Shannyn Sossamon Biography
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Newcomer Shannyn Sossamon’s story could inspire thousands of wannabe actresses to buy a few turntables: casting director Francine Maisler discovered the 20-year-old actress spinning records at a posh Hollywood party and cast the Angelina Jolie lookalike in A Knight’s Tale, which Sony hoped would be a huge summer hit.
While A Knight’s Tale performed somewhat respectably at the box office, it failed to set the world on fire. But it did establish Sossaman and co-star Heath Ledger as up-and-coming young actors.
The Hawaii-born and Nevada-raised Sossaman moved to Los Angeles when she was 15 to study dance, which she considers a lifelong passion. She and a friend were DJing Gwyneth and Jack Paltrow’s joint birthday party when Maisler noticed her, contacting her soon after the party about auditioning for the movie.
Hailing from Reno, Nevada, Sossamon moved to California in pursuit of a career in dance, but soon started working as a disc jockey. When a friend landed the Paltrow gig and needed to borrow her turntables, she came along to spin during the DJ’s breaks and her effortless charisma caught the eye of a casting director.
Following her fairy tale-like discovery and subsequent female lead role, the exotically beautiful but girl-next-door unaffected Sossamon was featured in many a magazine, but was careful to avoid the media saturation trap that has ruined the careers of many a starlet.
Sossaman next appeared in 40 Days and 40 Nights alongside Josh Hartnett, another actor who saw his star rise in 2001 thanks to a summer blockbuster.
In 2002, “Forty Days and Forty Nights” was released, pairing the up and comer with fellow young Hollywood hotshot Josh Hartnett in a role that the actress hoped would prove her success in “A Knight’s Tale” wasn’t a fluke. Later that year, she co-starred with James Van Der Beek in the feature adaptation of “Rules of Attraction”, a 1980s-set adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling novel.
She rejoined her “A Knight’s Tale” director Helgeland and co-stars Ledger and Mark Addy for the secret sect thriller “The Order” (2003), playing Mara, a troubled artist with a turbulent past who tests a priest’s (Ledger) devotion to his vows.
She then appeared in “Undiscovered” (2005) co-starring Pell James, Ashlee Simpson and Kip Pardue. Thanks to poor reviews and limited advertising, the insipid romantic drama about wannabe singers guided by random fate and superficial ambitions remained true to its name by failing to crack seven figures in wide release opening weekend.
In 2006, Sossamon was cast as the female lead in the independent film Wristcutters: A Love Story opposite Patrick Fugit, Tom Waits, and Will Arnett. Wristcutters revolved around two characters who fall in love in purgatory after committing suicide. It was shown at both The Sundance Film Festival and The Seattle International Film Festival Awards in 2006. Autonomous Films picked it up for distribution, and it was released on March 25, 2008, to extremely positive reviews. It was nominated for several awards including Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize, two Independent Spirit Awards, the Humanitas Prize.
Sossamon was next cast in Courteney Cox’s drama series Dirt on FX. She starred as Kira Klay, a celebrity who, after realizing that she is pregnant, kills herself. She then appears in visions to a schizophrenic photographer. She appears in five episodes in the first season.
She then starred in the horror film Catacombs alongside singer Pink. It was FEARnet and Lions Gate Entertainment’s first film collaboration. It was first released in 2007 in several countries including Italy, Japan and Mexico, but it wasn’t released in the United States until 2008. It was filmed in early 2005, but its release was delayed for more than two and a half years due to the death of one of the producers.
Next, Sossamon signed on as a series regular on CBS’s vampire drama Moonlight. The series began airing on September 28, 2007, and was watched by 8.54 million viewers. CBS ordered a 16-episode first season, but over the season, viewership decreased to around 7.5 million viewers. The series had a very large fan base, but despite fans’ efforts, CBS canceled the series after the first season.
Her next project, One Missed Call, was a remake of the Japanese horror film Chakushin Ari. The film also stars Ed Burns, Azura Skye, Margaret Cho, and Ray Wise. The film was savaged by critics, but was considered a major box-office success, grossing more than $42,000,000 worldwide. It was also considered a success on DVD and Blu-Ray, generating sales of more than $25,000,000 since its release on April 22, 2008.
In 2008, Sossamon appeared with George Clooney in the commercial “A Beautiful Race” for the company Martini. Her next two films, The Heavy and Life Is Hot in Cracktown, were released in 2009. In the Spring of 2009, Sossamon starred in Monte Hellman’s first feature film in over 30 years, The Road to Nowhere. It will debut in the fall of 2010.
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