Congrats to Miss Quvenzhane Wallis, Youngest Woman To Be Nominated For Best Actress Oscar

Nine-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis has been nominated for an Oscar for her role as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. And we think she is fabulous.

She shot the movie when she was only 6-years-old and this was her first movie.

She has made history as the youngest person nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category AND the youngest woman to be nominated for Best Actress. She has surpassed thirteen-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes who was nominated for her performance in 2002's Whale Rider. 

She has already won an African American Film Critics Award, an Alliance of Women Film Journalists Award, an Austin Film Critics Award, a Chambie Award, a Critic's Choice Award, a New Hollywood Award, a National Board of Review Award, a Spirit Award, a New York Film Critics Online Award, an Online Film Critics Society Award, a San Diego Film Critics Society Award, a WDAFCA Award, and a Women Women Film Critics Circle Award. Whew! That’s a lot of awards for a nine-year-old. (Or an adult).

You better work, Miss Wallis.

Her competition includes Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Emmanuelle Riva (Amour, who is also the oldest nominee in the category at 85), and Jessica Chastian (Zero Dark Thirty).

Writer-Director Behn Zeitlin says "she's totally taking it in stride. It's magical. She's just poised and fearless." And Mr. Zeitlin can thank Wallis' performance for the other three awards 'Beasts' garnered: Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adalpted Screenplay.

Little Miss Quvenzhane told movie critic Roger Ebert the main difference between her and the character she played in the movie is that "she doesn't wear her pants pretty much." For the fact that she seems so grounded and knows the value of wearing ones pants, we like her even more. 

Plus, not only is she sassy and classy, this girl has goals. She's not set on being in the industry forever. When asked what career she wants to have, she replied "actress-dentist." It's always a good sign when a nine-year-old already knows the value of higher education. 

The funny thing is that Quvenzhane has never even seen a telecast of The Oscars. She said, "Whenever they said you might make it to the Oscars. I was like 'Who's Oscar? I don't know Oscar."  

So we'll be cheering her on when the 85th Academy Awards premiere on Sunday, February 24. 

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