Looking Forward and Back with Orphan Annie
Sarah Hyland was just 8 when she played Little Orphan Annie's best friend Molly in the 1999 TV remake of the classic musical, based on the long-running comic strip. Not only was it one of Sarah's earliest TV roles, but it also called for singing and dancing.
Annie (Alicia Morton) singing "Maybe" to Molly (Sarah Hyland) in the orphanage, Annie (1999)
For Halloween this year, Sarah, now 23, paid tribute to her roots and attended Kate Hudson's Halloween party as Little Orphan Annie herself. Her costume included a shiny red wig, painted-on freckles, maryjanes, a heart-shaped locket, and an adult-sized version of Annie's iconic red dress.
Sarah Hyland as Little Orphan Annie, Halloween 2014
Sarah's costume choice was well-timed, since Annie is about to come to the screen for the fourth time. On Christmas Day, the list of child actresses who've played Annie will grow, as Aileen Quinn (1982), Ashley Johnson (1995), and Alicia Morton (1999) will be joined by 11-year-old Oscar-nominated Quvenzhane Wallis. The modern-day adaptation Annie will be the first theatrical, musical production in over 30 years - and Quvenzhane's first significant role since Beasts of the Southern Wild. On November 3, Quvenzhane and her fellow Annie girls attended a Target event to promote the upcoming movie.
Quvenzhane Wallis promoting Annie, November 2014. I love the heart-shaped locket, but her hair is so severe. I still can't tell if it's a wig, or her own hair with the life straightened out of it. Remember how adorably natural her hair was in Beasts of the Southern Wild?
Principal orphans of Annie (2014): Zoe Margaret Colletti, Amanda Troya, Quvenzhane Wallis, Nicolette Pierini & Eden Duncan-Smith. I love the mix of different styles and textures on these girls, especially in Zoe's outfit, which works together so well.