Willow Shields

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Willow Shields
Willow Shields SDCC 2015.jpg
Shields at the San Diego Comic-Con in 2015
Born (2000-06-01) June 1, 2000 (age 21)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active2008–present

Willow Shields (born June 1, 2000) is an American actress. She rose to widespread fame for her portrayal of Primrose Everdeen in the sci-fi dystopian adventure film series The Hunger Games (2012–2015), which is one of the highest-grossing film franchises of all time. She earned nominations for a Young Hollywood Award and an MTV Award for her performance in the franchise's second and final installments respectively.

Shields made her acting debut with a guest appearance on the drama series In Plain Sight (2009), and subsequently starred in a supporting role in the television film Beyond the Blackboard (2011). Following The Hunger Games series, she has since achieved mainstream recognition for headlining the international-production fantasy film Into the Rainbow (2017), and playing Lorian in the drama film Woodstuck or Bust (2019) and Serena in the Netflix drama series Spinning Out (2020).

Early life[]

Willow Shields was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the daughter of Carrie and Rob Shields, an art teacher. She has a twin sister, Autumn, and an older brother, River, both of whom are also actors.[1]

Career[]

Beginnings and The Hunger Games film series (2008–2015)[]

Shields' first job was in 2008, where she had a small narrating role in the short film Las Vegas New Mexico 1875.[2] She then made her screen debut for playing Lisa Rogan on the USA drama series In Plain Sight, a minor character seen in the episode "In My Humboldt Opinion" which was released in 2009.[3][4] In 2011, Shields appeared in the television film Beyond the Blackboard alongside actress Emily VanCamp.[5] In the film, she portrays a homeless child named Grace.

Shields was next cast in the science fiction adventure film The Hunger Games in April 2011, her first feature film role, where she was given the supporting role of Primrose Everdeen.[6][7] Released the following year in March, The Hunger Games broke several box-office records and emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of its year.[8][9] It was positively received by critics and audiences,[10][11] and helped bring Shields widespread recognition. On portraying Primrose, she has said that "just growing up as the character is going to be really fun".[12]

Shields at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con

Shields went on to reprise the role of Primrose in the rest of the franchise. The series' second installment was the highest-grossing film of 2013,[13][14] as well as the best received film of the franchise;[15][16] she earned a nomination for a Young Hollywood Award for her performance in 2014.[17] She was set to reprise the role for the series' final two films, Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2, released in 2014 and 2015 respectively to critical and commercial success.[18][19][20] The four films grossed a collective $2.97 billion at the box-office,[21] which places it at 21st on the list of highest-grossing film franchises of all time.[22] For Mockingjay Part 2, she received a nomination for an MTV Award.[23]

Dancing With The Stars and mainstream roles (2016–present)[]

In 2012, it was announced that Shields would star as Rachel in the fantasy film The Wonder.[24] Following a lengthy production, in which filming was done across China and New Zealand,[25] it was released as Into the Rainbow in 2017, across various international film festivals.[26] A theatrical release is planned, albeit it has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[27] She was also cast in 2012 in the upcoming film A Fall From Grace, which is directed by Jennifer Lynch.[28][5]

In February 2015, Shields was announced as one of the celebrities to compete on season 20 of the reality series Dancing with the Stars, where her professional partner was Mark Ballas.[29] At age 14, she is the youngest competitor to ever appear on the show;[30] the title previously belonged to Zendaya, who was 16 when she appeared on the series.[31] The couple was controversially eliminated in the seventh week of competition,[32][33] ultimately finishing in 7th place despite receiving consistently high scores from the judges throughout the season.[32]

Dancing With the Stars performances

Week # Dance/Song Judges' score Result
Inaba Goodman Hough Tonioli
1 Cha-Cha-Cha / "Lips Are Movin" 6 6 6 7 No elimination
2 Argentine Tango / "Somebody That I Used to Know" 8 8 8 8 Safe
3 Paso Doble / "Hanuman" 8 8 8 8 Safe
4 Contemporary / "Atlas" 10 9 10 10 Safe
5 Foxtrot / "Alice's Theme" 8 8 9 9 Safe
6 Salsa / "Tequila"

Team Freestyle / "Wipe Out"

9

10

8

9

8

10

9

10

Safe
7 Jazz /"Electric Feel"

Salsa Dance-Off / "Temperature"

9

Awarded

9

2

9

Extra

10

Points

Eliminated

In 2018, Shields headlined the coming-of-age independent film Woodstock or Bust as Lorian.[34] Her performance gained praise from critics, and won her an award at the Artemis Women in Action Film Festival.[35] In December of that year, it was announced that Shields was cast in the role of Serena Baker on the Netflix original series Spinning Out.[36] A series centered on figure skating, her stunts were performed by stunt actor Kim Deguise Léveillée.[37] Spinning Out was released in 2020 to generally positive reviews,[38] however it was cancelled after one season.[39]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
2008 Las Vegas New Mexico 1875 Girl Watching Gun Fight Short film; voice role
2012 The Hunger Games Primrose Everdeen
2013 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
2014 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
2015 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
2017 Into the Rainbow Rachel Originally titled The Wonder[24]
2019 Woodstock or Bust Lorian
2019 The Unsettling Maya

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
2009 In Plain Sight Lisa Rogan / Lisa Royal Episode: "In My Humboldt Opinion"
2011 Beyond the Blackboard Grace Television film
2012 R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour Eve Episode: "Intruders"
2015 Dancing with the Stars Herself / Contestant Season 20
2020 Spinning Out Serena Baker Main role

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Category Work Result Ref
2014 Young Hollywood Awards Best Cast-Chemistry Film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Nominated [17]
2016 MTV Movie & TV Awards Ensemble Cast The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Nominated [23]
2019 Lady Filmmakers Film Festival Best Supporting Actress Woodstuck or Bust Nominated
2019 Artemis Women in Action Film Festival Best Actress Woodstuck or Bust Won [35]

References[]

  1. ^ Gomez, Adrian (March 18, 2012). "From ABQ To 'Hunger Games'". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  2. ^ Cerón, Ella. "How Willow Shields Said Goodbye to Primrose Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence, and the 'Hunger Games'". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  3. ^ Nededog, Jethro (2012-03-23). "'Hunger Games' Actress Willow Shields Signs on for The Hub's 'The Haunting Hour'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  4. ^ "'The Hunger Games' Cast: Then and Now". Variety. 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Prahl, Amanda (2020-01-20). "Spinning Out Isn't Willow Shields's First Major Role — Here's What Else She's Done". POPSUGAR Entertainment. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  6. ^ Lennox, Richard (April 20, 2011). "Willow Shields Joins Cast of Hunger Games". Filmoria. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  7. ^ "Willow Shields Cast in 'The Hunger Games'". TheWrap. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  8. ^ "Box office report: 'The Hunger Games' posts third-best opening weekend ever with $155 mil". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  9. ^ "Forecast: 'Hunger Games' Targets Record Books". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  10. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2012-03-19). "Hunger Games: Does it live up to the hype?". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  11. ^ Ebert, Roger. "The Hunger Games movie review (2012) | Roger Ebert". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  12. ^ "Willow Shields and filming Catching Fire". myhungergames.com. July 16, 2012. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  13. ^ "'Catching Fire' catches on with critics". Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  14. ^ "Top Lifetime Grosses". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  15. ^ Denby, David. "Winners And Losers". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  16. ^ "'Catching Fire' reviews: Is it as good as the original 'Hunger Games'?". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "2014 Young Hollywood Awards Nominees Include 'Pretty Little Liars,' 'Fault in Our Stars'". Variety. 2014-06-26. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  18. ^ "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1". Time Out Worldwide. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  19. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2014-11-22). "'Mockingjay' Sings High Abroad, But Why Is Katniss Shooting Low At Stateside B.O.?". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  20. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2015-11-22). "Was It Wise To Divide Up 'Mockingjay'? Finale's $102.4M Debut Is 5th Highest Of 2015, But Lowest In Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  21. ^ "Pixar's 'Dinosaur' and 'Creed' Look To Take a Bite Out of 'Mockingjay' This Thanksgiving". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  22. ^ "Lionsgate | The Hunger Games Movies | Socialbilitty". 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Bell, Crystal. "Here Are Your 2016 MTV Movie Awards Nominees". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Armitage, Hugh (2012-11-01). "'The Wonder' casts Urban, Willow Shields". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  25. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2015-09-28). "'The Wonder' 3D fantasy heads for China shoot". Screen. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  26. ^ Small, Courtney (2017-03-02). "Smurfs, Ballerina, and more play 20th Anniversary of TIFF Kids International Film Festival". Cinema Axis. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  27. ^ Frater, Patrick (2020-01-31). "China's Virus Crisis Hands Initiative to Video Streamers, Games Companies". Variety. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  28. ^ Gharnit, Yasmeen (November 18, 2015). "Willow Shields Is Ready For Post-'Hunger Games' Life". Nylon. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  29. ^ "'Dancing With the Stars' 2015: Season 20 Celebrity Cast Announced". ABC News. Retrieved 24 February 2015.
  30. ^ "'Dancing With the Stars' 2015: 'Hunger Games' Star Willow Shields Voted Off Dance Floor in Week 7 of Season 20". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  31. ^ O'Connell, Mikey (2013-02-26). "'Dancing With the Stars' Season 16 Cast Includes Olympians, a Judd and an 'Idol'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b Weigle, Lauren (April 27, 2015). "Willow Shields Eliminated Off 'Dancing With The Stars'". Heavy.com. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  33. ^ Miller, Bruce. "Willow Shields loses the 'Dancing With the Stars' hunger games". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  34. ^ Davis, Georgia (2019-08-13). "REVIEW: "Sixties Power That Holds Itself Back" – 'Woodstock or Bust' (2019)". Flip Screen. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b "2019 Winners". Artemis Women In Action Film Festival. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  36. ^ Otterson, Joe (2018-12-14). "'Hunger Games' Alum Willow Shields Joins Netflix Drama Series 'Spinning Out'". Variety. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  37. ^ Fuentes, Tamara (2020-01-15). "Meet All the Pro Figure Skaters Who Appeared on "Spinning Out"". Seventeen. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  38. ^ Framke, Caroline (2020-01-01). "USA's 'Dare Me' and Netflix's 'Spinning Out': TV Review". Variety. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  39. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2020-02-03). "'Spinning Out' Canceled By Netflix After One Season". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-06-16.

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