Abigail Breslin

Early life

Breslin is the daughter of Kim (née Walsh), a talent manager, and Michael Breslin, a telecommunications expert, computer programmer, and consultant. She has two older brothers, Ryan and Spencer, who are also actors. The Breslin siblings were raised in Lower East Side, New York in a "very close-knit" household.

Breslin is named after Abigail Adams, the first Second Lady of the United States and second First Lady of the United States.

Career

Early roles

Breslin's career began at age three when she appeared in a Toys "R" Us commercial. Breslin's first acting role was in Signs (2002), directed by M. Night Shyamalan, where she played Bo Hess, the daughter of the main character, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). Signs garnered mostly positive reviews and was a box office success, grossing $408 million worldwide. Breslin's performance in the film was praised by critics. David Ansen of Newsweek wrote that she and co-star Rory Culkin gave "terrifically natural, nuanced performances". In 2004, she appeared in Raising Helen, in which she and her brother Spencer played siblings, but the film fared poorly. That same year, Breslin appeared in Chestnut: Hero of Central Park.

Breslin had a small role as an orphan named Carolina in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. In the independent film Keane, she played Kira Bedik, a young girl who reminds the mentally disturbed protagonist William Keane (Damian Lewis) of his missing, abducted daughter. Keane had a limited theatrical release and grossed only $394,390 worldwide but it received positive reviews and Breslin's performance was praised by critics. Meghan Keane of The New York Sun wrote that "the scenes between Mr. Lewis and the charmingly fragile Kira, winningly played by Ms. Breslin, bring a captivating humanity to the film".

2000s

On October 27, 2007, Breslin made her stage debut in the play Right You Are (If You Think You Are) in New York City at the Guggenheim Museum starring in an ensemble cast, including Cate Blanchett, Dianne Wiest, Natalie Portman and Peter Sarsgaard. In 2007, Breslin was ranked No. 8 in Forbes magazine's list of "Young Hollywood's Top-Earning Stars", having earned $1.5 million in 2006. Breslin next appeared in the 2007 romantic comedy No Reservations, playing the niece of master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones). The film garnered mostly negative reviews but was successful at the box office, grossing $92 million worldwide. Roger Ebert wrote that Breslin "has the stuff to emerge as a three-dimensional kid, if she weren't employed so resolutely as a pawn." In 2007, she also starred in Definitely, Maybe, as the daughter of a recently divorced father (played by Ryan Reynolds); the film garnered generally favorable reviews, with Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer writing that Breslin is "alarmingly cute – but she backs the cuteness up with serious acting instinct."

In 2008, Breslin starred with Jodie Foster in the film Nim's Island as Nim Rusoe, a young girl who lives on a remote tropical island. Nim's Island received mixed reviews but was successful financially, grossing $100 million worldwide. In 2008, she appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the title role. The film was based on the American Girl line of dolls, books, and accessories of which Breslin is a fan. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl garnered favorable reviews and grossed $17 million at the box office. Breslin's performance in the film was praised by critics; Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal wrote that she "carries the event-stuffed story with unflagging grace."

In 2009, Breslin appeared in My Sister's Keeper, where she played the role of Anna Fitzgerald, a young girl who was conceived to be a donor for her sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. Sisters Elle and Dakota Fanning were slated to play the roles of Anna and Kate respectively; however, Dakota refused to shave her head for the role, so she and Elle were replaced by Sofia Vassilieva and Breslin. My Sister's Keeper received mixed reviews but was a financial success, grossing $95 million worldwide. James Berardinelli wrote that Breslin and Vassilieva "display a natural bond one might expect from sisters, and there's no hint of artifice or overacting in either performance." Also in 2009, Breslin appeared in the horror comedy Zombieland as Little Rock. Director Ruben Fleischer said that "the dream was always to get Abigail Breslin" for the role. The film received positive reviews and was successful at the box office, grossing $102 million worldwide.

2010s

With previews beginning in February 2010, she made her Broadway debut as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Breslin has said that she was honored to play Keller, who is one of her "biggest heroes". The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, an advocacy group for blind and deaf actors, criticized the play's producers for not casting a deaf or blind actor in the role. Lead producer David Richenthal defended the decision, saying that he needed a well-known actress: "It's simply naïve to think that in this day and age, you'll be able to sell tickets to a play revival solely on the potential of the production to be a great show or on the potential for an unknown actress to give a breakthrough performance." Vision-impaired actress Kyra Siegel was cast as Breslin's understudy. Breslin's performance was praised by critics; Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "well portrays Helen's feral rebelliousness in the play's early sections and is deeply touching as her character's bond with her teacher grows." Ticket sales for the play, however, were considered disappointing, and the show closed in April 2010. In September 2009, Breslin filmed in Des Moines, Iowa, playing the title role in the film Janie Jones: a 13-year-old girl who is abandoned by her former-groupie mother (Elisabeth Shue), and informs Ethan Brand (Alessandro Nivola), a fading rock star, that she is his daughter. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2011, Breslin voiced Priscilla, a cactus mouse in the film Rango, an animated throw-back to Spaghetti westerns, directed by Gore Verbinski. That same year, she also appeared in the romantic comedy New Year's Eve. In 2013, she appeared in the thriller The Call. The film received mixed reviews from critics. Andrew Barker of Variety wrote that Breslin "acquits herself well enough for a problematic role in which she's forced to cry and scream nearly continuously." The Call grossed $68 million worldwide. In 2013, Breslin also appeared in Haunter in the role of Lisa, a ghost who bonds with a future girl living in her house to stop an evil killing spirit with the help of his many victims.

Breslin also starred in the film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game The film received mixed reviews from critics but it was a disappointment at the box office, grossing only $125 million worldwide from a $110 million budget. In July 2012, she was cast in August: Osage County, the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name, alongside Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Meryl Streep. August: Osage County was released in December 2013, and received mostly positive reviews. In 2014, Breslin appeared in the crime drama Perfect Sisters. In January 2015, she was cast in Fox's horror-comedy series Scream Queens, which aired from September 2015 to December 2016.

In 2019, Breslin reprised her role as Little Rock in the horror comedy sequel film Zombieland: Double Tap.

2020s

In 2021, Breslin starred opposite Matt Damon in the crime drama film Stillwater from DreamWorks and Participant, directed by Tom McCarthy.

Personal life

In April 2017, Breslin stated that an ex-boyfriend had raped her, and she had since been diagnosed with PTSD. Breslin explained that she did not report being raped at the time because she "was in complete shock and total denial", "feared not being believed" by the police, worried about revenge by the assailant if he found out and concerned about him hurting her family. Breslin continues to advocate against sexual assault.

Her father, Michael, died at age 78 on February 26, 2021, of complications related to COVID-19.

In February 2022, Breslin revealed on Instagram that she was engaged to her longtime boyfriend Ira Kunyansky. They got married on January 28, 2023.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Audio dramas

Discography

Soundtrack albums

Extended plays

Singles

As featuring artist

Other appearances

Accolades

References

References

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58. Rust, Katharine. "Things to Do". Time Out New York.
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60. Healy, Patrick. (December 8, 2009). "Vision-Impaired Girl Gets Helen Keller Understudy Role". The New York Times.
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75. (May 24, 2014). "Film Review: Haunter (2013) {{!}} HNN".
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83. (18 October 2019). "Why Emma Stone Was Haunted by Fear of Vomiting While Shooting 'Zombieland: Double Tap'".
84. Kroll, Justin. (July 29, 2019). "Abigail Breslin Joins Matt Damon in 'Stillwater' (EXCLUSIVE)".
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91. VanHoose, Benjamin. (2022-02-23). "Abigail Breslin Reveals She's Engaged to 'Perfect Angel' Ira Kunyansky — See the Ring!".
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94. "Instagram".
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97. Squires, John. (October 10, 2019). "[Exclusive] Abigail Breslin Previews New Video Game 'Zombieland: Double Tap – Road Trip'".
98. "Daniel X: Genesis {{!}} Young Adult Sci-Fi Adventure Podcast by Aaron Tracy, featuring Abigail Breslin".
99. Spangler, Todd. (2023-05-09). "Mary-Louise Parker Stars in James Patterson Thriller 'Murder in Bermuda' at Audible".
100. Cordero, Rosy. (2023-06-21). "Maya Hawke & William H. Macy Among Cast Of New Scripted Podcast 'Supreme: The Battle For Roe'".
101. "Supreme: The Battle for Roe {{!}} Award-Winning Scripted Podcast by Aaron Tracy".
102. "Janie Jones (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes Store.
103. "Witch Craft".
104. "Fight For Me – Single by Abigail Breslin".
105. "Christmas In New York – Single by Abigail Breslin".
106. "You Suck – single by Abigail Breslin".
107. (September 18, 2018). "Abigail Breslin Drops Debut Single 'Sleepwalking' Under the Name Sophomore: Listen".
108. SOPHOMORE (abigail breslin). (November 14, 2019). "that throwback vibe. hope u guys are liking #90sHONEY".
109. "Steve McQueen". iTunes.
110. "Woman's Intuition". iTunes.
111. "Last Christmas". iTunes.
112. "LOVE ON LOAN". iTunes.
113. (November 30, 2012). "Abigail Breslin Sings On Stargroves' 'Within Me A Lunatic Sings' Track, And It's REALLY Good!". MTV News.
114. "Westfjords (feat. Abigail Breslin)".
115. "Telephone (feat. Abigail Breslin) – Single". iTunes Store.
116. (December 27, 2017). "Steve Aoki, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Drop 'We Are Legend': Listen".
117. "33rd Annual Young Artist Awards".