Abigail Breslin

2.1. Early career and debut

Breslin's professional journey commenced at the tender age of three when she appeared in a Toys "R" Us commercial. Her film debut came at five years old in the 2002 M. Night Shyamalan-directed film Signs, where she played Bo Hess, the daughter of the main character, Graham Hess, portrayed by Mel Gibson. Signs was a significant box office success, grossing over 408.00 M USD worldwide, and received largely positive reviews. Breslin's performance was particularly praised by critics. Paul Clinton of CNN described Signs as a "thrilling ride," and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone lauded Breslin's acting. David Ansen of Newsweek commented that both Breslin and her co-star Rory Culkin delivered "terrifically natural, nuanced performances."

In 2004, Breslin appeared in Raising Helen, a film in which she and her brother Spencer played siblings, although the movie did not fare well critically. She also had a small role as an orphan named Carolina in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. Her performance in the independent film Keane (2004) as Kira Bedik, a young girl who reminds the mentally disturbed protagonist of his missing daughter, garnered critical acclaim despite the film's limited theatrical release and modest worldwide gross of 394.39 K USD. Meghan Keane of The New York Sun highlighted that "the scenes between Mr. Lewis and the charmingly fragile Kira, winningly played by Ms. Breslin, bring a captivating humanity to the film."

2.2. Breakthrough role: Little Miss Sunshine

Breslin's breakthrough role came in the 2006 comedy-drama Little Miss Sunshine, where she portrayed Olive Hoover, a young beauty pageant contestant from a dysfunctional family on a road trip. She was cast for the role at the age of six, several years before production began. Her co-stars, Greg Kinnear and Alan Arkin, reportedly stated that they were "astounded by her seriousness of purpose during shooting."

Little Miss Sunshine was both a critical and commercial triumph, earning over 100.00 M USD worldwide. Breslin's performance received widespread praise, with Claudia Puig of USA Today writing, "If Olive had been played by any other little girl, she would not have affected us as mightily as [she] did." For this role, Breslin received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. At 10 years and 11 months old, she became the fourth youngest actress to be nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category. The only actresses nominated at a younger age were Tatum O'Neal (10 years, 3 months for Paper Moon in 1973), Mary Badham (10 years, 4 months for To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962), and Quinn Cummings (10 years, 6 months for The Goodbye Girl in 1977). Although Jennifer Hudson ultimately won the Academy Award, Breslin co-presented an award alongside actor Jaden Smith at the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007.

Breslin also participated in the Disney Year of a Million Dreams celebration. She was photographed by Annie Leibovitz as Fira from Disney Fairies, appearing alongside Dame Julie Andrews as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio.

2.3. Film career by decade

Abigail Breslin's film career spans over two decades, featuring a diverse range of roles across various genres.

2.3.1. 2000s

After her breakthrough, Breslin continued to build her film career. In 2007, she appeared in the romantic comedy No Reservations, playing Zoe Armstrong, the niece of a master chef portrayed by Catherine Zeta-Jones. While the film received mostly negative reviews, it was a box office success, grossing 92.00 M USD worldwide. Roger Ebert commented that Breslin "has the stuff to emerge as a three-dimensional kid, if she weren't employed so resolutely as a pawn." In the same year, she starred in Definitely, Maybe, portraying Maya Hayes, the daughter of a recently divorced father played by Ryan Reynolds. The film received generally favorable reviews, with Steven Rea of The Philadelphia Inquirer noting that Breslin is "alarmingly cute - but she backs the cuteness up with serious acting instinct."

In 2008, Breslin appeared with Jodie Foster in Nim's Island, playing Nim Rusoe, a young girl living on a remote tropical island. The film received mixed reviews but was a financial success, earning 100.00 M USD worldwide. She also starred in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl as the title character, a role based on the American Girl line of dolls, which Breslin herself was a fan of. The film was well-received by critics, and Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal praised Breslin's performance, stating she "carries the event-stuffed story with unflagging grace." By July 2009, Breslin's per-film earnings were reported to be around 2.00 M USD.

In 2009, Breslin took on the role of Anna Fitzgerald in My Sister's Keeper, a drama about a young girl conceived to be a donor for her sister suffering from leukemia. Initially, Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning were cast as Anna and Kate, respectively, but Dakota declined to shave her head for the role, leading to their replacement by Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva. The film garnered mixed reviews but was a financial success, grossing 95.00 M USD worldwide. Reviewer James Berardinelli noted that Breslin and Vassilieva "display a natural bond one might expect from sisters, and there's no hint of artifice or overacting in either performance." Also in 2009, Breslin appeared in the horror comedy Zombieland as Little Rock. Director Ruben Fleischer stated that "the dream was always to get Abigail Breslin" for the role. The film received positive reviews and was a box office hit, bringing in 102.00 M USD worldwide.

2.3.2. 2010s

In September 2009, Breslin filmed Janie Jones in Des Moines, Iowa, playing the title role of a 13-year-old girl who discovers her biological father is a fading rock star. The film premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2011, Breslin lent her voice to Priscilla, a cactus mouse, in the animated film Rango, and appeared in the ensemble romantic comedy New Year's Eve. In 2012, she voiced the character Zoe in the animated film Zambezia.

In 2013, she starred in the thriller The Call, which received mixed reviews but grossed 68.00 M USD worldwide. Andrew Barker of Variety stated that Breslin "acquits herself well enough for a problematic role in which she's forced to cry and scream nearly continuously." Also in 2013, Breslin appeared in Haunter as Lisa Johnson, a ghost who teams up with a future inhabitant of her house to stop an evil killing spirit.

She also starred as Valentine Wiggin in the 2013 film adaptation of Orson Scott Card's novel, Ender's Game. While the film received mixed reviews, it was considered a box office disappointment, grossing only 125.00 M USD worldwide against a 110.00 M USD budget. In July 2012, Breslin was cast in August: Osage County, the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. She appeared alongside acclaimed actors such as Julia Roberts, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Meryl Streep. The film was released in December 2013 and received mostly positive reviews.

In 2014, Breslin appeared in the crime drama Wicked Blood and the true-crime film Perfect Sisters, where she played Sandra Andersen. In 2015, she starred in the zombie horror-drama Maggie alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, and in the action-thriller Final Girl as Veronica. She also appeared in the 2016 film Fear, Inc. and the 2017 films Freak Show and Yamasong: March of the Hollows, where she provided the voice for Nani.

In 2019, Breslin reprised her role as Little Rock in the horror comedy sequel film Zombieland: Double Tap.

2.4. Television career

Breslin has also made notable contributions to television, securing both guest roles and main cast positions throughout her career.

In 2002, she appeared in an episode of What I Like About You titled "The Teddy Bear" as Josie and in Hack in the episode "Domestic Disturbance" as Kayla Adams. In 2004, she had guest roles in "Birthright," an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit playing Patty Branson, and in "See No Evil" from NCIS as Sandy Watson. She also starred as Nicole in the 2005 television film Family Plan.

In 2006, Breslin appeared in the "Melinda's First Ghost" episode of Ghost Whisperer as Sarah Applewhite and in the "Sometimes a Fantasy" episode of Grey's Anatomy as Megan Clover.

From 2015 to 2016, Breslin took on her first regular role on television as Libby Putney, also known as Chanel #5, in the Fox horror-comedy series Scream Queens. In 2017, she starred as Frances "Baby" Houseman in the television film remake of Dirty Dancing. In 2022, she was a writer, director, and producer for the television film The Cannibals, in which she also played Salem Magnotti. Her recent television work includes the 2023 episode "Esme's Story" of the series Accused, where she played Esme.

2.5. Stage work

Breslin has also ventured into theatrical productions, making her stage debut in an ensemble cast performance of Right You Are (If You Think You Are) at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City on October 27, 2007. The cast included notable actors such as Cate Blanchett, Dianne Wiest, Natalie Portman, and Peter Sarsgaard.

With previews beginning in February 2010, she made her Broadway debut as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Breslin stated that she was honored to play Keller, considering her one of her "biggest heroes." The Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts, an advocacy group for blind and deaf actors, criticized the play's producers for not casting a deaf or blind actor in the role. Lead producer David Richenthal defended the decision, citing the need for a well-known actress to sell tickets. Vision-impaired actress Kyra Siegel was cast as Breslin's understudy. Breslin's performance garnered praise from critics. Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "well portrays Helen's feral rebelliousness in the play's early sections and is deeply touching as her character's bond with her teacher grows." Despite the positive reviews for Breslin's performance, ticket sales for the play were disappointing, leading to the show's closure in April 2010.

3.1. Singles

Breslin has released several singles throughout her music career, including:

• "Fight For Me" (2011) from the film Janie Jones
• "Christmas In New York" (2013)
• "You Suck" (2014)
• "Sleepwalking" (2018) released under the name Sophomore
• "90s Honey" (2019) also under the name Sophomore
• "Steve McQueen" (2021)
• "W I T C H C R A F T" (2021) from the EP Witchcraft
• "HEX" (2021) from the EP Witchcraft
• "Babydoll" (2022)
• "Woman's Intuition" (2023) with Lily Lane
• "Last Christmas" (2023)
• "LOVE ON LOAN" (2024)

3.2. Featured appearances

Breslin has been featured on several tracks by other artists:

• "Well Wishes" (2011)
• "New Year's Eve" (2011)
• "Within Me A Lunatic Sings" (2012) by Stargroves
• "Westfjords" (2014) by Stargroves
• "Telephone" (2017)
• "We Are Legend" (2017)

3.3. Soundtrack albums and EPs

Breslin's musical contributions include:

• Janie Jones (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack): Released on October 11, 2011, this soundtrack featured Breslin's vocal performances. The format includes digital download, CD, and streaming, released under Nettwerk Productions / Janie Jones, Llc.
• Witchcraft (EP): Released on February 14, 2022, this Extended Play is available in digital download and streaming formats.

3.4. Other appearances

In addition to her singles and featured collaborations, Breslin has contributed to other musical projects, particularly on the Janie Jones soundtrack in 2011, where she performed:

• "Hurricane"
• "Find Love" (with Alessandro Nivola)
• "Just A Game"
• "House of the Rising Sun"

She also performed "The Worst Part / Auld Lang Syne" with Cassidy Reiff for the 2014 film Perfect Sisters.

6.1. Film

6.2. Television

6.3. Video games

6.4. Audio drama