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Q'Orianka Waira Qoiana Kilcher (born
February 11, 1990) is an American actress and singer best known for her
role as Pocahontas in the 2005 film The New World.
Kilcher was born in Schweigmatt, Germany; her first language was Spanish,
although she also speaks English, a little German and limited Algonquian
(which she learned for her part in The New World). Her father is a
Peruvian artist of Quechua / Huachipaeri descent. Her mother, Saskia
Kilcher, a human-rights activist of Swiss descent, was born in Alaska and
raised in Switzerland.
Kilcher's maternal grandfather was Ray 'Pirate' Genet, a famous Alaskan
mountaineer. She is the cousin of singer Jewel Kilcher.
When she was two, her parents moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where her
brother, Kainoa, was born. Her father, from whom she is now estranged, was
absent most of the time, and her parents often fought. Kilcher was
inspired by the local Hawaiian dancers and trained in West African and
Hawaiian dance, performing in over 250 dance contests by the age of nine,
earning money to support her family.
She subsequently moved with her family to California, where she busked on
the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. When she was ten, her sound
equipment was stolen from the family's van. The story made front page news
in Los Angeles and shortly thereafter, Kilcher received new sound
equipment plus an audition for the film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, in
which she had a role as a background chorus member
In 2002, she appeared on Star Search singing "Adagio", but came in second
place, with one of the judges, Naomi Judd, commenting that she needed
vocal lessons. Although she has had little acting training, she was cast
in the leading role of Pocahontas in 2005's Academy Award-nominated motion
picture, The New World. The film was released in December 2005 to mixed
reviews. It achieved success, despite being shown in only 811 theaters
worldwide and having a relatively low box office gross.
The film's love scenes between Colin Farrell's character and the then
14-year-old Kilcher caused some controversy, resulting in the film studio
deleting several scenes with Farrell to avoid child pornography
accusations. Kilcher admitted in several interviews that kissing Farrell
during filming was her first kiss.
Kilcher has several projects planned, including charity work, a line of
buckskin clothing, and a CD of songs inspired by The New World. She noted
in a Canadian interview that she misses singing and would also like to
return to the Third Street Promenade.
In summer of 2006, Q'Orianka began filming the independent film "The Power
of Few" which she is also producing through her own production company,
Entertainment On-Q. She still remains with her original agent Carlyne
Grager.
In addition to her acting, Kilcher has also campaigned for Amnesty
International, on the subjects of the rights of women and indigenous
people, in particular the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women and petroleum industry contamination of the
Amazon River Basin. |
