It’s not often that famous child stars transition into a successful adult acting career, but Abigail Breslin is one of the few actresses who managed to grow up entirely on our screens. From a wildly popular child actor to a frequently cast adult in shows like “Scream Queens,” Breslin has often discussed the struggles of being a child actor.
She told iNews in 2021 that people sometimes forget she’s “25 years old and not 9 anymore. People tend to want to keep you in one specific pigeonhole.” Regardless of that, Abigail has definitely not put herself in a pigeonhole and has filmed tons of highly-acclaimed projects. She’s also an emerging musician and a verified social media starlet. Yet despite all these accolades and her still-growing career, Breslin has remained modest.
An early acting career
Born in New York City, Abigail was destined for success. She started acting at the young age of 3, starting with a Toys ’R’ Us commercial. A couple of years later, she starred as Bo Hess in the 2002 sci-fi drama “Signs” and co-starred with her sibling Spencer in “Raising Helen”.
The role that changed everything
Most of you probably remember Ms. Breslin from her breakthrough role in “Little Miss Sunshine.” In it, she played the role of Olive Hoover, a child beauty pageant contestant who road trips across the country in a Volkswagen bus with her dysfunctional yet extremely funny family. She was cast at just 6, although filming started when she was 8 years old. Earning over $100 million at the box office, this film launched Abigail Breslin into the world of celebrity.
She was nominated for a SAG award and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2007, making her one of only 4 young actresses to ever be nominated in that category for an Oscar. The director of the film, Valerie Faris, told the “LA Times” that Abigail’s performance was consistent and there was never a “false moment” with her, which was rare with child actors.
The mainstream success that followed
With all these impressive award nominations, new roles came to Abigail easily. She was cast in films like “The Ultimate Gift” and “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause” as well as her 2007 role in “No Reservations” alongside A-listers Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart.
Soon, she started being cast in lead roles, like “Definitely, Maybe” and “Nim’s Island”, leading up to “My Sister’s Keeper”. Abigail liked the movie because although it depicted family as being problematic, it also shows the love that they all have for each other.
A budding musical career
Acting skills aren’t the only talent that Abigail has. In 2010, after starring in the rock drama “Janie Jones”, she sang several of the songs on the movie’s official soundtrack, including the single “Fight for Me”. In an interview with Collider, Breslin recalls being extremely nervous since the only thing she had sung for was her “church Christmas party.”
She was also recognized for her 2014 track “You Suck”, which was a breakup anthem intended for her ex-boyfriend Michael Clifford. While the lyrics were scathing, so were the critics, and the song didn’t earn her any stellar reviews. Still, we all have our angsty teen moments, so it’s understandable.
Entering television with “Scream Queens”
In the hilarious and diabolical “Scream Queens” by Ryan Murphy, Abigail Breslin starred as Libby Putney and got to flex her horror and comedy shows. This marked her first starring TV role and while it was canceled in 2017, it’s still a cult favorite with many TV fans.
She’s spoken out about sexual assault
It’s important that actors use their voice as a platform, and this starlet is well aware of that. She bravely spoke out and opened up about an ex-boyfriend sexually assaulting her, which resulted in PTSD. She also revealed that she didn’t report it and didn’t want to see herself as a victim, and this emotional post on IG helped other victims feel validated. In April 2022, she encouraged fans to donate to RAINN, the national sexual assault hotline. We love how she’s using her stardom for important public conversations.
A still-thriving career
Breslin has shifted towards music and released an EP in February 2022 titled “Witchcraft” under the stage name Sophomore, explaining that she used the stage name so she could be judged on her merits and whether people actually liked the tracks or not.
While her musical career is growing, her acting hasn’t slowed down. In 2017, she took a role in “Freak Show” and in 2019, she came back as Little Rock in the sequel to “Zombieland,” dubbed “Zombieland: Double Tap.” In 2021, she tackled a darker role with the crime drama ”Stillwater.” She’s even earning producer credits, such as in the 2022 horror-comedy film “Slayers.”
Her father passed away from COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic was a difficult time for many people, and COVID-19 took her father’s life in February 2021 after he was placed on a ventilator. In 2022, she took social media detox after trolls online used her dad’s death to attach her, sharing a screenshot of the hateful comments she had to deal with. Today, she’s returned to Twitter and IG.
A soon-to-be-married woman
Abigal is officially all grown up — as of February 22, 2022, the actress announced that she was engaged to her long-time partner, Ira Kunyansky. The beginning of their relationship isn’t known, but in the summer of 2017, she started posting images of him. Just a week before the engagement was Ira’s birthday, and in an Instagram post she called him a “perfect angel of a boyfriend.”
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 09: Abigail Breslin and Ira Kunyansky attend the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)