During the Academy Awards nomination announcements on Thursday, it was revealed that 9-year-old, Quvenzhane Wallis would became the youngest Best Actress nominee in history. Her role in the Sundance film, Beasts of the Southern Wild, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in the 85th annual Academy Awards.
Wallis auditioned for the role of Hushpuppy at the age of 5 and began filming when she was 6. Since her first role in the film, the Louisiana native has been cast in the upcoming movie, Twelve Years a Slave, starring Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt, and Michael Fassbender. After almost missing the early morning announcement, she says she yelled upon hearing the nomination.
“It’s exciting, this is special,” she says, adding she is going to celebrate with “pizza, chicken and waffles and good stuff” reported USA Today. “I don’t know what I am going to wear and I don’t know who I am going to take, probably my mom,” she said. “We’re still figuring that out though.”
For the title, Wallis is running against Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty, Jennifer Lawrence for Siver Linings Playbook, Naomi Watts for The Impossible and Emmanuelle Riva for Amour.
Watch the Academy Awards on February 24 to see if she wins and read more about the young star on the Huffington Post.
BMWK– Are you familiar with Beasts of the Southern Wild? Will you be tuning in to the Academy Awards this year?