Briana Evigan

American actress

Briana Evigan

Evigan at the premiere of Step Up 2: The Streets, 2008

Born|  (1986-10-23) October 23, 1986 (age 38)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Alma mater| Los Angeles Valley College
Occupations|

* Actress
* dancer

Years active| 1996–present
Spouse| Damien Mander[1][2]
Children| 1[3]
Father| Greg Evigan
Relatives|

* Vanessa Lee Evigan (sister)
* Jason Evigan (brother)

Briana Evigan (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress and dancer best known for her lead roles as Andrea "Andie" West in the dance film Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) and its sequel Step Up: All In (2014), and Ms. Kathleen Merrywood in the musical horror film The Devil's Carnival (2012) and its sequel Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival (2016).

Evigan has since been noted as a scream queen for appearing in numerous horror and thriller films such as S. Darko, Sorority Row (both 2009), Burning Bright, Mother's Day (both 2010), Stash House, Mine Games (both 2012), and River Runs Red (2018).[4][5][6][7][8][9] She is also known for her recurring role as Sonja Lam on the second season of the El Rey Network horror drama series From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (2015).

## Early and personal life

[edit]

Evigan was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Pamela C. Serpe, a dancer, model, and actress, and actor Greg Evigan.[10] She has Polish (from her paternal grandmother) and Italian (from her maternal grandfather) heritage.[11] She is the youngest of three siblings, with sister Vanessa and brother Jason.[10] She has studied dance since she was nine.[12] She is one of the singers and plays keyboards in the group Moorish Idol.[13] In October 2023, she married Australian anti-poaching activist Damien Mander, with whom she has one son, born in 2022.[14][15]

## Career

[edit]

A professional dancer, Evigan has appeared in music videos for Linkin Park, Flo Rida, T-Pain and Enrique Iglesias. She has also had small roles in television series and films such as Bottom's Up, Something Sweet and Fear Itself.

In 2008, she won the breakout role of Andie West in the sequel to the 2006 dance drama Step Up, Step Up 2: The Streets. Filming took place in late 2007 in Baltimore and was released February 14, 2008. The film, which met with negative reviews with Rotten Tomatoes (receiving 24%), achieved box office success earning a worldwide gross of $148,424,320. Both Evigan and co-star Robert Hoffman earned the Best Kiss Award at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards.

In 2009, S. Darko, a sequel to the 2001 cult-hit horror Donnie Darko, was released. Evigan played Samantha Darko's best friend, Corey. The film stars James Lafferty and Ed Westwick. A theatrical release was scrapped and was released Straight-to-DVD on May 12, 2009. Unlike Donnie Darko, the film received negative reviews.

In August 2008, Summit Entertainment announced Evigan has signed on to portray the central character Cassidy Tappan in the remake of the low-budget horror film Sorority Row. The screenplay was written by Good Luck Chuck writer Josh Stolberg and directed by Stewart Hendler. The film was budgeted at $12,500,000. Evigan stars alongside Audrina Patridge, Rumer Willis and Jamie Chung. Sorority Row was released on September 11, 2009, and debuted at No. 6 at the box office and earned worldwide $26,735,797. Critical reception was mixed to negative. Evigan's performance was well received by critics. The leading female cast members earned a ShoWest Award for "Female Stars of Tomorrow" in April 2009. The DVD release was February 23, 2010.

In January 2009, Evigan was confirmed by Lionsgate to star in Burning Bright. She plays the lead female role, Kelly Taylor. In the film, "A young woman and her autistic brother find themselves trapped in their house with a ravenous tiger during a hurricane". Critical reception was extremely positive. Despite this, the film was announced to be released Straight-to-DVD on August 17, 2010.[16]

In February 2009, Evigan announced in an interview she has signed on for another remake. The film will be a remake of the cult slasher horror film Mother's Day and will be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, best known for his work with previous Lionsgate films such as the Saw trilogy. Bousman previously directed Evigan in an episode of Fear Itself in 2008. The film will co-star A. J. Cook and Jaime King. The film has suffered numerous push backs, and was finally released on May 8, 2012, on DVD and Blu-ray. The film was also part of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Evigan played the central character in the indie drama romance film Subject: I Love You.[17]

Evigan at the New York Comic Con, 2012

She stars in The Devil's Carnival, a short film that got a 30 city world tour that began on April 15, 2012.[18] Evigan later confirmed that she had reprised her role in its sequel, The Devil's Carnival: Alleluia!, which was released in late 2015.

In 2011, during a UStream, Evigan announced that she was working in a TV series with her family, though nothing has been confirmed yet. She was scheduled to star as the protagonist of Left for Red: Betrayal, the first of a trilogy which centered on a young woman seeking vengeance on the soldiers who sold her to a sex trafficking group, but has been shelved due to budget issues.

In 2014, Evigan reprised her role as Andie West in the fifth installment of the Step Up series, Step Up: All In. She was later cast in Love Is All You Need? as Jude, a heterosexual woman living in a world where homosexuality is right, and heterosexuality is the wrong.

In 2015, Evigan announced, via Twitter that she would be recurring, alongside Danny Trejo in the second season of the Action-Vampire TV Series From Dusk till Dawn: The Series as Sonja, "an American expatriate working as a tattoo artist in a Mexican Mercado – who also has a sideline forging papers and passports out of her back room". The season premiered August 25, 2015, on El Rey.

In 2017, she joined director James Kicklighter's Angel of Anywhere, with co-stars David A. Gregory, Ser'Darius Blain and introducing Axel Roldos.[19][20][21]

In 2023, Evigan collaborated with Veldskoen Shoes, a South African shoe brand to create "MoveMe" Ranger boots.[22]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

1996  | Spectre | Aubrey South  | Also known as House of the Damned and Escape to Nowhere
2006  | Bottoms Up | High School Girl  |
2008  | Step Up 2: The Streets | Andrea "Andie" West  |
2009  | S. Darko | Corey Richardson  |
Sorority Row | Cassidy Tappan  |
2010  | Burning Bright | Kelly Taylor  |
Monster Heroes | Svector Orlaff  |
Mother's Day | Annette Langston  | Co-wrote and sang end credit song Better Than Yesterday
2011  | Subject: I Love You | Butterfly  |
2012  | Mine Games | Lyla  |
Rites of Passage | Penelope  |
Stash House | Emma Nash  |
The Devil's Carnival | Ms. Kathleen Merrywood  |
2013  | She Loves Me Not | Charlotte  |
2014  | Lap Dance | Tasha  |
Paranormal Island | Ivy  |
Puncture Wounds | Tanya  | also known as A Certain Justice
Step Up: All In | Andrea "Andie" West  |
2016  | Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival | Ms. Kathleen Merrywood  |
Love Is All You Need? | Jude Klein  |
Monday at 11:01 A.M. | Olivia  |
ToY | Chloe  |
2018  | My Husband's Secret Wife | Melanie  |
River Runs Red | Marilyn  |

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2008  | Fear Itself | Helen  | Episode: "New Year's Day"
2012  | A Star for Christmas | Cassie Drake  | Television film (Ion)
2013  | Longmire | Brandy  | Episode: "Carcasses"
2015  | From Dusk till Dawn: The Series | Sonja Lam  | Recurring role; 8 episodes
2015  | Once Upon a Holiday | Katherine "Katie" Hollington  | Television film (Hallmark)
2017  | The Good Nanny | Summer Pratt  | Television film (Lifetime)

### Music videos

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Artist

|
|

2003  | "Numb"[23] | Linkin Park
2008  | "Low"[24] | Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
"Push"[25] | Enrique Iglesias featuring Lil Wayne
"Church"[26] | T-Pain
"I Don't Think When I Dance"[27] | Herself
2009  | "Get U Home"[28][29] | Shwayze
2018  | "Give Me Your Hand"  | Shannon K
2020  | "Never Alone" (Paul Oakenfold & Varun Remix) | Emmanuel Kelly

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Work  | Result  | Refs

|
|
|
|
|

2008  | MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss (with Robert Hoffman)  | Step Up 2: The Streets | Won  | [30]
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Breakout Female  | Step Up 2: The Streets | Nominated  |
2009  | Sho West Awards  | Female Star of Tomorrow (with Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung,
Audrina Patridge and Margo Harshman)  | Sorority Row | Won  |
2016  | FilmOut Audience Awards  | Best Actress  | ToY | Won  | [31]
2023  | Vegas Movie Awards  | Best Woman Filmmaker  | MoveMe South Africa | Won  | [32]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Briana Evigan on Instagram".
2. ^ "Damien Mander on Instagram".
3. ^ "Briana Evigan on Instagram: "Best year of my life… I can't believe it's been a month with our son. The days keep getting better and better. I can't wait to find out what comes next. 🧡"".
4. ^ "Today in History: October 23". The Associated Press. October 23, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
5. ^ "Hot 10: Briana Evigan". maxim.com. Maxim. May 5, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
6. ^ Leavengood, John. "The Scream Queens of Film: Briana Evigan". moviesfilmsandflix.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
7. ^ Hoare, Peter. "10 Hot Actresses Who Should Stop Doing Horror Movies". complex.com. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
8. ^ "Briana Evigan". listal.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
9. ^ Z., Jamie (October 23, 2014). "15 MOST SCREAM QUEEN FILLED FILMS". houseofgeekery.com. House of Geekery. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
10. ^ a b Virginia Rohan (March 9, 1999). "New sitcom's dad role is a familiar job for Greg Evigan". The Record.
11. ^ brianaeviganfanchat (November 14, 2011). "Briana Evigan on UStream.tv – November 24, 2011". UStream. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
12. ^ BRIANA EVIGAN Interview at Dizzy Feet Foundation Dance Show November 29, 2009 on YouTube.
13. ^ Moorish Idol at MySpace Music.
14. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/ChxT-JiDlh-/ [bare URL]
15. ^ https://www.instagram.com/p/CySHnnBJ1Lh/ [bare URL]
16. ^ Michael Allen (August 15, 2010). "A Tiger is Burning Bright on DVD August 17th". 28dayslateranalysis.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
17. ^ Flisha. ""Subject: I Love You" Stars Jericho Rosales and Briana Evigan". randomdetox.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
18. ^ "Darren Bousman Opens The Devil's Carnival". Dread Central. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
19. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2019.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
20. ^ "Angel of Anywhere". IMDb. January 6, 2018.
21. ^ "Angel of Anywhere (2018) | Briana Evigan & Ser'Darius Blain".
22. ^ Lifestyle, Aspire (February 9, 2023). "Hollywood's Briana Evigan, and local shoe company, Veldskoen join forces to create a social impact shoe". Aspire Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
23. ^ Numb | Linkin Park | Music Video | MTV
24. ^ FLO Rida feat. T.Pain Music from the Movie Step Up 2 'Low' on YouTube.
25. ^ Enrique Iglesias – Push ft. Lil Wayne on YouTube.
26. ^ Video Clip T-Pain : Church at clipzik.com.
27. ^ I Don't Think When I Dance at Sammy Smith's website
28. ^ Shwayze – Get U Home on YouTube.
29. ^ Eric Ditzian (August 28, 2009). "Shwayze Stages 'Hot, Sweaty, Sexy Dance Party' For 'Get U Home' Video". mtv.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2010..
30. ^ "MTV Movie Awards 2008". mtv.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
31. ^ "FilmOut 2016 Festival and Audience Awards results". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. June 20, 2016. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
32. ^ "August 2023 Edition".

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Briana Evigan.

* Briana Evigan at IMDb

* v
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MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Kiss

1990s|

* Anna Chlumsky & Macaulay Culkin in My Girl (1992)
* Christian Slater & Marisa Tomei in Untamed Heart (1993)
* Demi Moore & Woody Harrelson in Indecent Proposal (1994)
* Jim Carrey & Lauren Holly in Dumb and Dumber (1995)
* Natasha Henstridge & Anthony Guidera in Species (1996)
* Will Smith & Vivica A. Fox in Independence Day (1997)
* Adam Sandler & Drew Barrymore in The Wedding Singer (1998)
* Gwyneth Paltrow & Joseph Fiennes in Shakespeare in Love (1999)

2000s|

* Sarah Michelle Gellar & Selma Blair in Cruel Intentions (2000)
* Julia Stiles & Sean Patrick Thomas in Save the Last Dance (2001)
* Jason Biggs & Seann William Scott in American Pie 2 (2002)
* Tobey Maguire & Kirsten Dunst in Spider-Man (2003)
* Owen Wilson, Carmen Electra & Amy Smart in Starsky & Hutch (2004)
* Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams in The Notebook (2005)
* Heath Ledger & Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain (2006)
* Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2007)
* Briana Evigan & Robert Hoffman in Step Up 2: The Streets (2008)
* Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in Twilight (2009)

2010s|

* Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2010)
* Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2011)
* Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2012)
* Jennifer Lawrence & Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook (2013)
* Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston & Will Poulter in We're the Millers (2014)
* Ansel Elgort & Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars (2015)
* Rebel Wilson & Adam DeVine in Pitch Perfect 2 (2016)
* Ashton Sanders & Jharrel Jerome in Moonlight (2017)
* Nick Robinson & Keiynan Lonsdale in Love, Simon (2018)
* Noah Centineo & Lana Condor in To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2019)

2020s|

* No award (2020)
* Chase Stokes & Madelyn Cline in Outer Banks (2021)
* Poopies & the Snake in Jackass Forever (2022)
* Madison Bailey & Rudy Pankow in Outer Banks (2023)

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