The Stunning Transformation Of Abigail Breslin
Few child stars have had as successful a transformation in the acting world as Abigail Breslin. From playing the adorable child beauty pageant contestant in "Little Miss Sunshine" to her gritty role in "Stillwater," Breslin never seems to have missed a step. Speaking to iNews in July 2021, Breslin recognized that she has grown up in front of the world. "Sometimes people forget that I'm 25 years old and not [9] anymore," she said. "People tend to want to keep you in one specific pigeonhole."
With an extensive list of highly-acclaimed films under her belt, a budding music career, and a large following on social media, Breslin shows no sign of slowing down in her impressive career — and she has no interest in sticking to any pigeonhole people may place her.
But, despite her awards and recognition, Breslin has remained humble, even telling iNews that she doesn't think fans recognize her. "I change my hair color so often that I think they don't always [recognize me]," she said. "For the most part... I'm not that famous!"
So where is Abigail Breslin now, and what's next for the multitalented star? Keep reading as we explore the stunning transformation of Abigail Breslin.
Abigail Breslin was born in New York and began acting early
Abigail Breslin was born on April 14, 1996, in New York City to Kim and Michael Breslin (via TV Guide). The couple named their daughter after Abigail Adams, the second First Lady of the United States — perhaps, they always knew that big things were in the young star's future!
The actress has two older brothers, Ryan Breslin and Spencer Breslin, both of whom are also actors — Spencer starred alongside Bruce Willis in Disney's "The Kid" and "The Cat In The Hat," while Ryan has had minor roles as an actor and dancer in TV shows and films.
The star began acting at the tender age of 3, starring in a Toys 'R' Us commercial alongside a young Ashley Tisdale. Just a few years later, she scored her first film role, appearing as Bo Hess in the 2002 science fiction drama "Signs" with Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix. She then landed a role alongside her brother, Spencer, in "Raising Helen" and even nabbed a small part in "The Princess Diaries 2."
She landed her breakthrough role in Little Miss Sunshine
In 2006, Abigail Breslin starred in the comedy-drama "Little Miss Sunshine," which is largely regarded as her breakthrough role. She portrayed the adorable Olive Hoover, a child beauty pageant contestant who travels across the country in a VW bus with her hilariously dysfunctional family. Breslin was just 6 years old when she was cast in the role, though filming didn't start until she was 8. The film was extremely successful with both critics and audiences, earning over $101 million at the box office and launching Breslin into stardom.
For her role in the film, Breslin was nominated for both a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007, making her the fourth youngest actress to ever be nominated for an Oscar in that category. Speaking of her nomination at the age of 10, Breslin told the Associated Press, "I was like 'Oh, my God!' and I screamed kind of a little bit like how I did in the movie. I was just so excited."
Praising Breslin's acting in "Little Miss Sunshine," the director, Valerie Faris, told the Los Angeles Times in 2006, "Her performance was so consistent. There's just never a false moment with her. She never missed a beat, and that's just unheard of with child actors."
Mainstream success followed for Abigail Breslin's young acting career
With Oscar and SAG Award nominations under her belt, Abigail Breslin had no trouble finding new roles. In 2006, Breslin had parts in "The Ultimate Gift" and "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," and, in 2007, she starred as Zoe Armstrong in "No Reservations" alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart.
Lead roles in "Definitely, Maybe," "Nim's Island," and "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" all followed in 2008. In 2009, she took on the lead role in "My Sister's Keeper," the film adaptation of Jodi Picoult's acclaimed novel of the same name. Speaking about her role in "My Sister's Keeper," Breslin told Movies.ie, "In the movie ... my character loves her sister so much that she's willing to go to any lengths to help her. That's what I liked about the movie. You think that this family is all in this big problem, which they are, but they all love each other."
She released a range of singles, launching herself as a singer
In 2010, Abigail Breslin starred in the film "Janie Jones" as the young daughter of a fading rock star struggling with alcoholism who joins her father on tour. Breslin sang on multiple songs for the associated soundtrack, released in 2011, with the song "Fight for Me" featured as a single. Speaking to Collider about taking on the singing aspect of her role, Breslin said, "I was really nervous because I hadn't really done any singing, except for the church Christmas party. This was the first thing I had ever done, professionally."
Having established herself as a capable singer, Breslin released two singles: "Christmas in New York" in 2013 and "You Suck" in 2014. The latter was a rock breakup anthem seemingly aimed at her ex-boyfriend, Michael Clifford, the guitarist and vocalist for Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds Of Summer, as noted by Bustle. With "You Suck" including the lyrics "And you really need to learn to wash your hair / Overall, you're not a catch, you're just a dumbass / Bleaching your hair, I hope it all falls out," it's clear that Breslin was not interested in pulling any punches, though, unfortunately, the song received less than favorable reviews from listeners and critics alike.
Scream Queens saw the actress take on a starring television role
In 2015, Abigail Breslin took on the role of sorry sister Libby Putney, or Chanel #5, in the satirical black comedy slasher series "Scream Queens" with Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, and Lea Michele. Having previously focused her acting career on films, this was her first starring television role. Speaking about her love for the show, Breslin told Showbiz Junkies in 2015, "It's a perfect mixture of both [horror and comedy] on our show and so I feel like a lot of different people can relate to it and get into it."
The first season of "Scream Queens" received mixed reviews from critics, garnering only a 68% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Regardless, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered in September of the same year to more favorable reviews. On May 15, 2017, it was announced, however, that the series was canceled. Fox chair Gary Newman confirmed the cancelation, saying, "It feels as if it was a complete series. We have no plans to go back and tell more stories there. We won't be seeing 'Scream Queens' this season" (via Showbiz CheatSheet).
The good news: If you were a Chanel #5 fan hoping for a third season, you might be in luck! In 2020, the show's creator, Ryan Murphy, teased that a revival may be in the works. Though, without any confirmation, this is just a rumor. Fingers crossed!
The star has spoken out about sexual assault
On April 22, 2017, Abigail Breslin revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by an ex-boyfriend and subsequently diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. On Instagram, she explained, "I did not report my rape ... because of many reasons. First off, I was in complete shock and total denial. I didn't want to view myself as a 'victim' so I suppressed it and pretended it never happened. Second of all, I was in a relationship with my rapist and feared not being believed."
Breslin shared the emotional post during Sexual Assault Awareness Month and followed it up with a range of graphics and statistics about the prevalence of similar attacks, encouraging her followers to "know the facts." Speaking on Instagram about her subsequent PTSD diagnosis, Breslin said, "I have made a lot of progress since the event occurred, but I won't pretend it isn't something I struggle with" (via Page Six).
Although she has not updated or elaborated on her statements since the original comments, Breslin posted in support of fellow survivors on April 13, 2022, encouraging her fans to donate to RAINN, a national sexual assault hotline. Breslin's words sparked an important conversation for her followers, and we hope her progress and healing have continued.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Abigail Breslin released her first album under a stage name
In 2018, Abigail Breslin released the single "Sleepwalking" under the stage name Sophomore. She followed it up with the songs "90's Honey" in 2019 and "Steve McQueen" in 2021, before releasing her first EP entitled "Witchcraft" on February 14, 2022.
Breslin explained why she chose to go by a stage name when she appeared on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" in 2021. "I felt like if it was under Abigail Breslin, I just didn't want people to be like, 'Here we go, she's trying to be a singer/songwriter now.' I just kind of wanted them to like it just because they liked it and not because they liked a movie I was in," she said.
Breslin predominately used social media to promote her EP, posting song breakdowns and teasers to her fans on Instagram and Twitter. Unfortunately, the EP did not gain much traction with critics or fans, so reviews and streaming numbers are difficult to find, but, according to Spotify, Sophomore has 15,995 monthly listeners, as of this writing.
Her acting career continues to thrive
While it may seem like her focus shifted towards music and song writing, Abigail Breslin's acting career has never shown any signs of slowing down. In 2017, Breslin played Lynette in the comedy-drama film "Freak Show," and, in 2019, Breslin reprised her role of Little Rock in "Zombieland: Double Tap," a sequel to her 2009 film "Zombieland."
In 2021, Breslin took on a much darker role, starring as Allison Baker in the crime drama "Stillwater." In the film, her character serves time in a Marseille prison for the murder of her girlfriend while studying in France, a crime she claims she did not commit. Speaking to The Queer Review about the complex role, Breslin said, "It's always helpful to have some sort of backstory or baseline for the character and what she's going through. We had a lot of talks mostly about their dynamic growing up and where all the mistrust and skepticism stems from."
Breslin also completed a role in the vampire-slaying comedy horror film "Slayers," which is in post-production, as of publication. She also served as a producer for the film, alongside writer and director K. Asher Levin.
Her father died from COVID-19
On February 10, 2021, Abigail Breslin revealed on social media that her father had been diagnosed with COVID-19 and placed on a ventilator. She asked her followers for prayers and positivity and encouraged them to wear masks and follow COVID protocol. Tragically, Breslin posted another update on February 26 confirming that her father had passed away.
Accompanying a series of family photos, Breslin wrote, "It was COVID-19 that cut my sweet daddy's life too short. I appreciate more than you know, the love and support my family and I have received. Mostly I want to remember my dad for who he was."
On January 5, 2022, Breslin took a break from social media after she was the victim of cruel online trolls who used her father's death to attack her. It began when she posted a photo to Instagram showing her wearing a mask on a rollercoaster. In the comments, she was called "a pathetic loser," and her late father was referred to as "weak." Breslin hit back, as did her fans, but when the trolling continued on other photos, she posted a screenshot of the comments and announced she would be taking a break from social media.
Breslin has since returned to Instagram and Twitter and posted a touching tribute to her father on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Abigail Breslin is an engaged woman!
On February 22, 2022, Abigail Breslin announced on Instagram that she was engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Ira Kunyansky. Her new fiancé also posted the happy news on his own social media, accompanied by a selection of photos from the proposal and the caption, "She said YES!" Friends and fans reacted to the news in the comments, congratulating the couple and wishing them well on the happy occasion.
Although it isn't known exactly when Breslin and Kunyansky began dating, the pair have been together since at least August 2017 when Breslin started posting photos of her partner on Instagram. The engagement came just a week after Breslin posted a loving tribute to Kunyansky on his 31st birthday. She captioned a photo from his birthday celebration, "Happiest happiest birthday to my one and only, love of my life, perfect angel of a boyfriend. Life would be so uninteresting without you in it. I adore you more than words can describe."
Congrats to the happy couple!