Mia Goth

Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth (born 25 October 1993) is an English actress. After modelling as a teenager, Goth made her acting debut in the erotic art film '' Nymphomaniac'' (2013). She earned recognition with the films '' A Cure For Wellness'' (2016), ''High Life'' (2018), ''Suspiria'' (2018), and ''Emma'' (2020). She achieved a career breakthrough by playing Maxine Minx and Pearl in the ''X'' film series (2022–2024).

Early life

Mia Gypsy Mello da Silva Goth was born on 25 October 1993 in Guy's Hospital in London, England. Her mother is Brazilian and her father is Canadian, originally from Nova Scotia. Her maternal grandfather is the American artist Lee Jaffe, and her maternal grandmother is Brazilian actress Maria Gladys.

Goth moved to Brazil when she was two weeks old, because her mother, who was 20 at the time, needed help from her family to raise her. They returned to the United Kingdom when she was five and briefly relocated to her father's native Canada when she was ten. There, she attended nine schools in a single school year; Goth said that the period when they tried living with her father was very difficult. When she was twelve, she and her mother settled in southeast London, where she attended Sydenham School. Goth's mother raised her in a single-parent household, working as a waitress to support them.

Career

2012–2021: Early modelling and acting

At the age of 16, Goth was discovered at the Underage Festival in London by fashion photographer Gemma Booth, who signed her to Storm Model Management. She subsequently appeared in advertising campaigns for Miu Miu and Prada, as well as in the magazines '' Wonderland'', '' Vogue'', '' Vogue Italia'', '' W'', '' Love'', ''Dazed'', ''Interview'', '' AnOther'', '' British Vogue'', '' Document Journal'', '' Glamour'' and ''Pirelli''. Goth made her runway debut in 2023, opening the Miu Miu F/W 23 Show.

Goth began to audition for films at 16, and after finishing sixth form, won her first role in Lars von Trier's '' Nymphomaniac'' (2013), along with Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe in the segment "The Gun". Goth played Sophie Campbell in an episode of Sky Atlantic's crime drama series '' The Tunnel''.

In 2014, Goth appeared in Future Unlimited's music video for "Haunted Love", directed by Shia LaBeouf. She then appeared in the Stephen Fingleton directed introductory short film ''Magpie'' with Martin McCann. In 2015, Goth played the lead role of Milja in the post-apocalyptic thriller '' The Survivalist'' directed by Fingleton, followed by roles as Meg Weathers in the disaster adventure-thriller film '' Everest'' (2015) directed by Baltasar Kormákur, and Hanna Helmqvist in an episode of BBC One's crime series ''Wallander''.

Goth appeared in the horror film '' A Cure for Wellness'' (2016) directed by Gore Verbinski and had supporting roles in Luca Guadagnino's 2018 remake of '' Suspiria'' (1977) and the sci-fi mystery film '' High Life'' (2018) directed by Claire Denis. Goth appeared in Guadagnino's short film '' The Staggering Girl'' (2019) and Autumn de Wilde's period romantic comedy film '' Emma'' (2020). She also starred in Karen Cinorre's action drama film '' Mayday'' (2021) with Grace Van Patten and Juliette Lewis.

2022–present: Breakthrough with the ''X'' film series

Goth starred in Ti West's slasher film '' X'', released in March 2022 to critical acclaim. Goth donned extensive prosthetic makeup to portray the elderly Pearl. Describing her experience, Goth stated, "It was a good 10 hours in the makeup chair, and then I'd go and do a 12-hour day on set, and the makeup artist, Sarah Rubano, who was incredible, would constantly be touching me up and making sure my contacts were all right and all those sorts of things." She received praise for her roles as both protagonist Maxine Minx and antagonist Pearl, with West stating, "She understood the characters really well, and she understood the duality of Maxine and Pearl." David Sims of ''The Atlantic'' wrote "The dual showcase is a remarkable one for Goth, who previously stood out in supporting roles in ''Emma'', ''High Life'', and ''A Cure for Wellness''". She subsequently starred in the prequel film ''Pearl'', which she co-wrote with West and began filming immediately after ''X''. The film was released in September 2022 to positive reviews. Goth's performance in the film received praise, and is considered to be one of the best film performances of its year. For her portrayal of the character, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Performance, among other awards.

Goth next starred in Brandon Cronenberg's thriller '' Infinity Pool'' opposite Alexander Skarsgård. The film premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival to positive critical reception, with her performance receiving praise. David Fear of ''Rolling Stone'' wrote "Goth makes an even stronger post-''Pearl'' case for her being the single most interesting actor working in genre movies at the moment" and Meagan Navarro of ''Bloody Disgusting'' concluded "Goth progresses her character's devious machinations with a scene-stealing level of unhinged glee that might give ''Pearl'' a run for her money".

Goth reprised the role of Maxine Minx in '' MaXXXine'', the third film in the ''X'' series, which was released in 2024. Goth felt that the script was the best of the series so far. Jeannette Catsoulis of ''The New York Times'' praised the film and coined Goth's performance "as usual, sublime". In contrast, Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com was critical of the film and Maxine Minx's characterisation, who believed that Goth "remains a singular screen presence, but she can only do so much with a character who becomes less interesting as she finds herself drawn deeper into danger."

Goth will next star in Guillermo del Toro's horror film ''Frankenstein'' as Victor Frankenstein's love interest. By June 2025, she was cast in Shawn Levy's film '' Star Wars: Starfighter'' as the main antagonist.

Personal life

Goth met American actor Shia LaBeouf while co-starring in '' Nymphomaniac'' in 2012. On 10 October 2016, Goth and LaBeouf appeared to get married in a Las Vegas ceremony officiated by an Elvis impersonator. Two days later, a local official claimed that the pair were not legally married, but instead a commitment ceremony was performed. Later that month, LaBeouf confirmed their nuptials on '' The Ellen DeGeneres Show''. In September 2018, it was announced the couple had separated and filed for divorce. In February 2022, it was reported that the couple had reconciled and Goth was pregnant with their first child. Their daughter was born in March 2022.

In January 2024, it was reported that Goth had been sued by background actor James Hunter, who played a corpse on set, for verbal and physical assault on the set of '' MaXXXine'' including allegations of Goth intentionally kicking him in the head. Hunter claimed to have suffered a concussion as a result and that he was fired the following day. The studio, A24, issued a statement denying the allegations and defending Goth.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

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Mia Goth
on Models.com
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Goth, Mia
Living people
1993 births
21st-century English actresses
Actresses from London
Actresses of Brazilian descent
English people of American-Jewish descent
English people of Brazilian descent
English people of Canadian descent
English television actresses
English film actresses
English female models
English emigrants to Canada
English emigrants to Brazil
Actors from the London Borough of Southwark
Models from the London Borough of Southwark
People from Southwark