Willa Holland is an American actress and model. She is known for her roles as Kaitlin Cooper in the Fox teen drama The O.C., Agnes Andrews in The CW series Gossip Girl, Aqua in Kingdom Hearts, and Thea Queen / Speedy in Arrow.
Willa Holland | |
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![]() Holland at the 2013 WonderCon 04 | |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2001–present |
Height | 5'6 or 1.676 m |
Parent(s) |
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Holland grew up with two sisters: Brianna Holland and Piper De Palma.[1] Holland attended Palisades Charter High School for only six weeks because her career was taking off and school peers were dismissive of her acting pursuits.[2]
At age seven,[3] Holland was playing at her stepfather's neighbor's house in The Hamptons, New York. The neighbor, Steven Spielberg, was filming home videos and told Holland's parents, "You've got to put her in front of a camera."[4][5][6] Upon returning to Los Angeles that September, Holland signed with Ford Modeling Agency at age seven,[6][7] and immediately booked a shoot for Burberry.[7] She has modeled for Guess, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and Ralph Lauren.
The following year, 1999, De Palma took Holland to a theatrical talent agency.[6] Since then, she has appeared in many national commercials. During 2001, when Holland was ten, she worked alongside her father in Ordinary Madness. She was even slated to co-star in the 2005 Fox series The Inside with fellow model Rachel Nichols, but left the show when writer Tim Minear was brought in to overhaul it. She initially played the role of Kaitlin Cooper on The O.C.,[6] replacing Shailene Woodley, as a recurring character in season 3, and then as a regular in season four.[8]
In December 2007, Holland was cast in the independent drama film Garden Party, playing the role of April, a troubled teenage aspiring model who tries to make it in Los Angeles. In September 2008, The CW announced Holland would appear in three episodes of the second season of the teen-drama television series Gossip Girl, created by The O.C. creator Josh Schwartz. Holland played the role of a rebellious 16-year-old model[6] who befriends and creates havoc for Taylor Momsen's character. In March 2010, Holland made a one-off return in the 16th episode of the third season, "The Empire Strikes Jack".
In May 2010, Square Enix announced she would be voicing Aqua in the PlayStation Portable title, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, which was released on September 7, 2010, in North America.[9] That same year, Holland starred in her first major studio film, the apocalyptic thriller film Legion, playing the role of a bratty teenager.[10] She played Janice Heddon in the film Straw Dogs (2011), a remake of the 1971 film of the same name.
In February 2012, Holland was cast in The CW action-adventure series Arrow, which is based on the Green Arrow comic books, where she played Thea Queen / Speedy, the sister of Oliver Queen / Green Arrow.[6][11][12] She remained a regular cast member in the series until 2018, during the sixth season.[13]
In the film Tiger Eyes, released in April 2012, Holland starred as Davey Wexler.[6][14] The film was based on the 1981 novel of the same name written by Judy Blume.[6][14][15]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2001 | Ordinary Madness | Young Faye | |
2008 | Garden Party | April | |
Genova | Kelly | ||
Middle of Nowhere | Taylor Elizabeth Berry | ||
2010 | Chasing 3000 | Jamie | |
Humanity's Last Line of Defense | Herself | Documentary | |
Legion | Audrey Anderson | ||
2011 | Straw Dogs | Janice Heddon | |
2012 | Tiger Eyes | Davey Wexler | |
2016 | Blood in the Water | Veronica |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2005 | The Comeback | Kalla | Episode: "Valerie Hangs with the Cool Kids" |
2006–2007 | The O.C. | Kaitlin Cooper | Recurring role (season 3); main role (season 4) |
2008–2012 | Gossip Girl | Agnes Andrews | Recurring role; 5 episodes |
2012–2020 | Arrow | Thea Queen / Speedy | Main role (seasons 1–6); special guest star (season 7); recurring role (season 8)[16] |
2015–2016 | The Flash | Special guest star; 2 episodes |
Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
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2010 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep | Aqua | |
2012 | Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance | ||
2014 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix | New footage for Final Mix-exclusive Secret Episode and archived footage | |
2017 | Kingdom Hearts 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage | ||
2019 | Kingdom Hearts III | Also provided additional footage for the Re:Mind (2020) DLC | |
2020 | Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory |
Year | Title | Artist |
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2008 | "Keep Me Up All Night" | The Glitterati |
2010 | "Fearless Love" | Melissa Etheridge |
2011 | "8050 (Too Fast, Too Slow)" | White Arrows |
Year | Award | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
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2006 | Spike Video Game Award for Best Cast | Scarface: The World Is Yours | Nominated | |
2012 | Boston International Film Festival Award for Best Actress | Tiger Eyes | Won | [17] |
In all honesty, I only went to high school for about six weeks, partly because I got a job and also because I just didn't get along with high school too well. I got bullied, and just didn't have a good school experience throughout...At school no one believed I was an actress at first—that was the funny part. They just thought I was a total liar. I proved them all wrong, right?
She was discovered by Steven Spielberg — in his garden no less...she was seven years old at the time, playing with his kids. Her stepdad is Brian de Palma.
"I was playing over at Steven Spielberg's house' – next door to stepfather Brian De Palma's place in the Hamptons – 'and he was filming little wedding scenes and doing homevideos,' she says. When her parents came to pick her up, Spielberg insisted, 'You've got to put her in front of a camera.' De Palma was for it, too.
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National libraries |