Joanna Christie
| Joanna Christie | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Joanna Lauren Christie 10 April 1982 Cross Lane, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Height | 5' 7" (1.70 m) |
Joanna Lauren Christie (born 10 April 1982)[1] is an English actress and singer. She is noted for her work in the play Equus (2007) alongside Daniel Radcliffe but is best known for her role as "Girl" in the Broadway musical Once.
Early life
She was born and raised,[2] in Huddersfield in West Yorkshire until the age of thirteen, when she was awarded a music scholarship to study flute, piano, and voice[3] at Oundle School in Northamptonshire. Five years later, she moved to London to attend drama school at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts.[2]
She joined the National Youth Theatre aged seventeen, where she made her breakthrough stage role in Immaculate Conceit, a play about a stripper who is pregnant with the next messiah.[1][4] She then found small roles in television,[5] before joining Kevin Spacey's "Old Vic, New Voices" collective for a year in 2005.[4][6] She was delighted to be part of the collective of actors taking part in the 24-hour plays at The Old Vic. The group received its name because Kevin Spacey, who selected the actors, believed them to be the best new actors around.
After a five-month tour of India performing Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream in Jaipur in 2006, she returned to Britain,[7] but endured a lean year and nearly gave up acting altogether when she landed the role of Jill Mason in her West End debut in Equus at the Gielgud Theatre.[8] She beat over 300 other actresses to the role opposite Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe in Thea Sharrock's high-profile revival of Peter Shaffer's award-winning play.[2][9]
Personal life
Christie lives in New York and her hobbies include yoga, running, kickboxing & scuba diving.[10][11] She used to be part of her brother's band called Luke J Christie & The Held Breath until she moved to New York City to star as "Girl" in the Broadway musical Once.
Road to Broadway
Christie said that being on Broadway is "every dream [she's] ever had come true."[12] However, right before she landed the role of Girl in Once, she was about to give up. "I felt like I was at my lowest, and I decided to go back to university to do anthropology,"[13] she said in an interview with broadway.com. Her audition process was rather strenuous, having to learn two full songs on the piano as well as three scenes in a Czech accent in a mere 24 hours.
Music projects
Christie recorded a song called "This Gift" with Glen Hansard, who composed many of the songs in Once. The song was released on his solo album, "Rhythm and Repose". She says that it is "one of the biggest honours of my life so far...I still can't quite believe it!"[10]
Inspired by her move to Broadway last year, she is scheduled to release an album entitled The Year of Joy & Tears set for release later this year.
On 20 April 2014, she collaborated with her Once cast members and contributed her piano and vocal talents for a live album recording of the Adam Brown and Friends performance at the Bowery Poetry Club.
Family
Christie's mother, Sue, in addition to conducting for the Millhouse Green Male Voice choir in Penistone, sings with The Mastersingers.[3] Her father, Paul, who died in 2012, was a property developer.[3] Her brother, Luke, is also a musician, singer, and songwriter. The pair have a band together called Luke J Christie & The Held Breath.[10] She was inspired by her mum and dad, who taught her that she "could do anything [she] wanted in life and to always be [her]self and follow [her] own path."[10] She has been highly influenced by her parents her whole life. "I owe all my success to my parents for giving me the opportunities to get to this point in my career and I would like to pay tribute to them...I'm just so grateful to my mum for giving me the gift of music and to both her and my dad for always supporting and encouraging me," she explained in a 2013 interview with The Huddersfield Daily Examiner.[3]
Filmography
Television
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Holby City | Victoria Walsh |
| 2005 | No Angels | Kirsty Lanning |
| 2008 | Inspector Lewis' | Sarah Kriel |
| 2008 | Star | Star |
| 2008 | Small Dark Places | Christine Welling |
| 2011 | Misfits | Jo |
| 2012 | Doctors | Kerry Longley |
| 2012 | Starlings | Nurse Trudy |
| 2013 | Mr Selfridge | Young Suffragette |
| 2015 | Narcos | Connie Murphy |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Immaculate Conceit | Sofia | Lyric Hammersmith |
| 2005 | A Course in A Restaurant | Julie | The Old Vic |
| 2005 | Carsinoma | Collette | The Old Vic |
| 2006 | Alice's Midsummer Night's Dream | Alice | City Palace |
| 2007 | Equus | Jill Mason | Gielgud Theatre |
| 2008 | One Night in November | Katie Stanley | Belgrade Theatre |
| 2009 | School For Scandal | Maria | Greenwich Theatre |
| 2009 | Doctor Faustus | Evil Angel/Helen of Troy | Greenwich Theatre |
| 2012 | Bloody Poetry | Claire Clairmont | Jermyn St Theatre |
| 2013 | Once | Girl | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre |
References
- 1 2 Fresh Face: Joanna Christie, Mark Shenton, Broadway.com in London, 6 April 200
- 1 2 3 "Role in the hay for sexy Joanna", Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail, 8 December 2006
- 1 2 3 4 Whitwam, Linda. "Broadway role is a dream come true for Almondbury's Joanna Christie". The Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- 1 2 "How we met: Rafe Spall and Joanna Christie", The Independent, 19 January 2008
- ↑ Cast: Joanna Christie, Small Dark Places, BBC
- ↑ 2005 Actors, New Voices Club, The Old Vic
- ↑ "What are you wearing today?", Imogen Fox, The Guardian, 19 March 2007
- ↑ "Oh, Harry! The undressing of Daniel Radcliffe", Paul Scott, Daily Mail, 22 February 2007
- ↑ "Harry Potter strips", Jano Gibson, Sydney Morning Herald, 31 January 2007
- 1 2 3 4 Christie, Joanna. "PLAYBILL.COM'S CUE & A: Once's Newest "Girl," Joanna Christie". Playbill.com. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
- ↑ Brook, Tom. "Joanna Christie Talks 'Once'". Anglophenia. BBC America. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ↑ Snetiker, Marc. "Once's Joanna Christie on Getting Nude with Daniel Radcliffe and Her New 'Carrie Bradshaw' Lifestyle". Broadway Buzz. broadway.com. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ↑ Hetrick, Adam. "British Actors Arthur Darvill and Joanna Christie Are Lovelorn Troubadours of Broadway's Once". Playbill. playbill.com. Retrieved 20 January 2014.