Biography of Ariana Greenblatt
Ariana Greenblatt is a rising young Hollywood star. She has been acting in films since she was six years old. She shot to fame playing Matilda in the fantasy action film "Awake," Koa in the thriller "65," and Sasha in the adventure comedy "Barbie." For her role in "Barbie," she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Award in the "Best Young Actress" category, as well as for the Screen Actors Guild Award in the "Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture" category (together with the film's cast).
Childhood and Family
Ariana was born in the summer of 2007 in New York, to parents Sean Greenblatt and Solimar Colon. She has an older brother, Gavin.Her father studied acting at the Stella Adler Conservatory under Arthur Mendoza. At 22, he began working in the TV and film industry, landing a minor role in the 1989 horror comedy "Chopper Chicks in Zombietown". He also played Jinx in the 1990 comedy "Making Mr. Right" and John Doe in the 1991 film "Drop Dead Fred".
Over a decade, Sean appeared in numerous films, ending his acting career in 2002. By that time, he had transitioned to producing and co-founded the music video production company Creature.
Ariana's paternal grandparents, Kenneth and Sandra Greenblatt, produced Broadway musicals. The couple's works were nominated for the Tony Award more than 60 times and won 20 times. Kenneth is an Ashkenazi Jew, and Sandra has Swedish and Italian roots. Ariana's maternal ancestors are Puerto Ricans.
The Greenblatt family joked that their daughter started dancing before she could walk and showed creative talents from an early age. Her parents encouraged Ariana's desire to be the center of attention. At two years old, she was enrolled in a dance studio.
She was six when the family went to Los Angeles, for what was supposedly a vacation. But along with the relaxation, her parents took her on what they called "visits," as she later recalled:
I thought I was just meeting people, but in reality, these were auditions for three different roles — and I got all three in one week. My career took off like a snowball.
Acting Career
Things went so well that her family relocated from New York to Los Angeles.Greenblatt caught a break when she landed a role in the Disney teen sitcom "Stuck in the Middle." The 2016 series starred Jenna Ortega as Harley Diaz. Ariana played her noisy younger sister Daphne.
Greenblatt's second project was an episode of the sitcom "Liv and Maddie" titled "Joy To-A-Rooney," and her third was the comedy "A Bad Moms Christmas," where she appeared alongside Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, and Kristen Bell, the main stars of the film.
In 2018, she took on the role of young Gamora in "Avengers: Infinity War." She revealed in an interview that she had a blast on set, despite playing the adopted daughter of Thanos, the MCU's most notorious villain, played by Josh Brolin:
Greenblatt also recalled being completely obsessed with the filming process, eagerly getting up at 5 AM for makeup sessions where she'd be painted green and fitted with wigs, then secretly escorted from the makeup room under a large umbrella to protect her character's storyline. She also has fond memories of meeting Chris Evans, who sat in the makeup chair next to her and struck up a friendly conversation.We had a really good relationship, and I just remember joking around, calling all these people with me. We played a prank on Tobey Maguire... I think. I didn't even know who these people were at the time, but I grabbed Josh's phone and we pulled a prank. So he helped me feel comfortable on set, which was nice.
In 2020, she scored three new film roles in "Love and Monsters," "In the Heights," and "The One and Only Ivan." Angelina Jolie produced the latter, based on the true story of a gorilla caged in an American shopping mall. Meeting the Hollywood icon was unforgettable for Ariana.
That same year, Greenblatt dove into voice acting, playing Velma from the "Scooby-Doo!" franchise and Tabitha in "The Boss Baby: Family Business." Because of COVID-19 lockdowns, she recorded some episodes from home. She spoke enthusiastically about her character Tabitha Templeton:
A year later, Greenblatt starred with Gina Rodriguez in the thriller "Awake," about humanity's struggle to survive after a global catastrophe leaves everyone unable to sleep. Ariana's character is humanity's only chance for survival.It was a much bigger opportunity both character-wise and scale-wise. She's not only very smart, but her family's story is so wonderful, and I get to sing, which nobody really knows about. The incredible Hans Zimmer wrote an original song for Tabitha, which I have the honor of singing, so it's just amazing.
Soon after, Ariana joined the "Barbie" cast as Sasha, a teenager who calls out the living Barbie for promoting unrealistic beauty standards before being forced to work together.
The main character was played by Margot Robbie, and Greenblatt quickly bonded with her. She opened up about her connections with fellow cast members:
The film was released in 2023, and fans also caught their favorite in the sci-fi thriller "65" alongside Adam Driver. In the film, they're the sole survivors of a spaceship crash on an unknown planet filled with dinosaurs, where they must fight for survival.On set, I got really close with Alexandra Shipp, who played one of the Barbies. I'd always pop into her trailer during filming, and she'd do little Tarot card readings for me. And Margot too, but more toward the end of filming – she became like an older sister to me. I'd tell her about my boy troubles. She was always there to listen, and we'd gossip about my life. It was so cool!
The actress revealed that this film taught her more than any other project: how to handle extreme weather conditions and emotionally and physically demanding scenes. Though it was incredibly challenging at times, Greenblatt rose to the occasion:
Koa is the last survivor from a small ship that crashed on Mills' planet. She's the sole survivor, and she's incredibly strong and independent. At first, she's scared, nervous, and lost, but then she becomes fearless and self-reliant. Koa is such a complex character – she's so young but has to endure so much. She matures really quickly. And she has to; she's in this incredibly tough situation, and Mills is the only person she can count on. That's why they bond so fast and build this relationship. It was amazing to play her. She was definitely special.
Ariana Greenblatt's Personal Life
Despite being so young, Ariana has always been comfortable around boys. While filming her first series, "Stuck in the Middle," she met fellow young actor Malachi Barton, who played one of the seven Diaz kids.Ariana later called Malachi her first real friend.
Ariana is very close with her parents and older brother, whose sense of humor she adores....he's always ready to do something fun or go on an adventure with me. He protects me like an older brother. It's amazing to have a friend with the same imagination as you. He always encourages me to try my hardest. We love doing tons of things together, but most of all we love building blanket and pillow forts. We like writing music and rapping together. We perform for our friends and family. I also love creating dances that I teach Malachi. We're really into skateboarding together too. He's actually the one who taught me how to ride.
As she grew older, Ariana decided to get involved in charity work. With her mother's help, she chose her causes - helping homeless children and children's hospitals, supporting foundations for the protection of marine life. The actress is also interested in addressing mental health issues.
Ariana Greenblatt Now
The actress has big plans for the future. This fall, fans can catch her as Tiny Tina – an unhinged explosives expert in the action-adventure comedy "Borderlands," which also stars Cate Blanchett, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Kevin Hart.The film is set in the distant future. Four "Vault Hunters" journey to the distant planet Pandora hunting for an alien. Director Eli Roth praised the young actress's work:
Greenblatt isn't shy about her ambitions to write and direct her own film down the road. Right now, she wishes she could land roles as just a regular teen dealing with everyday problems: "I would like to just play something real and authentic, something that could be close to me as well," Greenblatt confessed. Ariana also dreams of working with Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Tim Burton.Ariana is an amazing new talent in cinema. She has already worked with many of my close colleagues and everyone is thrilled with her. She blew us all away at her audition, and I can't wait to see her bring the wild, crazy, and unpredictable Tiny Tina to the big screen. She's going to explode on screen like one of Tina's grenades.
Interesting Facts
- Ariana thinks her dream vacation would be hitting up Hawaii with her whole family – learning to surf, climbing a volcano, then chilling in an awesome treehouse.
- In 2018, she participated in the show "Dancing with the Stars: Juniors" where she was paired with gymnast and dancer Artyon Celestine. Their duo finished in second place.
- While filming "65," Ariana Greenblatt and her co-star had to convey intense emotions with barely any dialogue:
It's very difficult to convey so many emotions with just your eyes. This was definitely a first for me, but thanks to this experience, I learned a lot. And I think it's really a great strategy and tactic for conveying so many emotions; it was really important for me to portray what she's thinking and going through in such a short span of time, with so few words. It was great to truly understand who she is as a person, what she's thinking about, and what she's experiencing. So that you just look at her and understand what she's feeling at that moment: whether she's uncomfortable, scared, nervous, or embarrassed. You all had to play using just your face and expressions. So it was a first and really interesting, and I like it.
- When Ariana landed the role of Sasha in "Barbie," her mom and brother Gavin broke the news in the most creative way possible. They surprised her with a huge cake topped with a pink doll while blasting "Barbie Girl" by Aqua.