Naomi Scott

2.1. Early Life and Family Background

Naomi Grace Scott was born on May 6, 1993, in Hounslow, London, England. Her father, Christopher Scott, is English, while her mother, Usha Scott (née Joshi), is of Gujarati descent. Usha was born in Uganda and later immigrated to the United Kingdom at a young age. Naomi has an older brother named Joshua. When Naomi was eight years old, her family moved to Woodford, London, where both of her parents served as pastors at the Bridge Church.

2.2. Education and Formative Years

Growing up, Scott was immersed in a musical environment, listening to gospel and R&B artists such as Kim Burrell, Mary Mary, and Kirk Franklin. She frequently sang in her church's choir and participated in its youth band, marking the early stages of her musical journey. She attended Davenant Foundation School in Loughton, Essex, an ecumenical school where she regularly performed in musicals and drama productions. During her formative years, Scott actively engaged in missionary work and community outreach, including teaching English in Slovakia. She later made the decision to leave school partway through her A-Levels to pursue her acting role in the science fiction series Terra Nova.

2.3. Personal Life

Scott is a devoted Christian, a faith that is central to her life. She serves as a UK ambassador for Compassion International, a Christian charity organization, through which she sponsors children and families living in poverty. Her commitment to charity work is a significant aspect of her public persona. In addition to her spiritual and philanthropic activities, Scott is candid about her personal health, having revealed that she suffers from the skin condition eczema. She also holds a black belt in karate, having studied the martial art since her youth. She credits her karate background as a significant advantage for her roles in action-oriented films like Power Rangers and Charlie's Angels, where her physical training proved beneficial. In June 2014, after four years of dating, Scott married English footballer Jordan Spence. The couple met at church when Scott was 16 years old.

3.1. Early Work and Recognition (2008-2018)

Scott's talent was first recognized by British pop singer Kéllé Bryan of the girl group Eternal, who signed her as a client. She subsequently collaborated with renowned British songwriters and producers at Xenomania. Her acting debut came with the Disney Channel UK series Life Bites (2008-2009), in which she played a main role in 11 episodes.

In 2010, Scott secured her first role in an American production, starring as Mohini "Mo" Banjaree in the 2011 Disney Channel Original Movie, Lemonade Mouth. The film gained critical acclaim, with Khalid McCalla of The Oberlin Review noting that Scott "absolutely crushes it." She also contributed vocals to the film's commercially successful soundtrack, with her lead vocal performance on "She's So Gone" being included on Billboard magazine's list of "The 100 Greatest Disney Songs of All Time". During an interview with Collider, Scott humorously recalled her early experience on the American production, stating that she felt she had "made it" upon being introduced to craft services, specifically a trolley of candy.

That same year, she was cast as Maddy Shannon in the science fiction series Terra Nova, which premiered on Fox in September 2011. Despite her main role, the series was not renewed after its first season. In 2013, Scott appeared in the music video for "Hurricane" by her Lemonade Mouth co-star Bridgit Mendler. In August 2014, she independently released her debut extended play (EP), Invisible Division.

Scott was cast as Ryoko in Ridley Scott's film The Martian (2015). Although she filmed her scenes, most of them, including all of her speaking parts, were removed from the final cut, effectively reducing her role to that of an extra. However, these scenes were included in the extended version of the film. In 2014, the YouTube channel "Reload" featured her in two videos as part of their "Reload Sessions" series. Her rising profile led to Screen International selecting her as one of their 2015 "Stars of Tomorrow."

In October 2015, Scott took on a co-leading role as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, in Power Rangers (2017), a film adaptation of the popular TV series. The film, released on March 24, 2017, received mixed reviews and was a box office disappointment, grossing 142.00 M USD worldwide against a budget of 105.00 M USD. Despite the film's performance, Scott earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for her role.

3.2. Mainstream Breakthrough and Recent Works (2019-present)

Scott achieved mainstream breakthrough in 2019, starring as Princess Jasmine in Disney's live-action adaptation of Aladdin. Her casting drew commentary regarding the decision to choose an actress who was not of Middle Eastern or Arab descent for the role of Jasmine. Despite these discussions, her performance was widely praised. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle hailed Scott as the "real star" of the film, commending her ability to "thrive and give everything to her new power anthem ['Speechless']". Similarly, Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times stated that Scott "absolutely sparkles" in her performance of "Speechless." For her portrayal, Scott won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress - Sci-Fi/Fantasy and was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Aladdin was also a massive commercial success, earning over 1.00 B USD at the global box office.

Also in 2019, Scott starred as one of the three leads, alongside Kristen Stewart and Ella Balinska, in the action comedy Charlie's Angels, the third installment in the franchise. The film, released in November, received mixed reviews from critics.

After a three-year hiatus from acting, Scott returned to the screen with two significant projects. In 2020, she was cast as parliamentary aide Olivia Lytton in the Netflix thriller miniseries Anatomy of a Scandal, which premiered in 2022. She also took on a role in the science fiction film Distant, filmed in 2020 and released in 2024.

In 2023, Scott was cast as pop star Skye Riley in the horror film Smile 2, the second installment in the Smile franchise. For her role, she drew inspiration from 2010s music and artists such as Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. The film, released in 2024, achieved both critical and commercial success, with Scott's performance receiving significant acclaim. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian lauded Scott as "a fantastically committed goes-to-hell-and-back scream queen," while Owen Gleiberman of Variety noted that she gave the film "a genuine emotional center." Her portrayal in Smile 2 earned her the Astra Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller and a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.

Looking ahead, Scott is slated to appear in the epic romance film Eternal Return, where she also serves as a producer, and the crime comedy film Wizards!.

4.1. Film

4.2. Television

4.3. Podcasts

5.1. Extended Plays

5.2.2. As featured artist

6.1. Directing Credits