the 100 Most Beautiful Famous Faces From Around the World" for 2010.
6
Per Stephenie Meyer's request, Browning was offered the part of "Bella" in Twilight (2008). She turned it down because she didn't want to be involved in a film franchise as it would distract her from her studies.
7
In 2002, she won an AFI Young Actor's Award and in 2004 she represented them.
8
Ranked #90 in the 2011 FHM (Australia) list of "100 Sexiest Women in the World".
9
Has her nose and belly button pierced.
10
Replaced Mia Wasikowska in Miegancioji grazuole (2011).
11
Was cast as "Babydoll" in Sucker Punch (2011), after Amanda Seyfried was forced to drop out due to scheduling problems.
12
Took a three-year acting break, starting in 2005, to finish school in Australia. She will return in the remake of A Tale of Two Sisters (2004), with Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks and David Strathairn.
13
Is featured briefly (archive footage from Ghost Ship (2002)) in the film Around the Bend (2004).
14
She needed to wear heels for her costume in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) because Liam Aiken was much taller than she was.
15
She has a cat named Jasper and a dog named Roxy.
16
Says she learned an American accent from watching Sesame Street (1969) as a child.
17
She was scared she was going to get fired while filming Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004), because she'd be laughing at Jim Carrey so much.
18
She wanted to be a fashion designer when she was little, but she was "discovered" as an actress at age 8 in a school play.
19
Has two brothers; Nicholas (b. circa 1995) and Matthew (b. circa 1997).
20
Her parents' names are Shelley and Andrew.
21
For her underwater scene in Ghost Ship (2002), she had to wear little weights so her dress wouldn't float up over her face.
22
Won the coveted role of Violet in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) after her agent gave her a pile of scripts for which to submit video auditions. She was phoned by the "Lemony Snicket" director Brad Silberling and asked to come to L.A. for an audition, which won her the part.
23
Got her start in acting after being noticed in a school play.
performer: "Act of the Apostle", "Pretty When the Wind Blows", "God Help the Girl", "The Psychiatrist is In", "If You Could Speak", "Perfection as a Hipster", "Pretty Eve in the Tub", "Come Monday Night", "I'll Have to Dance with Cassie", "Musician, Please Take Heed", "Down and Dusky Blonde"
Plush
2013
performer: "The Look Jack Version", "The Look Enzo Version", "Half of Me", "Half of Me Remixes", "Close Enough To Kill", "Close Enough To Kill Demo", "Introdubtion"
Britain's Got Talent
2012
TV Series performer - 1 episode
A Sliver of Light
2012
Short performer: "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This"
Sucker Punch
2011
performer: "SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS", "WHERE IS MY MIND?", "ASLEEP"
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Made in Hollywood
2011-2014
TV Series
Herself
Reel Junkie
2014
TV Series
Himself
Cinema 3
2011
TV Series
Herself
Cannes Film Festival 2011
2011
TV Movie
Herself
Daybreak
2011
TV Series
Herself
Attack of the Show!
2011
TV Series
Herself
Up Close with Carrie Keagan
2011
TV Series
Herself
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
2011
TV Series
Herself
The Movie Loft
2009
TV Series
Herself
Spicks and Specks
2007
TV Series
Herself
Evermore: The Making of the Music Video 'Light Surrounding You'
2006
Video documentary short
Herself
The 100 Greatest Family Films
2005
TV Movie documentary
Herself
A Terrible Tragedy: Alarming Evidence from the Making of the Film - A Woeful World
2004
Video documentary
Herself (uncredited)
A Terrible Tragedy: Alarming Evidence from the Making of the Film - Costumes and Other Suspicious Disguises
2004
Documentary short
Herself (uncredited)
The Panel
2004
TV Series
Herself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Premio Donostia a Meryl Streep
2008
TV Special
Violet
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2014
Special Jury Prize
Sundance Film Festival
World Cinema - Dramatic
God Help the Girl (2014)
2011
Breakthrough Performer
Hamptons International Film Festival
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
2007
Ashland Independent Film Award
Ashland Independent Film Festival
Best Acting Ensemble: Feature
Stranded (2006)
2002
Young Actor's Award
Australian Film Institute
Playing God (2001)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2012
AFCA Award
Australian Film Critics Association Awards
Best Actress
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
2012
FCCA Award
Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards
Best Actress - Leading Role
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
2011
EDA Special Mention Award
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Most Egregious Age Difference Between the Leading Man and the Love Interest
Sleeping Beauty (2011)
2011
Golden Schmoes
Golden Schmoes Awards
Best T&A of the Year
Sucker Punch (2011)
2003
Young Actor's Award
Australian Film Institute
After the Deluge (2003)
1999
Young Artist Award
Young Artist Awards
Best Performance in a TV Movie/Pilot/Made for Video - Young Ensemble
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