Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to Keisha Castle-Hughes?

Jen Chaney — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:32:00 GMT

Plenty of kids have been nominated for Academy Awards. In fact, a couple of them -- including Justin Henry and Haley Joel Osment -- have been covered right here in Rich or Rehab. With this year's Oscars just a few days away, it seemed natural to track down yet another young former Oscar nominee for your reading pleasure.

Which brings us to today's R or R subject: Keisha Castle-Hughes, who, at age 13, became the youngest Best Actress nominee in Oscar history when she earned a nod in 2004 for her role in "Whale Rider." In this weeks running up to the Academy Awards, she became something of a media darling, praised for her moving performance as a Maori girl attempting to buck tradition and become the leader of her tribe. She even got to meet one of her idols, Johnny Depp, in a live, televised moment that -- through no fault of Keisha's -- was totally awkward. (Let me put it this way: Billy Bush insisted on introducing her to Depp during the pre-Oscar show. I'll leave the rest to your imagination.)

So what happened to this Australian talent in the years after she basked in Oscar's glow? After losing the statuette to Charlize Theron, Castle-Hughes rebounded just fine, taking a small part in "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" and a starring role in "The Nativity Story." Ironically, shortly before the release of that biblical drama -- in which Castle-Hughes played Mary in the days leading to Jesus's birth -- the actress announced that she was pregnant.

Her daughter, Felicity-Amore, was born in April of 2007. After an understandable break from the business, Castle-Hughes has gotten back into the movie-making game. She co-starred last year alongside Toni Collette in an Australian indie called "Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueberger."She also reunited with her "Whale Rider" director, Niki Caro, for a movie called "The Vintner's Luck," which is slated for release in the UK, Germany and France later this year.

So kudos to Keisha Castle-Hughes for taking on the challenges of motherhood and still finding the time to work. The good news for her? Since she earned her first Oscar nomination at such a young age, she has plenty of time to find a role that could earn her a second.

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Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to That Kid From 'About a Boy'?

Images: people.com

Top 5 Kick-Ass Movies for Girls (No Princesses Allowed)

Madeline Holler — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:33:00 GMT

My daughter saw Kung Fu Panda this weekend and she loved it. I asked her about her favorite characters and she described two "masters," both female, one of whom she liked because she "kicked high" and "took risks." Love that.

I've been thinking about this MomLogic post -- the Top 5 Worst Movies for Girls: Grease, Cinderella, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Little Mermaid and Clueless. They cite weak girl characters being saved and/or misused by boys, etc. Fine, we'll keep those out of the Netflix queue.

But what movies don't do that? What movies have ass-kicking, risk-taking female characters who, even if they're not perfect, manage to survive by their smarts and strength, who don't hesitate to give dehabilitating meanies a mental middle finger? Plus a good plot and lots of action?

Here are five that came to mind, though truthfully, I'll likely wait till the teen years on a couple of these:

1. Kill Bill: Because Uma kicks ass.

2. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Right after I saw this I couldn't wait to see it again with my daughter, whom I was pregnant with at the time. The lead girl, her female mentor. Tough chicks. Big swords.

3. Annie: I know, I know, Annie doesn't technically "kick ass." But she's tough ... secure with herself. The pluck! The optimism! The awkward but safe relationship with a rich, bald guy!

4. Bend It Like Beckham: Sports as a metaphor for life (tired, sure, but at least there are girls in this metaphor playing sports ... like a boy. Damn. But this one comes close.)

5. Whale Rider: Girl ignores elders and the power of nature to get what she wants. Shouldn't we all, shouldn't we all.

I've missed a million. I haven't? Oh wait, we're talking about movies starring strong girls who kick ass. Still, surely I've missed one or two. Send in your additions.

Babble's Very Thorough Summer Movie Guide

Photo: filmcritic.com

Strollerderby : whale rider

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to Keisha Castle-Hughes?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to Jonah From 'Sleepless in Seattle'?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to Parker Lewis?

Rich or Rehab: Whatever Happened to That Kid From 'About a Boy'?

Top 5 Kick-Ass Movies for Girls (No Princesses Allowed)