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Kristin Laura Kreuk (born December
30, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her leading role on
the American television series Smallville as Lana Lang, which lasted eight
years. She also had roles on the Canadian teen soap opera Edgemont and in
the 2009 film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.
Kreuk was born in Vancouver, British Columbia. Her father, Peter Kreuk, is
of Dutch descent; her mother, Deanna Che, is of Chinese descent, but was
born in Indonesia; her maternal grandmother was born in Jamaica of Chinese
descent. Both parents are landscape architects. She has a sister named
Justine, who is about five years younger. Kreuk trained in gymnastics at
the national level until high school but quit in 11th grade due to
scoliosis. She attended Edith Cavell Elementary School and Eric Hamber
Secondary School in Vancouver.
She had plans to study psychology, environmental science, or forensic
science at Simon Fraser University when a casting director for the CBC TV
series Edgemont contacted her secondary school, looking for an
exotic-looking girl to play the part of a Chinese Canadian, Laurel Yeung
on the Vancouver-shot show. Kreuk's drama teacher convinced Kreuk, who had
no previous acting experience other than in musicals at her high school,
to audition for the role. To her surprise, she won the part.
After shooting the first season of Edgemont (a teenage soap opera set at a
Vancouver-area high school) and getting herself an agent, Kreuk landed the
lead role of Snow White in a TV movie titled Snow White: The Fairest of
Them All. The film, shot in Vancouver, also starred Miranda Richardson and
was directed by Caroline Thompson. It aired on ABC on March 17, 2002. In
2003, Kreuk wrapped up her role on Edgemont. In the summer of 2004, Kreuk
took the role of Tenar for the Sci Fi Channel two-part miniseries Legend
of Earthsea. The miniseries was filmed in Vancouver, directed by Rob
Lieberman and broadcast on December 13, 2004.
After Snow White, Kreuk's agent sent an audition tape to screenwriters
Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who at the time were putting together the
cast of a show they had created for the WB Network titled Smallville. The
series (which was slated to be shot in Vancouver) revolves around the life
of teenager Clark Kent before he becomes Superman. Gough and Millar called
Kreuk to WB's studios in Burbank, California to audition for the role of
Clark Kent's first love, Lana Lang. Originally, Kreuk was unsure about
auditioning for Lana's role, as the character was to be a popular,
gorgeous cheerleader, so she assumed that the part would be that of a
shallow idiot. However, upon reading the graveyard scene from the pilot,
she was so impressed that when she was offered the role, she immediately
accepted. She left Smallville in the beginning of 2008, when her character
leaves town. She returned as a guest star in the show's eighth season for
five episodes to wrap up her storyline.
Kristin Kreuk has signed on for several episodes of Chuck, according to
EW. She will play Hannah, a computer troubleshooter who after being laid
off joins the Buy More.
Neutrogena made her the spokesmodel for their new worldwide advertising
campaign; in this role Kreuk followed in the footsteps of fellow teen
stars such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Mandy Moore. In 2005, she renewed
her contract with Neutrogena for another two years, making her the
company's longest-serving model spokesperson.
In 2003, she appeared in her first feature film, with a minor role in
Eurotrip, starring Scott Mechlowicz and Michelle Trachtenberg. The film,
shot in Prague, Czech Republic, also featured cameos by Matt Damon and
Lucy Lawless. It debuted in theatres on February 20, 2004.
In early 2005, Kreuk signed on to the independent feature film Partition.
She plays Naseem, a vulnerable seventeen-year-old whose world is shattered
by the trauma of the Partition of India in 1947; she falls in love with
ex-British Indian Army officer Gian Singh (played by Jimi Mistry). Neve
Campbell also stars. The film is directed by Vic Sarin and is a
co-production between Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom. The
film was released to Canadian theaters on February 2, 2007, with a
subsequent Region 1 (US and Canada) DVD release on June 26, 2007.
In the summer of 2006, a short film called the Dream Princess by comic
book writer and artist Kaare Andrews was made, where Kreuk plays The
Princess. The film is a modern sci-punk retelling of the tale of Sleeping
Beauty, with a twist. It is due to be released in 2007 in Canada.
Kreuk appeared in the 2009 film Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, in
which she played Chun Li.
Along with her friend Kendra Voth, Kreuk established "Girls By Design," a
project to "bring teens together and aid them in building a strong sense
of self, and an ability to empathize with those around them." |
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"Sometimes I love acting but
then sometimes I think it's too much for me. And I don't know if it
is something that I could do for the rest of my life."
On keeping herself looking beautiful: "My skin is a little
sensitive, so I try not to use too many products. After work I'll
just clean it with Neutrogena Deep Clean facial cleanser and put on
a bit of lotion like Aveda Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme or a
moisturizer by Kiehl's. I don't always use the same one. After a
while my skin starts to get annoyed with one, and then I've got to
move on to another."
"I'm not surrounded by the business. That makes all the difference
in the world, 'cause it's so easy to get caught up in it. If you
were living in L.A., it'd be like 'Bull----, bull----, bull----...
you're this, you're that, you're wonderful, get caught up in this
tornado, get caught up, get caught up, get caught up, and the minute
it's all gone, you fall and you've got no one to catch you because
you let yourself get swept away, when it's all 'Pouff!' And it's all
made up and none of it's grounded or real."
"Someday I'd like to do some real traveling. I'm obsessed with
Brazil and I've always had this dream of backpacking through South
America."
"I never dreamed of being an actor, but I'm beginning to love it
more and more because I like challenging myself. When I feel like
I'm not learning or having fun anymore, then I'll stop."
"Just because I don't do bad things doesn't mean I don't have bad
thoughts."
"I really don't use that much make up - I'm pretty natural. I wear
even less of it in the summer."
"I love having messy hair. I put in a lot of effort to have it look
as messy as possible."
"Sometimes I love acting, but then sometimes I think it's too much
for me. And I don't know if it is something that I could do for the
rest of my life."
"I wanted to be a forensic scientist for a long time... It's like
putting the pieces of a puzzle together. Solving mysteries seemed
like it would be fun, scary and exciting all at the same time."
"I'd rather walk than drive a car. In Vancouver, where I am from,
you can get to just about anywhere you need to go on foot. Even if
it's raining I'll go out for a stroll. I just love that."
"It's not that easy to find someone I can relate too. I'm tough to
crack because I'm shy."
On her favourite music styles: "Basically I listen to just about
everything except heavy metal."
"Be the change you wish to see in the world."
"If I like it, I'll buy it; pure impulse shopping."
"I did gymnastics when I was growing up and to this day I can still
do the splits." |
