Millicent Simmonds
{{short description|American actress}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name =
| image = millicent simmonds 2021 1.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Simmonds in 2021
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2003|03|06}}{{cite news | last=Rose | first=Mike | url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2018/03/todays_top_celebrity_birthdays_171.html | title=Today's top celebrity birthdays list (March 6, 2018) | work=Cleveland.com | date=March 6, 2018 | accessdate=January 2, 2019 }}
- {{cite news | author=Staff | url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/video/millicent-simmonds-celebrates-17th-birthday-gma-69431047 | title=Millicent Simmonds celebrates her 17th birthday on 'GMA' | work=Good Morning America | date=March 6, 2020 | accessdate=March 11, 2020 }}
| occupation = Actress
| nationality = American
| othername = Millie Simmonds
| yearsactive = 2017–present
}}
Millicent Simmonds (born March 6, 2003) is a deaf American actress who starred in the 2018 horror film A Quiet Place and its 2020 sequel A Quiet Place Part II. Her breakout role was in the 2017 drama film Wonderstruck. For Wonderstruck and A Quiet Place, she was nominated for several awards for best youth performance.
In addition to her film roles, Simmonds has had television appearances in Andi Mack (2018) and This Close (2019). She made her Broadway debut in 2023 with the play Grey House. She is an advocate for better deaf representation in entertainment. She also advocates improving accessibility for the deaf, including designing a lip-reading face mask.
Background
Simmonds grew up in Bountiful, Utah in the United States.{{cite news | last=Crofts | first=Natalie | url=https://www.ksl.com/?sid=39354436 | title=Bountiful girl cast in lead role for upcoming movie 'Wonderstruck' | work=ksl.com | publisher=KSL-TV | date=April 15, 2016 | accessdate=May 5, 2017 }} She has four siblings; two older and two younger than her.{{cite news | last=Votaw | first=Ann | url=http://observer.com/2018/04/a-quiet-place-star-millicent-simmonds-on-john-krasinskis-new-movie/ | title=Millicent Simmonds on How the Plot of 'A Quiet Place' Relates to Real Life | work=Observer | date=April 10, 2018 | accessdate=April 12, 2018 }} When Simmonds was two months old, an accidental medication overdose caused permanent hearing loss for her.{{cite news | last=Axelrod | first=Joshua | url=https://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2021/06/04/a-quiet-place-part-ii-millicent-simmonds-horror-movie-john-krasinski-emily-blunt-deaf/stories/202106030149 | title='A Quiet Place Part II' star Millicent Simmonds now calls Pittsburgh home | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | date=June 4, 2021 | accessdate=September 26, 2023 }} Her mother learned American Sign Language and taught the family so they could communicate with her.{{cite news | last=Harris | first=Sarah | url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865692331/Young-Utah-Wonderstruck-actress-speaks-of-frustration-that-deaf-people-feel.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107080123/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865692331/Young-Utah-Wonderstruck-actress-speaks-of-frustration-that-deaf-people-feel.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 7, 2017 | title=Young Utah 'Wonderstruck' actress speaks of 'frustration' that deaf people feel | work=Deseret News | date= November 6, 2017 | accessdate=November 7, 2017 }} Simmonds said without her family using ASL, "I wouldn't have a relationship with my own family, I wouldn't have communication." Simmonds also has a cochlear implant.{{cite magazine | last=Weiss | first=Haley | url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/millicent-simmonds-wonderstruck-interview | title=Deaf actress Millicent Simmonds has a message for those who are different | magazine=Interview | date=November 1, 2017 | accessdate=November 1, 2017 }}
Simmonds's mother also encouraged her to read books extensively.{{cite magazine | last=Williams | first=Michelle | url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/millicent-simmonds-young-hollywood-2020 | title=Millicent Simmonds Is a Force to Be Reckoned With | magazine=Teen Vogue | date=February 5, 2020 | accessdate=February 5, 2020 }} When Simmonds was three years old, she started attending the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, and around third grade, she started its drama club. Her first play was in A Midsummer Night's Dream as Puck. After completing sixth grade, she mainstreamed at the Mueller Park Junior High School in the fall of 2015. She has performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah, and her primary film experience before Wonderstruck was a deaf student's short, "Color the World".
In the third quarter of 2020, Simmonds's father got a job promotion, and Simmonds and her family moved from Bountiful, Utah to a neighborhood north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Acting career
=''Wonderstruck'' and ''A Quiet Place''=
File:Millicent Simmonds.jpg in 2017]]
Simmonds was 12 years old when she was cast for the film Wonderstruck, which was then released in 2017. She had read the deaf-themed juvenile novel Wonderstruck when it was published in 2011. When open casting for the film began, her former drama teacher shared the news with her, and she auditioned for a role in the film. She competed with over 250 others. When she won the role, she moved to New York City with her mother and her younger siblings to film Wonderstruck. She used American Sign Language interpreters to communicate on set and also received a tutor to continue schoolwork while filming. Vanity Fair{{'}}s Charles Bramesco said of her casting, "A Utah native without any major film credits to her name, young Simmonds is expected to make quite a splash both as a new face in the industry as well as an icon for deaf and otherwise sensory-disabled actors."{{cite news | last=Bramesco | first=Charles | url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/04/todd-haynes-millicent-simmonds-wonderstruck | title=Carol Director Todd Haynes Breaks New Ground in Casting His Next Film | work=Vanity Fair | date=April 30, 2016 | accessdate=May 5, 2017 }} When Wonderstruck premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, the Associated Press's Jake Coyle said Simmonds's screen debut was "hailed as a breakthrough".{{cite news |last=Coyle |first=Jake |url=http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_CANNES_WONDERSTRUCK_UTOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |title='Wonderstruck', with deaf newcomer Simmonds, lands at Cannes |work=ap.org |publisher=Associated Press |date=May 18, 2017 |accessdate=May 20, 2017 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024155300/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_FRANCE_CANNES_WONDERSTRUCK_UTOL-?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT |archivedate=October 24, 2020 |url-status=dead }} Simmonds was subsequently nominated for several awards for best youth performance (see accolades). The Associated Press also recognized Simmonds as one of eight actors who were Breakthrough Entertainers of 2017.{{cite news | author=Staff | url=https://www.ap.org/ap-in-the-news/2017/the-ap-names-its-breakthrough-entertainers-of-2017 | title=The AP names its Breakthrough Entertainers of 2017 | work=ap.org | publisher=Associated Press | date=December 12, 2017 | accessdate=December 13, 2017 }}
In 2018, Simmonds starred in the horror film A Quiet Place as the deaf daughter of a hearing couple, played by John Krasinski and Emily Blunt. While the producers did not specifically plan to cast a deaf actress to play the deaf daughter, Krasinski, who was also the director, pushed to have a deaf actress.{{cite magazine | last=Burton | first=Bryan | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/a-quiet-place-john-krasinski-pushed-cast-millicent-simmonds-1100644 | title=John Krasinski Pushed to Cast a Deaf Actress for 'A Quiet Place' | magazine=The Hollywood Reporter | date=April 7, 2018 | accessdate=October 11, 2018 }} Simmonds and her family answered Krasinski's questions for writing a screenplay about a family with a deaf child.{{cite magazine | last=Sippell | first=Margeaux | url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/john-krasinski-a-quiet-place-casting-deaf-actress-1203084825/ | title=John Krasinski on 'A Quiet Place': Casting A Deaf Actress Was 'Non-Negotiable' | magazine=Variety | date=December 9, 2018 | accessdate=December 10, 2018 }} The filmmakers hired an ASL interpreter for Simmonds, so that signed and spoken language could be interpreted fluently on set.{{cite news | last=Crow | first=David | url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/a-quiet-place/272266/a-quiet-place-and-the-thrill-of-making-an-original-horror-movie | title=A Quiet Place and the Thrill of Making an Original Horror Movie | work=Den of Geek | publisher=Dennis Publishing | date=April 2, 2018 | accessdate=April 6, 2018 }} Simmonds helped teach her fellow actors to sign.{{cite news | last=Squires | first=John | url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3488538/john-krasinski-importance-casting-deaf-actress-millicent-simmonds-quiet-place/ | title=John Krasinski on the Importance of Casting Deaf Actress Millicent Simmonds in 'A Quiet Place' | work=Bloody Disgusting | date=March 14, 2018 | accessdate=April 6, 2018 }}
= TV roles and return to ''A Quiet Place'' =
In 2018, Simmonds appeared in a two-episode arc in the third season of the Disney Channel television series Andi Mack. She had first appeared as an extra in the first season, and the series creators invited her back for a recurring role. For her arc, Simmonds taught the other actors how to use ASL, and the showrunners decided to show her scenes involving ASL without providing subtitles so viewers could focus on figuring out the sign language.{{cite magazine | last=Ceron | first=Ella | url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/millicent-simmonds-interview-andi-mack | title=Millicent Simmonds Saved the Day in A Quiet Place — Now She's Headed to the Disney Channel | magazine=Teen Vogue | date=December 4, 2018 | accessdate=December 5, 2018 }} In one of the episodes, Simmonds also spoke for the first time ever on-camera, responding audibly "I like you" in response to Asher Angel's character Jonah signing "I like you" to her character. Simmonds said of the spoken dialogue, "I can't even remember how it was brought up or who had the idea, but I remember my mom asking me how I felt about it, and I told her I thought I could try. I was actually pretty nervous about it. I don't use my voice a lot in public."{{cite news | last=Gunderson | first=Alexis | url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2019/02/millicent-simmonds-andi-mack-a-quiet-place-disney.html | title=How Andi Mack Landed A Quiet Place Breakout Millicent Simmonds' First Time Speaking on Camera | work=Paste | date=February 1, 2019 | accessdate=February 2, 2019 }}
In the following year, Simmonds appeared in an episode of the second season of This Close.{{cite news | last=Lambe | first=Stacy | url=https://www.etonline.com/this-close-returns-with-season-2-watch-shoshannah-stern-and-josh-feldman-in-an-exclusive-new-teaser | title='This Close' Returns With Season 2: Watch Shoshannah Stern and Josh Feldman in an Exclusive New Teaser | work=Entertainment Tonight | date=August 12, 2019 | accessdate=December 3, 2020 }} In October, Simmonds was cast in a lead role in the pilot for the TV series Close Up on Freeform,{{cite news | last=Ramos | first=Dino-Ray | url=https://deadline.com/2019/10/a-quiet-place-millicent-simmonds-close-up-pilot-freeform-1202751501/ | title='A Quiet Place' Actress Millicent Simmonds Set To Star In 'Close Up' Pilot At Freeform | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=October 3, 2019 | accessdate=October 3, 2019 }} and production took place later in the year in Vancouver. By May 2020, Freeform passed on the pilot.{{cite news | last=N'Duka | first=Amanda | url=https://deadline.com/2020/05/close-up-mystery-drama-not-going-forward-freeform-1202935138/ | title='Close Up' Mystery Drama Not Moving Forward At Freeform | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=May 14, 2020 | accessdate=July 7, 2020 }}
Simmonds also reprised her role in the sequel film A Quiet Place Part II, which filmed in the middle of 2019.{{cite magazine | last=Collis | first=Clark | url=https://ew.com/movies/2019/07/15/a-quiet-place-2-starts-shooting-john-krasinski/ | title=John Krasinski announces A Quiet Place 2 has started shooting | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=July 15, 2019 | accessdate=October 4, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016040850/https://ew.com/movies/2019/07/15/a-quiet-place-2-starts-shooting-john-krasinski/ | archive-date=October 16, 2019 | url-status=live }} John Krasinski, who also directed the sequel, said, "I had this small idea, which was to make Millie [Simmonds] the lead of the movie... her character opens the door to all the themes I was dealing with in the first movie."{{cite magazine | last=Rubin | first=Rebecca | url=https://variety.com/2020/scene/news/quiet-place-2-premiere-john-krasinski-emily-blunt-1203527522/ | title=How John Krasinski Convinced Emily Blunt to Star in 'A Quiet Place 2' | magazine=Variety | date=March 9, 2020 | accessdate=March 10, 2020 }} The film had its world premiere in March 2020,{{cite news | last=Martin | first=Annie | url=https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Movies/2020/03/09/John-Krasinski-praises-Emily-Blunt-at-A-Quiet-Place-2-premiere/6121583758813/ | title=John Krasinski praises Emily Blunt at 'A Quiet Place 2' premiere | work=United Press International | date=March 9, 2020 | accessdate=March 9, 2020 }} but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its commercial release was postponed to May 2021.{{cite news | last=D'Alessandro | first=Anthony | url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/a-quiet-place-part-ii-memorial-day-weekend-opening-f9-replaces-1234707174/ | title='A Quiet Place Part II' Takes Over Memorial Day Weekend Vacated By 'F9' | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=March 4, 2021 | access-date=March 5, 2021 }} In the following August, Variety named Simmonds among over 50 other 25-and-under talent in its 2021 Power of Young Hollywood Impact List.{{cite magazine | author=Staff | url=https://variety.com/lists/variety-power-of-young-hollywood-2021-impact-list/ | title=Variety's 2021 Power of Young Hollywood Impact List | magazine=Variety | date=August 11, 2021 | accessdate=September 26, 2023 }}
= ''Grey House'' and projects in development =
Simmonds starred in the short film Bumblebees which premiered on June 11, 2022, at Tribeca Film Festival.{{cite web | author=Staff | url=https://tribecafilm.com/films/bumblebees-2022 | title=Bumblebees | 2022 Tribeca Festival | Tribeca | work=tribecafilm.com | accessdate=June 14, 2022 }} She also had her Broadway debut in the Broadway adaptation of Levi Holloway's play Grey House,{{cite magazine | last=Apostolatos | first=Mariana | url=https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/millicent-simmonds | title=Millicent Simmonds | work=Photobook Magazine | date=September 7, 2023 | accessdate=September 26, 2023 }} which premiered on May 30, 2023.{{cite news | last=Evans | first=Greg | url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/grey-house-broadway-thriller-laurie-metcalf-tatiana-maslany-joe-mantello-1235266226/ | title=Laurie Metcalf & Tatiana Maslany Set For Broadway Thriller 'Grey House'; Joe Mantello Will Direct | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=February 21, 2023 | accessdate=February 26, 2023 }} Simmonds said that acting on Broadway demands more exaggerated expressions than in film or TV, due to the need for audience visibility. She also contrasted the repetitive nature of stage performances with the varying day-to-day scenes in film and TV. Entertainment Weekly{{'}}s Emlyn Travis wrote, "Simmonds, who is deaf, performs the tunes in American Sign Language alongside her costars, who... also sign with and interpret for her character throughout the performance in an excellent display of representation and accessibility on stage."{{cite magazine | last=Travis | first=Emlyn | url=https://ew.com/theater/theater-reviews/grey-house-review-laurie-metcalf-millicent-simmonds-delight-in-haunting-play/ | title=Grey House review: Laurie Metcalf and Millicent Simmonds delight in a haunting play full of heart | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=June 1, 2023 | accessdate=June 2, 2023 }} Grey House closed on July 30, 2023 due to low ticket sales.{{cite magazine | last=Huston | first=Caitlin | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/broadway-grey-house-july-30-closing-date-1235539722/ | title=Broadway's 'Grey House,' Starring Laurie Metcalf, Tatiana Maslany, Sets July 30 Closing Date | magazine=The Hollywood Reporter | date=July 19, 2023 | accessdate=September 26, 2023 }}
In July 2021, Simmonds partnered with Circle of Confusion Television Studios to star in and executive produce a TV adaptation of the 2022 deaf-themed book True Biz by Sara Nović.{{cite news | last=White | first=Peter | url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/millicent-simmonds-tv-adaptation-sara-novic-true-biz-circle-of-confusion-1234787333/ | title=Millicent Simmonds To Star In & EP TV Adaptation Of Sara Nović's 'True Biz' With Circle of Confusion Television Studios | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=July 7, 2021 | accessdate=March 9, 2022 }} In the following October, Simmonds was cast as the deafblind historical figure Helen Keller for the film Helen & Teacher with principal photography planned at the time to start in mid-2022.{{cite news | last=Ritman | first=Alex | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/millicent-simmonds-rachel-brosnahan-helen-keller-1235031343/ | title='A Quiet Place' Star Millicent Simmonds Teaming With Rachel Brosnahan for Helen Keller Biopic 'Helen & Teacher' | work=The Hollywood Reporter | date=October 14, 2021 | accessdate=February 23, 2022 }} Neither project has yet moved past the development stage.
In February 2023, Simmonds was cast in the action-thriller film Ballerina Overdrive.{{cite news | last=Wiseman | first=Andreas | url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/lena-headey-yara-shahidi-isabela-merced-lana-condor-david-leitch-ballerina-overdrive-efm-1235253357/ | title=Lena Headey, Yara Shahidi, Isabela Merced, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds & Iris Apatow Set For Buzzy Action Pic 'Ballerina Overdrive' From David Leitch & Kelly McCormick’s 87North: EFM Hot Package | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=February 8, 2023 | accessdate=July 12, 2023 }}
Deaf advocacy
Following Simmonds's 2017 debut in Wonderstruck, a Utah-based news outlet reported, "Millie plans to continue both acting and advocating for the deaf community."{{cite news | last=Nielsen | first=Liesl | url=https://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=44212827 | title=Deaf Bountiful girl films lead role in upcoming movie 'Wonderstruck' | work=ksl.com | publisher=KSL-TV | date=May 11, 2017 | accessdate=May 12, 2017 }} In 2019, after starring in A Quiet Place, Simmonds received the Greenwich International Film Festival's Make An Impact Award and participated in the festival's panel to discuss cinematic representation of people with disabilities.{{cite news | last=Zilko | first=Christian | url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/06/diversity-movement-actors-with-disabilities-1202146980/ | title=The Diversity Movement You're Not Hearing About: Actors With Disabilities — Watch | work=IndieWire | date=June 3, 2019 | accessdate=June 7, 2019 }}
In 2020, with the commercial release of A Quiet Place Part II being postponed to the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic,{{cite news | last= Rubin | first=Rebecca | url= https://variety.com/2020/film/box-office/a-quiet-place-2-top-gun-maverick-release-date-delay-1234709716/ | title='A Quiet Place 2,' 'Top Gun: Maverick' Delayed Until 2021 | magazine=Variety | date=July 23, 2020 | accessdate=July 23, 2020 }} Simmonds and a speech-language pathology clinical fellow designed a face mask that includes a transparent panel to allow lip-reading and facial expressions to be seen. Simmonds partnered with fair-trade fashion brand Rafi Nova to make the masks and to have net proceeds go to deaf and hard-of-hearing organizations.{{cite magazine | last=Smith | first=Nigel | url=https://people.com/movies/millicent-simmonds-designs-transparent-masks-during-pandemic/ | title=A Quiet Place{{'}}s Millicent Simmonds Designs Transparent Masks That Restore Visual Communication | magazine=People | date=August 4, 2020 | accessdate=August 4, 2020 }} She also participated in a virtual panel hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences about representation of creative figures with disabilities, as part of the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.{{cite news | last=Bahr | first=Lindsey | url=https://hosted.ap.org/gmtoday/article/24a51549c4a5a12506502bd2f6ac0cbc/entertainers-discuss-disability-representation-hollywood | title=Entertainers Discuss Disability Representation In Hollywood | publisher=Associated Press | date=October 27, 2020 | accessdate=October 28, 2020 }} Toward the end of the year, the teenage magazine Seventeen recognized Simmonds among 15 recipients of Voices of the Year 2020 for their vision and activism.{{cite magazine | author=Staff | url=https://www.seventeen.com/life/a31198992/teens-who-changed-the-world-2020-voices-of-the-year/ | title=Today's Teens Are Saving Tomorrow: Seventeen's 2020 Voices Of the Year | magazine=Seventeen | date=December 1, 2020 | accessdate=December 3, 2020 }}
With deaf characters historically played by hearing actors, or sign language obscured by the editing process, Simmonds said in 2021 that she considers her films Wonderstruck, A Quiet Place, and A Quiet Place Part II as "a corrective" to that history.{{cite news | last=Nevins | first=Jake | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/25/t-magazine/american-sign-language-asl-deaf-culture.html | title=American Sign Language Finds Its Spotlight | work=T: The New York Times Style Magazine | date=March 25, 2021 | accessdate=March 25, 2021 }} In 2022, Simmonds partnered with Cut + Clarity to create the "Millie ASL Mama" necklace, which features the ASL sign for "mother", to benefit the Deaf Mentor Program at Ski-Hi Institute.{{cite news | last=Vaughen | first=Kelly | url=https://kutv.com/news/eye-on-utah/utah-movie-star-gives-back-to-asl-education-with-mothers-day-necklace | title=Utah movie star gives back to ASL education with Mother's Day necklace | work=kutv.com | publisher=KUTV | date=May 4, 2022 | accessdate=September 26, 2023 }} In a 2023 interview, she advised young deaf individuals aspiring to enter the entertainment industry to advocate for themselves and clearly communicate their needs.
In March 2024, Simmonds was among eight honorees at the New York Women in Film & Television's 44th annual Muse Awards.{{cite magazine | last=Taylor | first=Elizabeth | url=https://variety.com/2024/awards/news/quiet-place-millicent-simmonds-deaf-representation-hollywood-1235954607/ | title='A Quiet Place' Star Millicent Simmonds Says Hollywood is Becoming More Inclusive and Accessible to the Deaf Community: 'People Seem to Be More Open-Minded' | magazine=Variety | date=March 28, 2024 | accessdate=April 25, 2024 }}
Credits
Accolades
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite book | last=Smoka-Richardson | first=Rachel | year=2021 | title=Millicent Simmonds: Actor and Activist | series=Movers, Shakers, & History Makers | publisher=Capstone Publishers | isbn=978-1-4966-9540-6 }} (Juvenile audience)
External links
- {{IMDb name|8075925}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmonds, Millicent}}
Category:21st-century American actresses
Category:American child actresses
Category:American deaf actresses