WHO
Helena Howard in Josephine Decker’s Madeline’s Madeline (out in New York and coming to Los Angeles on Aug. 17).
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER BEFORE
You haven’t. The 20-?year-old’s lead turn as an unstable teen torn between her stressed-out mother (Miranda July) and a captivating acting teacher (Molly Parker) is her big-screen debut.
WHY YOU SHOULD ?CARE NOW
The New York- and New Jersey-raised Howard drew across-the-board raves ?at Sundance, where the film premiered ?in January. THR‘s Jon ?Frosch wrote that the “volcanically gifted” actress “yanks you right into her character’s fraying headspace,” while Deborah Young, in her review, called Howard “sensational … a dynamo who demonstrates astounding intensity.”?
HER HOLLYWOOD ROLE MODEL
Meryl Streep. “When you’re watching her, you don’t see her — you see the story she’s telling, the life she’s encapsulating,” Howard tells THR.?
HER DREAM DIRECTORS
Topping the list of filmmakers she hopes to work with one day are Darren Aronofsky, Xavier Dolan, Lynne Ramsay, Barry Jenkins, Wes Anderson, Terrence Malick, the Coens ?and David Fincher.
WHAT’S NEXT FOR HER
The actress, repped ?by WME, has been cast as one of the leads ?in Amazon’s YA pilot The Wilds, to be directed by Susanna Fogel (The Spy Who Dumped Me).
This story first appeared in the Aug. 15 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
