Odessa Young

Australian actress

Odessa Young

Young at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival

Born| 1997 or 1998

Australia

Occupation| Actress
Years active| 2007–present

Odessa Young (born 1997 or 1998) is an Australian actress. She gained prominence through her roles in the Nine Network drama Tricky Business (2012) and the 2015 films Looking for Grace and The Daughter, the last earning her an AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her films since include Assassination Nation, A Million Little Pieces (both 2018), Shirley (2020), Mothering Sunday (2021) and Manodrome (2023). On television she starred in the miniseries The Stand (2020). Young made her off-Broadway debut in Days of Rage.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Odessa Young was born in 1997 or 1998.[1] She grew up in Australia, where her father Adam is a musician and her mother, Rachel, a writer.[2]

She started taking after-school acting classes at 11 years old.[3] She attended a performing arts high school in Sydney, taking part in theatre productions.[4] Within two days of turning 18, she relocated from Sydney to Los Angeles, California. Two years later, Young moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.[5]

## Career

[edit]

Odessa Young started acting professionally at the age of 11,[6] when she was cast through her drama teacher in the Australian children's show My Place.[6] She acted in television series such as Wonderland and Tricky Business before making the transition into feature film work.[7]

In 2015 she co-starred in the film The Daughter with Geoffrey Rush and Sam Neill.[8][9] She was cast in the title role after modifying her take on the character to seem less mature than in her first audition.[10] Also in 2015, she acted alongside Radha Mitchell in Looking for Grace, where she played the titular role.[11][12] Later that year, she was dubbed "Australia's brightest rising star" by Elle Magazine.[13] For her role in The Daughter, Young attracted considerable critical acclaim[14] and won Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2016 AACTA Awards.[15] Her performance in The Daughter also earned her an award for Best Actress from the Australian Film Critics Association.[16]

In 2016 she was in final negotiations to play the female lead in When the Street Lights Go On on Hulu.[17]

In 2017 Young starred as Genevieve in the web series High Life; for her performance, she won an International Academy of Web Television Award for Best Lead Actress – Drama.[18] In 2018, she won Best Actress at the 5th annual Vancouver Web Series Festival for her role in the same series.[19]

In 2018 she starred in the films Assassination Nation and A Million Little Pieces.[2] That year, she also made her off-Broadway debut in Days of Rage at the Tony Kiser Theater, where she plays the radical Quinn in 1969.[4] In winter 2019 she starred in The Mother at Atlantic Theater Company off-broadway as Emily. [20]

She was cast in The Stand miniseries in 2019.[21] With the Stand, there were four shooting days before lockdown in Vancouver, with shooting picking up again later.[5] Released in 2020, the series features Young as Frannie, with a "new coda co-written by King himself" that gives her a different portrayal than the book in the final episode.[22][23]

In 2020, Young was cast as a hostess in the HBO Max television series Tokyo Vice, to be directed by Michael Mann and written by J. T. Rogers. She was subsequently replaced by Rachel Keller,[24][25] when she pulled out of the production over scheduling conflicts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.[26][27] In the 2020 film Shirley, Young plays Rose,[28] a newly married young woman living in the same house as Shirley Jackson.[29] In 2020, Odessa Young participated in Acting for a Cause, a live classic play and screenplay reading series created, directed and produced by Brando Crawford. Young played Lady Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The reading raised funds for non-profit charities including Mount Sinai Medical Center.[30][31]

Vogue named her one of six actors to watch in 2021.[32] That year, she was also cast in the British film Mothering Sunday.[32][33]

In June 2024, Young was cast to play a love interest of Bruce Springsteen, who will be played by Jeremy Allen White, in the upcoming film Deliver Me from Nowhere which will be based on the book of the same name and will be about the recording of Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska.[34]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2015  | The Daughter | Hedvig Finch  |
Looking for Grace | Grace  |
2017  | Sweet Virginia | Maggie Russell  |
2018  | Assassination Nation | Lily Colson  |
A Million Little Pieces | Lilly  |
The Professor | Olivia Brown  |
Celeste | Rita  |
2019  | The Giant | Charlotte  |
2020  | Shirley | Rose Nemser/Paula  |
2021  | Mothering Sunday | Jane Fairchild  |
2023  | Manodrome | Sal  |
2024  | My First Film | Vita  |
The Damned | Eva  | [35]
The Order | Zillah  |
2025  | Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere | Faye  | Post-production
Key  †  | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

|

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2009  | My Place | Alexandra Owen  | 1 episode
2012  | Tricky Business | Emma Christie  | Main cast
2014  | The Moodys | Fran  | 1 episode
2015  | Wonderland | Lucy Wallace  | 3 episodes
2017  | High Life | Genevieve  | Web series
2020  | The Stand | Frannie Goldsmith  | Miniseries
2022  | The Staircase | Martha Ratliff  | Miniseries
2025  | The Narrow Road to the Deep North | Amy Mulvaney  | Miniseries
TBA  | Black Rabbit | Gen  | Upcoming miniseries

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Association  | Category  | Nominated work  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

2016  | AACTA Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | The Daughter | Won  | [36]
2017  | International Academy of Web Television | Best Lead Actress – Drama  | High Life | Won  | [37]
2018  | Vancouver Web Series Festival | Best Actress  | High Life | Won  | [38]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Bunbury, Stephanie (18 January 2016). "Why Odessa Young, star of Looking for Grace and The Daughter, is one to watch". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 February 2025. "Odessa Young was at the Venice and Toronto film festivals last year with two films... Her entire movie career was on show at the most important film festival in the world – and she was still only 17."
2. ^ a b Bryant, Miranda (20 November 2018). "Odessa Young interview: Young women are set up for failure by society". Standard. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
3. ^ "Odessa Young Biography". Tribute. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
4. ^ a b King, Darryn (15 October 2018). "Odessa Young Is Raging, On Stage And On Screen". Forbes. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
5. ^ a b Quinn, Karl (3 July 2020). "'You never grow out of the imposter syndrome': Aussie star Odessa Young". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
6. ^ a b Herald, New Zealand (15 July 2016). "Meet Australia's next great actress Odessa Young". m.nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
7. ^ Collins, Laura (10 February 2016). "Odessa Young Is Australia's Brightest Rising Star". Elle. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
8. ^ "Jim Schembri interviews Simon Stone and Odessa Young". Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
9. ^ "Young, 17: 'I don't think I've missed out'". Daily Telegraph. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
10. ^ O'Donohue, Danielle (3 June 2015). "How Odessa Young Transformed Herself Into 'The Daughter'". The Music.
11. ^ India (22 July 2016). "Why Radha Mitchell, Sue Brooks and Odessa Young Are Looking for Grace in Venice". Huffington Post India. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
12. ^ M, Adnan (20 September 2015). "TIFF 2015: Odessa Young Explores 'Looking for Grace'". The Arts Guild. Retrieved 22 July 2016.
13. ^ "Australian Actress Odessa Young Is One To Watch". ELLE. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
14. ^ "Australian actress Odessa Young on fashion and Hollywood". Vogue.com.au. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
15. ^ "Mel Gibson and Hacksaw Ridge clean up at AACTA Awards". ABC News. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
16. ^ "Odessa Young". IMDb. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (18 February 2016). "Odessa Young to Star in Hulu Pilot When the Street Lights Go On". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
18. ^ "Home". International Academy of Web Television. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
19. ^ "12 Canadian Series Win Big at Vancouver Web Fest - 604 Now". 604 Now. 29 April 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
20. ^ Brantley, Ben (11 March 2019). "Review: Isabelle Huppert Is a Nightmare to Remember in 'The Mother'". New York Times.
21. ^ Petski, Denise (1 August 2019). "'The Stand': James Marsden, Amber Heard, Odessa Young & Henry Zaga Set For Stephen King's CBS All Access Series". Deadline.
22. ^ Stone, Sam (14 December 2020). "The Stand: Odessa Young on Finding Inner Light at the End of the World". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
23. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (4 December 2020). "Frannie Goldsmith (Odessa Young)". Variety. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
24. ^ "Odessa Young & Ella Rumpf Join 'Tokyo Vice' at HBO Max". 19 February 2020.
25. ^ "Rachel Keller Joins 'Tokyo Vice', Replacing Odessa Young, as HBO Max Series Eyes Return to Production". 30 October 2020.
26. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (30 October 2020). "Tokyo Vice Recasting Odessa Young". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
27. ^ White, Peter (23 November 2020). "Japan's Wowow Boards Michael Mann's 'Tokyo Vice' As Co-Producer As Production Resumes This Week". Deadline. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
28. ^ "Odessa Young embraces dramatic intensity of 'Shirley'". KGET. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.[permanent dead link]
29. ^ Shaffer, Marshall (11 June 2020). "Features Interview: Odessa Young on the Intuitiveness That Fuels Shirley". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
30. ^ "Young Hollywood actors perform online for charity". BBC News. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
31. ^ George, Doug (13 May 2020). "Oak Parker stages Zoom plays as COVID-19 benefits, casting Florence Pugh and more young Hollywood actors". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
32. ^ a b Seth, Radhika (12 December 2020). "These 6 Actors Are Set to Rule 2021". Vogue. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
33. ^ https://www.vogue.com.au/celebrity/interviews/odessa-young/news-story/a035ca6df08b0fe0533bc81cd9566541
34. ^ Peralta, Diego (20 June 2024). "Odessa Young Will Journey to 'Nebraska' in Bruce Springsteen Biopic". collider.com.
35. ^ Ritman, Alex (1 February 2024). "'The Damned' First Look: Odessa Young and Joe Cole Endure a Cruel Winter in Upcoming Horror Film (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
36. ^ "Odessa Young". IMDb. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
37. ^ "2017 Winners & Nominees".
38. ^ "Official Selections". Vancouver Web Fest. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.

## External links

[edit]

* Odessa Young at IMDb

Odessa Young at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Media from Commons
* Data from Wikidata

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AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role

1971–2000|

* Monica Maughan (1971)
* Jacki Weaver (1972)
* Judy Morris (1973)
* Julie Dawson (1974)
* Helen Morse (1976)
* Pat Bishop (1977)
* Angela Punch McGregor (1978)
* Michele Fawdon (1979)
* Tracy Mann (1980)
* Judy Davis (1981)
* Noni Hazlehurst (1982)
* Wendy Hughes (1983)
* Angela Punch McGregor (1984)
* Noni Hazlehurst (1985)
* Judy Davis (1986)
* Judy Davis (1987)
* Nadine Garner (1988)
* Meryl Streep (1989)
* Catherine McClements (1990)
* Sheila Florance (1991)
* Lisa Harrow (1992)
* Holly Hunter (1993)
* Toni Collette (1994)
* Jacqueline McKenzie (1995)
* Judy Davis (1996)
* Pamela Rabe (1997)
* Deborah Mailman (1998)
* Sacha Horler (1999)
* Pia Miranda (2000)

2001–present|

* Kerry Armstrong (2001)
* Maria Theodorakis (2002)
* Toni Collette (2003)
* Abbie Cornish (2004)
* Cate Blanchett (2005)
* Emily Barclay (2006)
* Joan Chen (2007)
* Monic Hendrickx (2008)
* Frances O'Connor (2009)
* Jacki Weaver (2010)
* Judy Davis (2011)
* Deborah Mailman (2012)
* Rose Byrne (2013)
* Sarah Snook (2014)
* Kate Winslet (2015)
* Odessa Young (2016)
* Emma Booth (2017)
* Angourie Rice (2018)
* Aisling Franciosi (2019)
* Eliza Scanlen (2020)
* Judy Davis (2021)
* Leah Purcell (2022)
* Sophie Wilde (2023)
* Sarah Snook (2024)

Authority control databases

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