Millicent Simmonds

Millicent Simmonds is an actress from Bountiful, Utah. She became deaf at twelve months old. That's when her mother Emily decided that the entire Simmonds family would learn sign language so that Millicent would never feel isolated or lonely. Millie joined the drama class Jean Massieu School for the Deaf. She never thought she would be an actress, believing she would pursue a more dangerous or daring career as a police officer or a firefighter. Millie's drama teacher received an email with a casting call for a young hearing, hard of hearing or deaf actress for a movie based on the book Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. She immediately thought of Millie, who had always been very expressive and an amazing storyteller. She asked Millie to audition, who was at first hesitant, but then agreed to do it, just for fun. Wonderstruck was a book Millicent herself loved because she identified with the deaf character of Rose. Millie's audition brought director Todd Haynes to tears, and they reached out to her. She auditioned a few more times before being flown to New York City where she was surprised with the announcement that she was going to be Rose. Wonderstruck was a critical success, and Millicent was named one of the Breakthrough Entertainers of 2017 by AP, and Time listed her role as Rose as one of The Top 10 Movie Performances of 2017. Less than a year later Millicent had landed her next big Hollywood role as Regan Abbott in the horror thriller a Quiet Place, working alongside stars such as Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, and John Krasinski. Millicent's family encouraged her to audition after learning about a possible part for a deaf girl in a movie to be directed by John Krasinski. Millie went for it and again managed to prove again that she was an exceptional talent when only a few weeks later she was awarded the role of Regan Abbott. John Krasinski was adamant about casting a deaf actress and using sign language. Soon the entire cast was learning to sign with the help of an ASL master and deaf advisor. John often consulted Millie about creative decisions within the movie, and let her make important choices about her character. The movie was both a critical and financial success. In 2018 she was confirmed to have a role in season 3 of Disney's hit television show Andi Mack. Millicent loves to spend time with her family and friends. She enjoys to read, draw, watching anime, and riding her motorcycle. She's rubbed elbows with celebrities such as Nyle DiMarco, Julianne Moore, and Will Smith. She continues to speak out about the importance of deaf representation. She loves and is proud that she's deaf and is an advocate for sign language literacy. Millie has a cochlear implant. She and her co-star Noah Jupe became close friends on the set of a Quiet Place, and continue to get up to childhood shenanigans together. She hopes to next take on an even more adventurous role playing a superhero, or maybe even a villain. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous