Oona Laurence (born August 1, 2002) is an American child actress who played Matilda Wormwood in the Broadway production of Matilda the Musical. She originated the role on Broadway alongside Sophia Gennusa, Milly Shapiro, and Bailey Ryon.
Matilda the Musical[]
Laurence originated the role of Matilda Wormwood in the Broadway production of Matilda the Musical alongside Sophia Gennusa, Milly Shapiro, and Bailey Ryon. She performed from the show's first preview on March 4, 2013 to December 15, 2013.
In 2013, Laurence won a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre (shared with Gennusa, Shapiro, and Ryon) for her portrayal of Matilda in Matilda the Musical. The four Matildas were ineligible to receive a Best Actress nomination.
Laurence had three public performances: "Naughty" on The View, a medley at the 2013 Tony Awards, and a four-girl "Naughty" on Live with Kelly & Michael.
Laurence sang "I'm Here (Story 4)" and "Story 2: The Great Day Arrived..." on the Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Laurence participated in Matildapalooza in 2017.
Theatre credits[]
| Year | Title | Role | Production/Location | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Seussical the Musical | Who, Elephant Bird, Dancer | Children's Acting Academy | Regional |
| Woody Guthrie Dreams | Cathy Ann Guthrie | Theater for the New City | ||
| 2012 | The Cosmic Fruit Bowl | Philosophical Banana | Turtle Shell Productions | |
| High School Musical Jr. | Brainiac, Cheerleader, Dancer | Children's Acting Academy | ||
| 2013 | To Kill A Mockingbird | Scout Finch | ||
| Matilda the Musical | Matilda Wormwood | Shubert Theatre | Broadway | |
| 2014 | Amélie | Young Amélie | Equity Lab Agreement | Workshop |
| 2015 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Snow White | Adam Roebuck Productions | Regional |
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Days Dance | Herself | Documentary short |
| 2012 | Wet Cement | Girl | Short |
| Esther | Esther | ||
| 2013 | Penny Dreadful | Little Girl | |
| Correcting. Perplexing. Patrick. | Jessica Barnwell | ||
| 2014 | A Little Game | Becky | |
| Tumorhead | Jean | Short | |
| 2015 | I Smile Back | Daisy | |
| Lamb | Tommie | ||
| The Grief of Others | Biscuit Ryrie | ||
| Imaginapped | Olivia | Short | |
| Southpaw | Leila Hope | ||
| Vicky & Johnny | Young Vicky | Short | |
| Damsel | Ava | ||
| Little Boxes | Ambrosia Reed | ||
| 2016 | Bad Moms | Jane | |
| Pete's Dragon | Natalie | ||
| 2017 | The Beguiled | Amy | |
| Lily + Mara | Lily | Short | |
| A Bad Moms Christmas | Jane | ||
| 2019 | Big Time Adolescence | Sophie | |
| 2020 | Lost Girls | Sarra Gilbert | |
| What We Found | Holly | ||
| A Babysitter's Guide to Monster Hunting |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Young Phyllis / Phyllis's Daughter | Episode: "Beverley Mitchell/Mark Curry/Donovan Leitch/Phyllis Diller" |
| 2012 | Louie | Spiteful Mean Girl #4 | Episode: "Looking for Liz/Lilly Changes" |
| 2014 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Zoe Harris | Episode: "Glasgowman's Wrath" |
| 2015 | Orange is the New Black | 10-year-old Tiffany | Episode: "A Tittin' and a Hairin'" |
| Understudies | Young Astoria | Episode: "ReFried Therapy" | |
| 2016 | Blindspot | Maya Ahmadi | Episode: "Swift Hardhearted Stone" |
| 2018–19 | Summer Camp Island | Hedgehog / Additional Voices (voice) | Main role (40 episodes) |
Discography[]
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "I'm Here (Story 4)" | Matilda the Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording) |
| "Story 2: The Great Day Arrived..." | ||
| 2018 | "Summer Camp Island" | Summer Camp Island |
Awards & nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Turtle Shell’s Summer Play Festival | Best Performer | The Cosmic Fruit Bowl | Won |
| 2013 | Tony Award | Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre (shared with Sophia Gennusa, Milly Shapiro, and Bailey Ryon) | Matilda the Musical | |
| Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Nominated | ||
| 2014 | Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival | Best Actress | Lamb | |
| 2015 | Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award | Best Youth Performance | Southpaw | |
| 2016 | Young Entertainer Award | Best Leading Young Actress – Feature Film | ||
| 2017 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Teen Actress | Pete's Dragon | Won |
Trivia[]
- She lives in New York City.
- She has two younger sisters, Aimée and Jeté, who are both actresses.
- She was the first Broadway Matilda to debut and the first to leave the show.
- She found out she got the role of Matilda at a restaurant on Halloween.[1]
- She became interested in performing after acting in her father's experimental documentary film Days Dance.[1]
- She became interested in theatre acting after seeing The Addams Family on Broadway.[2]
- She has performed in several Columbia University graduate films.[2]
Public performances[]
Gallery[]
Matilda the Musical[]
Headshots[]
Red carpet photos[]
