Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and designer. She is the daughter of actor Eric Roberts and the niece of actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan. Roberts became known for her role as Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous. She released her debut album, which also served as the show's soundtrack Unfabulous and more. Roberts then pursued a solo singing career by recording two songs for the soundtracks of Ice Princess and Aquamarine (in which Roberts starred as one of the leads). Roberts then began to focus on her acting career, the title character in the 2007 film Nancy Drew, and her voice-over debut in The Flight Before Christmas.
In 2008 and 2009, Roberts was cast in coming-of-age movies the first being Wild Child, this was followed by Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and Lymelife. Roberts appeared in the 2009 family film, Hotel for Dogs and The Winning Season. In 2010, she appeared in the box office hit Valentine's Day, which starred her aunt Julia Roberts.
In television, she plays Madison Montgomery in American Horror Story: Coven, on the third season and eighth season American Horror Story: Apocalypse of American Horror Story.
Early life[]
Roberts was born in Rhinebeck, New York, United States. She is the biological daughter of actor Eric Roberts (who was born in Biloxi, Mississippi but raised in Atlanta, Georgia) and his then-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham. Emma Roberts is the stepdaughter of Eliza Roberts and the niece of actresses Julia Roberts and Lisa Roberts Gillan. She has two stepsiblings, Morgan and Keaton Simons. Roberts attended Archer School for Girls in Brentwood, California from 2004-2005 for 7th and 8th grade. Roberts said in a 2007 interview on her education that: "Oh yes, I have a tutor and we have three hours of school every day. That way I am caught up on my work and then when I am not doing school work I am shooting something or other."
Acting career[]
2001–2005: Early career and Unfabulous[]
During her childhood, Roberts spent a lot of time on the sets of the films in which her aunt Julia Roberts was starring. These experiences sparked a desire in Roberts, from the age of five, to follow her father and aunts into the film industry. Although her mother initially wanted her to have a normal childhood, Roberts made her acting debut at age nine in Ted Demme's 2001 drama Blow. It was the first film for which she ever auditioned. In the film she portrayed Kristina Jung, the daughter of Johnny Depp's character, cocaine smuggler George Jung. As the film is rated R, her mother reportedly would not allow Roberts to see it before she turned eighteen. In 2001, Roberts also had a role in Leif Tilden's 10-minute short bigLove (which also starred her future stepfather, Kelly Nickels), and was an uncredited extra in some scenes featuring her aunt Julia Roberts in America's Sweethearts.
She went on to appear in smaller roles in two family films, in 2002's Grand Champion, as the sister of the main character Buddy (Jacob Fisher); and in 2003's Spymate, as the kidnapped daughter of former secret agent Mike Muggins (Chris Potter), who tries to rescue her with the help of a spy monkey. Grand Champion had a brief theatrical release in August 2004, while Spymate was not released until February 2006, when it was given a theatrical run in Canada, followed by its DVD release in April 2006. In August 2003, Roberts was scheduled to shoot an independent film called Daisy Winters, starring as the title character, alongside Rachel Weisz. However, the film, which would have been Roberts' first leading role, never began shooting due to financial problems.
Roberts interviewed in 2004 about her role in Unfabulous.
In 2004, Roberts became a teen idol at the age of thirteen, starring as the lead character Addie Singer in the Nickelodeon series Unfabulous, which debuted in September 2004. Nickelodeon had wanted to cast her for the role from the beginning, and the teen sitcom earned Roberts a Teen Choice Award nomination and several Young Artist Award nominations. The show aired for three seasons from 2004–2007 and aired 42 episodes; the third season ended on December 16, 2007.
The television series focused on Addie Singer (Roberts) a seventh grader whose life is Unfabulous and she writes songs about her life, The television series had had various TV movies which include: The Perfect Moment which premiered on Nickelodeon on October 6, 2006. In 2004 Roberts guest-starred in an episode of the Nickelodeon series Drake and Josh, Roberts was in the episode "Honor Council." Because her character on Unfabulous writes songs and plays guitar, Nickelodeon soon considered a career in music for Roberts as well, following the lead of other actress'/pop singers such as Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan.
2006–present: Theatrical films[]
In 2006, Roberts returned to the big screen, starring alongside Sara Paxton and singer JoJo in Aquamarine. Roberts won a 2007 Young Artist Award for Best Supporting Young Actress in a Feature Film for her role in the film. The film Aquamarine took #5 place at the box office on its opening weekend making 8 million. In early 2006, Roberts finished shooting her title role in Nancy Drew. The film was released to theaters on June 15, 2007, and grossed over 7 million in its opening weekend, though the film was not well received by critics. In December 2007, Roberts began filming Hotel For Dogs. In 2008, Roberts had her voiceover debut when she voiced the English version of the character Wilma in the CGI-animated family film The Flight Before Christmas.
In 2009, Roberts starred alongside Jake T. Austin in Hotel for Dogs, based on the novel by Lois Duncan. The film premiered on January 15, 2009 and was released to theaters on January 16, 2009 and took #5 place in its opening weekend with over 17 million. The film has to-date grossed over 114 million, and received generally mixed reviews from critics. Roberts starred as the lead in the film Wild Child, about a rebellious teen from Malibu sent to a boarding school in England. Roberts described her character as "pretty much your typical spoiled-brat Malibu socialite who gets shipped off to British boarding school. Roberts also described the film and her character as being: It’s about a Malibu princess who isn’t getting along with her dad so well because she behaves pretty badly, so he ships her off to boarding school in England. It’s a very cute story and I am so excited because I get to shoot in London all summer. Roberts also appeared in the indie film Lymelife with Alec Baldwin, which was premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival. Roberts said that Lymelife is “kind of like American Beauty meets The Ice Storm,” and that her reasoning for doing the film was that, “Some people look at me and think, She’s just Julia Roberts’s niece. So I wanted to do something smaller and edgier, something that would show I really am an actress.”
Roberts also described her character in Lymelife and said of her, "Adrianna really is your typical girl. I think everyone knew an Adrianna type of girl growing up, and I could relate to her just because I remember being at her age, like fifteen, sixteen, where you're kind of frustrated because you don't know if you want to be older or if you have to act your age, or if you're supposed to act sexy or cute or what. I could definitely relate to that aspect of her. Roberts also said that she chose to do the role because: "I had just finished Hotel for Dogs, and I wanted to do something just completely different. So the script [for Lymelife] kind of just came out of nowhere, and I read it and I really liked it. I met Derick and I really, really liked him. For the most part the cast was set, and I thought the cast they had chosen was brilliant. It was something I really wanted to be a part of; when you want to be a part of something like that, you'll do whatever they want you to do. Roberts also said of the film: "I just really loved the material, and I loved the people that were involved with the script, and I just really wanted to be a part of it. I'm 18 now, so I think that it's appropriate and time to do something more mature. Roberts said in an interview with Vanity Fair that: I’d love to do another role similar to my character in Lymelife, just because it was such a fun character to get to play with. I’d love to do a thriller, and I’d love to do a role like Kate Hudson’s in Almost Famous, because that’s my favorite movie. I just want to keep trying new things. I want to constantly be surprising people with different roles.
Roberts co-starred as Grace in the hit 2010 film Valentine's Day with, among a host of other actors, her aunt Julia Roberts. Roberts is set to reunite with Nancy Drew director Andrew Fleming on both Rodeo Gal and a Nancy Drew sequel, although the latter has been put on hold since 2007. She appeared in the sports comedy The Winning Season, Roberts appears in Twelve and It's Kind of a Funny Story.
According to BloodyDisgusting.com Roberts will be starring in the horror film, Grimm, which follows the Quinn family that moves to Marburg, Massachusetts, a town that turns out to be haunted by the most horrific nightmares spawned by the imagination of the Brothers Grimm. She co-starred in the film adaptation of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, as well as A Great Education. She also starred alongside with Freddie Highmore in 2011's romantic comedy The Art of Getting By. In May 2010, Roberts received the role of Jill Roberts in the Wes Craven film Scream 4. The film opened in theaters April 15, 2011. She also appeared on "Take Two With Phineas and Ferb".
In February 2012, Roberts began filming a new movie in Syracuse, NY called Adult World. The film also takes place in Syracuse and will co-star John Cusack. Roberts plays a recent college graduate who works at an adult bookstore to make ends meet. Roberts appears in a supporting role in Dustin Lance Black's Virginia, which will receive a limited theatrical release in May 2012 after a two and a half year delay. Roberts appeared in the August 2012 film Celeste and Jesse Forever, parodying pop stars such as Kesha with her performance as Riley Banks, an incurious blonde singer. Roberts said in an interview that her role as Banks tempted her to write an album of songs using her character as an alter ego.
On February 7, 2013, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Roberts was cast to star a pilot for Fox called Delirium, based on the Lauren Oliver novels. Roberts will be playing Lena Haloway, the protagonist. On May 8, it was reported that Fox has decided not to pick up Delirium. On May 22, 2013, TV Line announced that Roberts will be joining in the third season of the horror anthology series American Horror Story: Coven. Roberts will play a self-involved party girl named Madison. Roberts starred in the comedy film We're the Millers alongside Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis. It was released on August 7, 2013. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was a financial success grossing over $263 million against a budget of $37 million
Music career[]
In 2005, Roberts had a debut album Unfabulous and More. The album was released on September 27, 2005 through Columbia Records and Nick Records. It also served as the soundtrack to the popular television series, Unfabulous, in which Roberts stars as the leading role. The album peaked at #46 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. In September, two promotional singles were released from the album: "I Wanna Be" and "Dummy." The album includes several original songs (among them "Dummy" and "I Wanna Be," both of which were also released as music videos, "I Have Arrived," and "This Is Me," which was co-written by Roberts), as well as some of Addie's songs from the first season, including "Punch Rocker" and "New Shoes" (both from the episode "The Party"), "94 Weeks (Metal Mouth Freak)" (from "The Bar Mitzvah") and "Mexican Wrestler" (which had previously appeared on Jill Sobule's 2000 album Pink Pearl and in the episode "The 66th Day" from Unfabulous). Heather Phares from Allmusic praised her "fresh" and "genuine voice," and also claimed that the album was "filled with, sweet idealistic songs sung by a young girl who sounds like a young girl instead of a pop tart." During the same year, Roberts recorded "If I Had It My Way" for the soundtrack of the 2005 Disney film Ice Princess. In 2006, Roberts covered the song "Island in the Sun," which was originally recorded by Weezer in 2001; she recorded the song for Aquamarine's soundtrack, a film where she starred as one of the leads.
Roberts said in a 2007 interview, "Right now I am focusing on movies, I am getting ready to start a new movie this summer so that is taking a lot of my time. I think when I am a little bit older it is definitely something I’d like to pursue." In another interview, she said, "My musical career is indefinitely on hold. I don’t like people who become like ‘actor slash singer.’ I think people should be one or the other because usually you're not going to be great at both. You're going to better at one, so you might as well stick to the one you're good at. I'm going for acting."
Spokesmodel[]
In February 2009, she was named the brand ambassador for Neutrogena, appearing in print and television ads for the company. Roberts has also appeared multiple times as part of Teen Vogue’s Best Dressed list, including June 2007, September 2008, December 2008 and February 2009.
Personal life[]
In September 2011, Roberts began attending Sarah Lawrence College. In January 2012, left school to concentrate on work commitments.
In April 2011, Roberts began dating Glee star Chord Overstreet; they had a difficult relationship and were broken up by January 2012.
Roberts began dating actor Evan Peters in mid-2012. On July 7, 2013, Roberts was arrested for domestic violence against Peters in Montreal, Quebec. Someone at the couple's hotel overheard a dispute coming from their room and called police, who arrived to find Peters with a bloody nose and several bite marks. Roberts was released several hours after her arrest when Peters declined to press charges. In a joint statement, Roberts and Peters called it "an unfortunate incident and misunderstanding," and stated that they "are working together to move past it." Media reports on January 6, 2014 said they had become engaged over the holidays.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Blow | Kristina Sunshine Jung | |
| 2001 | bigLove | Delilah | Short film |
| 2002 | Grand Champion | Sister | |
| 2003 | Spymate | Amelia Muggins | |
| 2006 | Aquamarine | Claire Brown | |
| 2007 | Nancy Drew | Nancy Drew | |
| 2008 | Flight Before Christmas | Wilma | Voice role |
| 2008 | Wild Child | Poppy Moore | |
| 2008 | Lymelife | Adrianna Bragg | |
| 2009 | Hotel for Dogs | Andi | |
| 2009 | The Winning Season | Abbie | |
| 2010 | Valentine's Day | Grace Smart | |
| 2010 | Twelve | Molly Norton | |
| 2010 | 4.3.2.1 | Joanne | |
| 2010 | It's Kind of a Funny Story | Noelle | |
| 2010 | Virginia | Jessie Tipton | |
| 2011 | Scream 4 | Jill Roberts | |
| 2011 | The Art of Getting By | Sally Howe | |
| 2012 | Celeste and Jesse Forever | Riley Banks | |
| 2013 | Adult World | Amy | Post-production |
| 2013 | Empire State | Nancy Michaelides | |
| 2013 | We're the Millers | Casey Mathis | |
| 2013 | Palo Alto | April | Post-production |
| 2014 | Beach Music | TBD | Pre-production |
Televison[]
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004–07 | Unfabulous | Addie Singer | 41 episodes |
| 2004 | Drake & Josh | Addie Singer | "Honor Council" (Season 2, Episode 14) |
| 2007 | The Hills | Herself | "Young Hollywood" (Season 3, Episode 13) |
| 2010 | Jonas L.A. | Herself | "House Party" (Season 2, Episode 1) |
| 2013 | Family Guy | Amanda Barrington | "No Country Club for Old Men" (Season 11, Episode 22) |
| 2013–2014 | American Horror Story: Coven | Madison Montgomery | 10 episodes |
| 2015 | Scream Queens | Chanel Oberlin | Starring role |
Awards[]
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Nominated work |
| 2005 | Nominated | Teen Choice Award | Choice TV Breakout Performance – Female | Unfabulous |
| Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actress | ||
| Nominated | Young Artist Award | Outstanding Young Performers in a TV Series | ||
| 2006 | Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) | |
| 2007 | Nominated | Kids' Choice Award | Favorite TV Actress | |
| Nominated | Teen Choice Award | Choice TV Actress: Comedy | ||
| Nominated | Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie: Female Breakout | Nancy Drew | |
| Nominated | Teen Choice Award | Choice Movie Actress: Comedy | ||
| Won | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actress | Aquamarine | |
| Won | ShoWest | Female Star Of Tomorrow | ||
| 2008 | Nominated | Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite TV Actress | Unfabulous |
| Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series – Leading Young Actress | ||
| Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series | ||
| Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress | Nancy Drew | |
| Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Ensemble Cast | ||
| 2010 | Nominated | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress | Hotel For Dogs |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Niece of Lisa Roberts Gillan and Julia Roberts.
External links[]
- Official site
- Emma Roberts at the Internet Movie Database
- Emma Roberts at Allmovie
- Emma Roberts at Allmusic