Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? She may not be interested in love and relationships as she wants to pursue her study and acting career. Nadine Wojcik. The Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. "If you had said 'Tom Hanks is in another movie,' I would have known he's an actor and I knew he was a bigger deal than some other actors, but I didn't quite know that he's a real big deal. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She is just 12 years old, and we can't hope she will be in college or university. At some point, the thing happened that I hoped would happen, her mother says. 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. "I think I am a loud person, and I'm a person who likes people and being in public and also speaking. She is an overzealous person who believes in living life to the fullest. Helena Zengel was born on June 10, 2008 in Berlin, Germany. Her hobbies include athletics, figure skating, dancing, skateboarding, and sewing. I go to the barn six days a week., I also play the piano, at the level of Fr Elise. Hanks only just missed out on a nomination himself for that movie, but he is back in the awards conversation once again for "News of the World," and could earn his seventh total Oscar nomination. I never had acting classes or anything, so it's just something natural I like to do.". Helena Zengel is a German child actress famous for her role in System Crasher and Die Tochter. She has blonde hair with beautiful blue eyes. She is an actress, known for News of the World (2020), System Crasher (2019) and Dark Blue Girl (2017). ", What You Don't Know About Helena Zengel, The 12-Year-Old Star Of News Of The World, Hanks is often described as being very down-to-earth. She celebrates her birthday every year on June 10. Afterwards, Paul said, Youve got the role. But my English wasnt so good then. They couldnt have picked a better teacher than Dorothy WhiteHorse DeLaune. Her outrageous behavior is a consequence of childhood trauma in which nappies were pressed into her face. Paul Greengrass, center, the movies director. Her proficiency in figure skating has earned her prizes in various competitions. Helena Zengel also has a really funny story about her first audition for News of the World: her mom stood in for Tom Hanks to help her daughter perform the scene. In 2017, Zengel caught the attention of Nora Fingscheidt, the German director of System Crasher, a harrowing drama centred on a girl named Benni who is abused as a baby and abandoned by her mother, and who later lashes out at her caregivers and the society around her. Early Life and Childhood Helena Zengel was born on June 10, 2008, in Berlin, Germany, and her age is 14 years old as of the year 2022. Theres not too much time because with this movie, Ive even had several Kiowas say, Give me your autograph, and I say, Hey, Im going to be 88 years old. I have no ambition anymore about trying to do something, she said. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. (2020). Its in the quiet scenes of News of the World (which has little dialogue) that Zengel shines, especially when her cold blue eyes slowly soften as they dial through feelings of fear, fury and, eventually, affection. BERLIN When the director Paul Greengrass was gearing up to make his new film, News of the World, about a Civil War veteran in 1870s Texas who escorts an orphaned girl to her relatives across the state, he was anticipating one major challenge. [1] She is best known for her roles in the films System Crasher (2019) and News of the World (2020). The ones who attended were just full of wonder about Zengels ability to speak Kiowa, WhiteHorse said. Zengel on the set of News of the World.. When director Paul Greengrass was gearing up to make his new film, News of the World, about a civil war veteran in 1870s Texas who escorts an orphaned girl to her relatives across the state, he was anticipating one major challenge. In an interview, Fingscheidt said she needed a child actor who could convey Bennis often terrifying physicality, while shouldering the psychological burden of the part. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Zengel performed so well in System Crasher that she won aGerman Film Prize, which is the German version of an Oscar. She first began telling Kiowa stories for the Anadarko school system: Just little old stories to keep the lullabies together, she said. Her biggest success until then was System Crusher" which brought was noticed internationally. Helena Zengel is a giggly, chatty 12-year-old, whose movie roles take her into psychological territory that even adults would find tough. In July 2021, she started her podcast named Ein groes Z und ein kleiner Engel (A big Z and a little angel). Ive had my own horse for about four years. Luckily, she was able to pick it up fairly quickly. She told Variety that he was especially fun while shooting camping scenes, when "Tom was trying to make funny faces while I was trying to put on a serious face. She received the price for her role in News of the World with Tom Hanks. In 2020, she rose to prominence when she played the lead role of Johanna in the American Western drama film News of the World in which she shared the screen with the established American actor Tom Hanks. 02/10/2021 February 10, 2021. She's starring opposite Tom Hanks. She'd never heard of him. Zengel's first role was on the German seriesSpreewaldkrimi. In 2021, Zengel appeared as Nina in "A Christmas Number One" alongside Freida Pinto and Iwan Rheon, a heartfelt romantic comedy about a young woman trying to save her uncle from himself before she succumbs to a terminal illness. Thereafter, he accepts the responsibility of taking Johanna to her surviving family. I didnt understand him. She is our royalty and a tribal treasure. Also, its very fun to run around and scream., News of the World is on Netflix from February, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Doing it again and again for your partner when you don't even see yourself in the movie was really amazing and great.". Before being cast in the film, she said, she had never heard of Hanks. After System Crasher won a number of international awards, Zengel was cast by Universal Pictures to play a leading role in the American Western film News of the World, directed by the British film director Paul Greengrass. My mums birthday is coming up, so Im going to play a little concert for her., Childhood picture of Helena Zengel learning figure skating. In an email, Hanks praised Zengels skill of performing with no build-up, no apprehension, and no self-consciousness, and says he wished he had her same ease, her simplicity. [2][3] She also had small parts in two episodes of a German TV series, Die Spezialisten Im Namen der Opfer. She works as a professional singer and a radio jockey at B2, a German radio network. She once took her class on a field trip to see Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, the final holdout for the Kiowa clan before their removal in the late 19th century. Those aren't the only languages Zengel can speak. Die Spezialisten Im Namen der Opfer (2016). She then co-starred in a series of German films, includingDie Tochter (The Daughter) and System Crasher. News - Helena Zengel February 3, 2021 12:00PM. [4] In April 2020 she won the German Film Prize for Best Actress.[5]. The poor little things walking with her hair all over (the place), but thats the way we actually lived.. Now Zengel is confronting the strange reality of international fame while being stuck at home, finishing seventh grade. Helena Zengel: The 12 Years Old Superstar | The Australia Time 'News Of The World's Helena Zengel Earns Golden Globe - Deadline Most of her lines are in Kiowa, a language she had to learn for the part. I can look you in the eye and just about tell sincerity in somebody, said Dorothy WhiteHorse DeLaune, who built an enduring friendship with a then-10-year-old German actress on a New Mexico movie set. In 2016, she made her film debut when she played the role of Lily in the drama film Looping (2016). That was the hardest part, doing the quiet scenes, says Zengel. Her first main role in a film, at the age of eight, was in a drama film, Die Tochter ( The Daughte r), which was shown at the Berlinale 2017. Some of her movies are Echo, Looping, Route B95, and many more. Helena Zengel Age: 12 Hometown: Berlin WHAT After winning the German Film Award for Best Leading Actress with 2019's System Crasher, Helena Zengel made her American film debut alongside Tom. Helena also has her website to find her bio, news, contact, and many more. She has a long journey to travel, and we can predict she will be the top actress in the world with more net worth. She was the only person I really had to look at, he says. WhiteHorse gave the child star a beaded cross the first time they met. Helena Zengel at a figure skating competition, Helena Zengel next to her Kiowa teacher, Dorothy WhiteHorse, Ill jump from a thousand feet into the water. She's Starring Opposite Tom Hanks. She'd Never Heard of Him. Zengel was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, and began her acting career at the age of five in a music video for the Berlin Alternative rock band Abby. Helenas earliest forays into acting, aged four, had emerged largely out of parental frustration, she says, because her daughter had three times as much intensity as other children and would act out if she was denied something she wanted. Sign up for notifications from Insider! In an interview, Helenas mother, Anna Zengel, said, She had to function in society, so we had to figure out how to redirect her energy.. In an interview, while talking about her love for horses, she said. Helena Zengel: Age, Wiki, Biography, Trivia, Birthday & Photos - FilmiFeed DallasFort Worth Film Critics Association, Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, "10-jhrige Helena Zengel: Das ist der Spatz vom Festival-Platz", "Helena Zengel to star opposite Tom Hanks in 'News of the World', "Helena Zengel To Star Opposite Tom Hanks In Universal's 'News Of The World', "Nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards (2021) Announced", "The 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards", "AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA CINEMA: "Notizie dal mondo", "2020 was an exciting year for Helena Zengel", "Palm Springs Film Festival Sets Audience Awards", "Critics Choice Awards: 'Nomadland', 'The Crown' Among Top Honorees Complete Winners List", "DFW Film Critics Name "Nomadland" Best Picture of 2020", "The 2020 Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) Winners", "Hawaii Film Critics Society 2021 Awards", "Phoenix Film Critics Society winners: 'The Trial of the Chicago 7,' 'Nomadland' and more", "SAG Awards 2021 Winners: See the Full List Here", "Washington DC Critics nominations: 'Minari' leads with 8", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Helena_Zengel&oldid=1150244059, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 02:06. Childhood picture of Helena Zengel with her mother in a radio station. The film centers around three women who end up in a psychiatric clinic while searching for safety and security. I had a strong sense then, literally, as I watched it. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Helena Zengel in News of the World (2020). My favorite scene of her is walking by [Hanks] horse, when theres nothing but cowboys all over in that scene where shes walking with the blanket on, WhiteHorse said. WhiteHorse was born on Jan. 25, 1933, in a teepee near Anadarko, about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. And then we went on a cruise with friends from Romania. WhiteHorse and the linguist began teaching the young actress the Kiowa language needed for her role nearly a year before the producers invited WhiteHorse and her daughter Lynda to join the set in New Mexico in September 2019. All Rights Reserved. To channelize her abundant energy, she pursues various hobbies in her leisure time. Therefore, her parents enrolled her in ice-skating classes and also encouraged her to try acting to channel her energy towards something productive. I did, actually. She is an actress, known for, In 2019 Helena Zengel became the youngest actress ever in history to win the Lola for "Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role" at the German Film Awards for her internationally acclaimed breakthrough appearance in, At the Sombor Filmfest (Somborski Filmski Festival) in Belgrade, Serbia, Helena Zengel received a special mention award for her performance in the film, Helena Zengel made her full-length film debut in the TV crime movie. Zengel was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, and People reports that she began her acting career at the age of 5. She also owns an Icelandic horse named Hekla. It was a thrilling experience for me at this age, WhiteHorse said of her work with the movie production. A.I. 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While shooting for News of the World (2020) in which she played the role of an orphan girl raised by the Kiowa people, Helena bonded with her elderly Kiowa linguistic teacher named Dorothy WhiteHorse. Ive been riding for seven, maybe eight years. And then also understanding the culture and why she's also not talking, and actually not understanding the English language. Name: Helena Zengel Nickname: Helena Occupation/Profession: Actress Gender: Female Date of Birth: 10 June 2008 Age: 13 years old (In 2022) Birthplace: Berlin, Germany Currently lives in: Berlin, Germany Qualification: Schooling Net worth: USD 1 Million approx Nationality: German Zodiac Sign: Leo Body: Height in feet: 5 feet 0 inches Gossip, News of the World, which opened on Christmas Day in the US and Canada, and will be available on Netflix from February, is an international breakthrough for Zengel, who has already become one of the most talked-about actors let alone child actors to emerge in Germany in recent years. We don't have any confirmed information about her education, but we can predict that she is in school-level education by looking at her age. She was a winner for Best Creative Performance for her role in Systemsprenger in 2019. WhiteHorse said there was a private screening of the movie in Lawton, but owing to COVID, she could only invite a few people instead of the entire tribe. I thought, 'Well, I mean, it's going to have to be her. Courtesty of Universal. In 2021, she earned the nomination for the Golden Globe Award for her first English-language role. After a few small roles in German TV crime shows, as a bank robber's daughter or a girl who falls from a bridge, she. I have seen them do those shots when I went the first time. If they were caught practicing any of their things, they were not going to kill us in that time but they were going to withhold their rations and their land allotment money and everything, she said. While she isn't entirely fluent, she's also familiar with Spanish, Swedish, and Kiowa (via World Today News). Helena's hobbies are watching movies, traveling. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in, Please refresh your browser to be logged in, News of the Worlds Helena Zengel: I didnt know who Tom Hanks was, 25% off everything with this Red Letter Days discount code, 20 extra entries with this Omaze promo code, 50 cash with friend referrals at Virgin Mobile, 15% off extra plans with this Vodafone promo, Compare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you, Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area, All you need to know about fibre broadband, Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK April 2023, Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this April, Compare the best mobile phone deals from the top networks and brands. Helena Zengel's birth sign is Gemini. The thing about acting is that you just need to do it, and as long as youre happy with it, then youre doing it right, Zengel said. And then Mama and I went shopping!. Zengel won praise for her portrayal of a semi-feral nine-year-old in 2019s System Crasher, a harrowing drama centred on a girl named Benni who is abused as a baby and abandoned by her mother. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. WhiteHorse said Zengel picked up even the most difficult Kiowa sounds easily. Although the character is onscreen for much of the movie, she has only a few lines of dialogue. Her hobbies include athletics, figure skating, dancing, skateboarding, and sewing. Helena lives her life with zest and high-spiritedness. In the film, Helena shared the screen with the celebrated American actor Tom Hanks, who played the role of Civil War veteran Kyle Kidd. To help Zengel distinguish herself from her traumatized character from the film System Crasher (2019), the director of the film, Nora Fingscheidt, mimed a little scene with Zengel once the shooting was over. Helena Zengels mothers name is Anne Zengel. Her mother still preparesher for variousacting auditions. Helena got into acting through a friend of her mother, who owned and operated an acting agency, which helped her secure minor roles in few films and television shows. She works as a professional singer and a radio jockey at B2, a German radio network. Im still proud to be a Kiowa woman.. For her spectacular performance in News of the World (2020), Zengel received nominations for various accolades including Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. Fingscheidt told Films in Frame that Zengel was the seventh child she auditioned, and quickly became the girl she compared everyone else to, even once it seemed pointless. In 2017, she played the role of Fabienne in the television crime film Der gute Bulle (The good cop). We hold her in high regard and most of all we are proud of her and her accomplishments.. As a toddler, Helena was an over-energetic frisky child. Once you've seen the film, it's not hard to understand why Zengel was such a perfect fit. Meet Helena Zengel, the 12-Year-Old Breakout Starring Opposite Tom Its an astounding performance Greengrass praises her for the sense of mystery she exudes and should put the 12-year-old in the conversation come awards season. Ill be scared, but if you dont do it, you can never say you did something.. At some point everyone said I have to stop wasting my time and start working with this girl.". ", Helena Zengel ended up enjoying her experience with Tom Hanks a lot. Her favorite destination is Berlin. She had a lot of fun on the set. I go to the barn six days a week., I also play the piano, at the level of Fr Elise. She has popped up in several notable shows, including News of the World (2020), System Crasher (2019), and Dark Blue Girl (2017). Since childhood, Helena Zengel is passionate about horse riding and also has an Icelandic horse named Hekla. In the film, Benni is a nine-year-old neurotic girl who bursts out if anyone, other than her mother, touches her face. The casting would be difficult on multiple levels, he realized. Kidd discovers a young girl named Johanna who was stolen by Kiowa, a Native American Tribe, as an infant. She is the last remaining survivor of her parents 12 children and many more adopted siblings. The film was directed by Chris Cottam and written by Robert Chandler, Keiron Self and Giles New, and features performances by the fictitious artists, 5 Together, Scurve and Ranelle Spear. Helena paved a way into the entertainment industry through a friend of her mother who owned an acting agency, which led Helena to play minor roles in a few films and television shows. She says, " we kept on going until it became a bit ridiculous; no matter how good the girls were, I was comparing them to Helena. Helena Zengel, who at the time had been in a music video and a couple of TV series, was on the Greek island of Santorini for her first lead role in the film "Dark Blue Girl," in which she . The films central character is a seven-year-old girl named Luca who plays her parents against each other to intercept the reunion of her separated parents and become her fathers top priority. WhiteHorse is one of just a handful of Kiowa elders left who are fluent in the language. Robert Rorke. Her mother found a Germany acting agency following the role, and she began steadily working on TV shows and in films. Only when he held out his hand and said, Its yours if you want it, I was so overwhelmed. But Ive been wanting to tell about our tribe. Anyone can read what you share. The movie included a number of upsetting scenes, including of violence between children. Although the character is onscreen for much of the movie, she has only a few lines of dialogue. In an interview, Helenas mother, Anne Zengel, said, She had to function in society, so we had to figure out how to redirect her energy.. Since childhood, Helena was a perky over-energetic kid. WhiteHorse still teaches Kiowa to Anadarko students. That performance won her best actress this spring at the Lolas, Germanys equivalent of the Oscars, making her the youngest recipient of that prize. 2021 Golden Globe nominations: Who is Helena Zengel, you ask? - Los In an interview, while exhibitingher overzealous attitude towards life, she said. She came into the limelight with the 2019 German drama film System Crasher in which she played the protagonist Bernadette (Benni), a nine-year-old neurotic, aggressive, and uncontrollable girl who lashes out if anyone, other than her mother, touches her face. During the child actors audition, in which she was asked to improvise a scene in which she freaks out by screaming and throwing things, Fingscheidt says that she was drawn in by the way her eyes sparkled when I told her she could behave as badly as she wanted. Her mother, Anne Zengel, is a professional singer who also worked as a radio jockey at B2, a German radio network. At the age of five, Helena embarked on the beginning of her acting career when she made an appearance as a little girl in the music video of the song Streets by the rock band Abby. In addition, in 2021, she was a nominee for Best Youth Performance for her brilliant role in News of the World. When she auditioned for her role in News of the World (2020), she didnt have the strongest grasp of the English language. However, her father and mother are very supportive. Helena Zengel was born in Berlin, Germany, in 2008. Who is Helena Zengel? Age, parents, ethnicity, movies - Briefly In News of the World, Zengels character, Johanna Leonberger, is left orphaned after her German parents are violently murdered on their farm when she is four. He said he watched the friendship grow between Zengel and WhiteHorse. The thing about acting is that you just need to do it, and as long as youre happy with it, then youre doing it right, Zengel says. Most of her lines are in Kiowa, a language she had to learn for the part. Follow Legends Bio. I think Id seen The Da Vinci Code before, but I didnt know who he was, she says. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. She enrolled Helena in ice-skating classes, and encouraged her to try acting. I think Id seen The Da Vinci Code before, but I didnt know who he was, she said. ", The actress, who already has twelve other IMDB credits to her name, continued: "He cried in every scene that I should get emotional. She was widowed when she was 50 never remarried and prefers to be called by her maiden name. It is hard, she said. Helena has been awarded as best German actress with the Deutsche Filmpreis Lola 2020 and is nominated for the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Awards. In News of the World, Zengels character, Johanna Leonberger, is left orphaned after her German parents are violently murdered on their farm when she is aged four. That performance is also the one that piqued the interest of News of the World director Paul Greengrass. German actress Helena . She was actually valued for being so intense.. In the film, Bennis temperament is a consequence of a childhood trauma in which, according to a social worker, nappies were pressed onto her face. She is our royalty and a tribal treasure. While shooting a particular scene for his new movie, Tom Hanks cried in every single take even when he was off-camera in order to help out his 12-year-old costar, Helena Zengel. Family (1) Parents Anne Zengel Trivia (3) What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? The 12-year-old actor and Hanks star together in the new cowboy film, which was . , They couldnt have picked a better teacher than Dorothy WhiteHorse DeLaune. Its not every day you have a production and movie crew who want to know more about your tribal history and language, Kiowa Chairman Matthew Komalty said. Zengel said: "Doing it again and again for your partner when you don't even see yourself in the movie was really amazing and great.". Amazon.com: Der Podcast von Helena Zengel : Helena Zengel Anne Zengel During the child actors audition, in which she was asked to improvise a scene in which she freaks out by screaming and throwing things, Fingscheidt said that she was drawn in by the way her eyes sparkled when I told her she could behave as badly as she wanted.. He previously won back-to-back best actor awards in 1994 and 1995 for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump," respectively.
