Emily Jane Browning (born 7 December 1988) is an Australian film actress and singer. Browning made her film debut in the Australian television film The Echo of Thunder, subsequently, she played recurring roles in Australian television shows Blue Heelers and Something in the Air. Her breakthrough role was in the 2002 horror film Ghost Ship, which introduced her to a wider audience. In 2005, Browning won the Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Violet Baudelaire in the comedy film Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004).
Browning is also known for her roles in the horror film The Uninvited (2009), the action film Sucker Punch (2011), and the independent film Sleeping Beauty (2011). Her role in Sleeping Beauty was highly praised and in 2011 was named the Breakthrough performer of the year by Hamptons International Film Festival.
Early life
Browning was born in Melbourne, Victoria, the daughter of Andrew and Shelley Browning. She attended Eltham High School. Browning has two younger brothers, Nicholas and Matthew.
Career
Early work
Browning's debut acting role was in the 1998 Hallmark Channel movie The Echo of Thunder. Additional roles in Australian film and television productions soon followed, including recurring roles in the television series Blue Heelers from 2000 to 2002, and Something in the Air from 2000 to 2001. In 2001, Browning appeared as the daughter of a character played by Billy Connolly in The Man Who Sued God.
She made her American film debut in 2002's Ghost Ship, and won an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Young Actress, the same year. In 2003, she appeared opposite Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom in 2003's Ned Kelly, and then reunited with Connolly the following year in the film adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, in which she played Violet Baudelaire.
In 2006, Browning appeared in the music video for Evermore's "Light Surrounding You". In the behind-the-scenes video for the clip, the band stated, "[We] suck as actors, so we decided to get Emily." She attended the L'Oreal Fashion Festival as a festival ambassador on 1 February 2007.
2008â€"2011
Browning played the lead role in the 2009 horror film The Uninvited, an American remake of the 2003 South Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters, co-starring against Elizabeth Banks and Arielle Kebbel. She then turned down a request to audition for the role of Bella Swan in Twilight, citing exhaustion, despite an endorsement from series author Stephenie Meyer. In 2009, she was cast as Babydoll in Zack Snyder's action film Sucker Punch, as a replacement for Amanda Seyfried, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Filming took place in Vancouver from September 2009 to January 2010, and the film was released on 25 March 2011. In an interview at Comic-Con, she confirmed that she would be singing in the film, while claiming that her audition tape brought tears to her casting agent's eyes and the song she selected ("Killing Me Softly") was one of Zack Snyder's wife Deborah's favourites, which Browning referred to as the "selling point" on her being cast in the role.
Since Sucker Punch, Browning has worked steadily in film. Browning plays the lead role in the independent Australian film Sleeping Beauty, directed by Julia Leigh. She replaced friend and fellow young Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who was committed to a film adaptation of Jane Eyre at the time. The film screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival. Browning said, "Even reading the screenplay, it made me feel uncomfortable. But that was something that attracted me to it. I would prefer to polarise an audience as opposed to making an entertaining film everybody feels ambivalent about."
2012â€"present
In 2012, she replaced English actress Ophelia Lovibond to play as the female lead in the film Summer in February. The film is based on the book of the same title, by Jonathan Smith. The film was filmed in Cornwall alongside Dominic Cooper and Dan Stevens. In July 2012, Browning was cast in God Help the Girl, a musical film by Belle and Sebastian front-man Stuart Murdoch. Browning played Eve, and the role required live singing. Filming on the production began on 8 July 2012 and wrapped on 12 August 2012.
Browning was then cast in Catherine Hardwicke's Plush alongside Cam Gigandet, replacing Evan Rachel Wood who was originally attached to the project due to scheduling conflicts. Browning also starred alongside Xavier Samuel whom she met on the set during filming. Magic Magic, directed by Sebastián Silva, screened at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Film.com designated the film as a "Top Pick".
Browning starred in the 2014 film Pompeii, opposite Kit Harington, best known for Game of Thrones. The project was filmed in Toronto and the actual city of Pompeii itself. Browning took a break from filming on Pompeii, and returned home to Australia to film a music video directed by Guy Franklin for the song "No Matter What You Say" by San Francisco-based band Imperial Teen. The video follows Browning as the lead character, conducting a 'live art-piece'.
In 2014, Browning filmed Shangri La Suite directed by Eddie O'Keefe. The story follows two young lovers who break out of a mental hospital in 1974 and set out on a road trip to Los Angeles to fulfill the boy's lifelong dream of killing his idol Elvis Presley, who appears as a supporting character. Luke Grimes and Avan Jogia co-star. The same year, she appeared in Years & Years's Take Shelter music video.
Personal life
Browning took a break from acting in order to complete her education at Eltham High School, where she concluded her Victorian Certificate of Education exams in November 2006.
Browning is currently in a relationship with fellow Australian actor, Xavier Samuel.
Filmography
Film
Television
Discography
Awards and nominations
