Willa Holland | |
|---|---|
 Holland in 2017 | |
| Born | (1991-06-18)June 18, 1991 (age 34)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Parent(s) | Brian De Palma (stepfather; 1995–1996) |
Willa Joanna Chance Holland (born June 18, 1991) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her roles asKaitlin Cooper in theFox teen dramaThe O.C.,Aqua inKingdom Hearts, andThea Queen inThe CW seriesArrow and itsspin-off,The Flash.
Holland grew up with two sisters: Brianna Holland andPiper De Palma, from her mother Darnell Gregorio's then-marriage to film directorBrian De Palma.[2] She briefly attendedPalisades Charter High School before leaving to focus on her acting career.[3]
At age seven,[4] while visiting her stepfather's neighbor in The Hamptons, New York, Holland was noticed by film director,Steven Spielberg. He advised Holland's parents "to put her in front of a camera."[5][6][7]
Upon returning to Los Angeles that September, Holland signed withFord Modeling Agency,[7][8] and immediately booked a shoot forBurberry.[8] She has also modeled forGuess,Gap,Abercrombie & Fitch andRalph Lauren.
In 1999, De Palma introduced Holland to a theatrical talent agency.[7] She subsequently appeared in several national commercials. In 2001, when Holland was ten, she worked alongside her father inOrdinary Madness. She was initially cast to co-star in the 2005Fox seriesThe Inside with fellow modelRachel Nichols, but left the show when writerTim Minear was brought in to overhaul it. She initially played the role ofKaitlin Cooper onThe O.C.,[7] replacingShailene Woodley, first as a recurring character in season 3, and then as a regular in season four.[9]
In December 2007, Holland was cast in the independent drama filmGarden Party, as 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 seriesGossip Girl, created byThe O.C. creatorJosh Schwartz. Holland played the role of a rebellious 16-year-old model who befriends and creates havoc forJenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen).[7] 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 Holland would voiceAqua in thePlayStation Portable titleKingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, which was released on September 7, 2010 in North America.[10] That same year, Holland starred in her first major studio film, the apocalyptic thriller filmLegion, playing the role of a bratty teenager.[11] She played Janice Heddon in the filmStraw Dogs (2011), a remake of the1971 film of the same name.
In February 2012, Holland was cast in The CW action-adventure seriesArrow asThea Queen / Speedy, the sister ofOliver Queen / Green Arrow.[7][12][13] She remained a regular cast member in the series until leaving during the sixth season episode "The Thanatos Guild".[14] Holland returned for a cameo in theseason seven episode "Emerald Archer".[15] She returned twice during theeight and final season, first in the episode "Leap of Faith", then in the series finale "Fadeout".[16][17]
In the 2012 filmTiger Eyes, Holland played Davey Wexler.[7][18] The film was based on the 1981novel of the same name written byJudy Blume.[7][18][19]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ordinary Madness | Young Faye | |
| 2008 | Garden Party | April | |
| Genova | Kelly | ||
| Middle of Nowhere | Taylor Elizabeth Berry | [20] | |
| 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 | [21] |
| 2023 | The Dirty South | Sue Parker | [22] |
| TBA | The Mortuary Assistant | Rebecca Owens | [23] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Main role (seasons 1–6); special guest star (season 7); recurring role (season 8)[24] |
| 2015–2016 | The Flash | Special guest star; 2 episodes | |
| 2024 | Based on a True Story | Stepmother | Episode: "Based on a Drew Story" |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep | Aqua | [25] |
| 2012 | Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance | [25] | |
| 2014 | Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix | New footage forFinal 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 theRe:Mind (2020) DLC[25] | |
| 2020 | Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory | [25] |
| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | [26] |
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.
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
