Meet Lilla & Jillian, the Season's Newest Stars
This season, two young actresses are finding themselves in a spotlight brighter than they've ever known before, with starring roles in two very different, but both very anticipated, movies. The first is 13-year-old Lilla Crawford, who plays Little Red Riding Hood in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, a modern, musical twist on ancient fairy tales, playing theaters everywhere now.
Into the Woods is Lilla's feature film debut, but she's been performing onstage for some time. Born in Los Angeles, she attended the Youth Academy of Dramatics Arts there. She made her Broadway debut in 2011 with the musical Billy Elliot, and in 2012, she beat out over 5,000 other girls to win one of the most iconic girls' roles on Broadway, Annie.
In a red wig, Lilla sings her heart out as Annie during the Tony Awards at Radio City Musical Hall, June 2013
"When I found out they were going to hold auditions for Annie I was really, really excited, and I didn't care what part I would get," Lilla said in this interview, shortly after she was cast. "I just wanted to be a part of this show somehow." She worked hard to get the role, too; the audition took nine months and involved six callbacks. "I've just always had that intention to do what I'm doing right now." She made her debut as Annie in fall 2012 and stayed with it until July 2013, when she left Broadway for Hollywood to start filming Into the Woods. (Coincidentally, Quvenzhane Wallis's modern musical adaptation of Annie is in theaters now, too.)
Most reviews for Into the Woods have praised Lilla and her strong singing voice, although some also note that the Big Bad Wolf's (Johnny Depp) keen interest in her Little Red Riding Hood has some creepy undertones. This reviewer writes that "Crawford is one of the youngest members of the cast, but that doesn’t keep her from stealing scenes like a master criminal. The Broadway actress not only handles the music like a seasoned veteran, she manages to give the movie some much needed levity and joy."
Lilla attends the New York City premiere of Into the Woods, December 2014
Another young starlet making her feature film debut this season is 10-year-old Jillian Estell, who in the drama Black or White finds herself in the middle of a custody dispute between her white maternal grandfather (Kevin Costner) and black paternal grandmother (Ocatavia Spencer). Black or White received plenty of buzz after it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September, and it's scheduled for a wide release on January 30, right in the middle of awards season.
Jillian films Black or White with Kevin Costner in New Orleans, July 2013
Black or White opened for limited engagements on December 3 to qualify it for awards consideration. While many are eying another possible Oscar nod for Octavia Spencer, Jillian has already received a nomination for Best Breakthrough Actress from the Black Reel Awards. (This prize went to Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave last year.)
Since her character is at the center of the custody battle, Black or White likely has a lot of screentime for Jillian. Writer/director Mike Binder said of casting her, "I was really happy with the relationship between Kevin and the little girl, Jillian Estell. We searched all across North America; my casting director saw maybe 2,000 kids. The chemistry [Jillian] was able to build between herself and Kevin was so incredible. I think they really fell for each other."
Jillian attends the premiere of Black or White at the Toronto Film Festival, September 2014