Naomi Scott

Naomi Scott (born 6 May 1993) is an English actress and singer. Her accolades include an Astra Film Award and a Teen Choice Award, in addition to nominations for two Saturn Awards.

After featuring on the Disney Channel series '' Life Bites'' (2008–2009), Scott gained some recognition for her starring role in the musical television film '' Lemonade Mouth'' (2011), for which she performed on its eponymous soundtrack. She then starred in the science fiction series '' Terra Nova'' (2011) and the superhero film ''Power Rangers'' (2017).

Scott rose to wider attention with leading roles in the action comedy '' Charlie's Angels'' and as Jasmine in the fantasy film '' Aladdin''. After a three-year break from acting, she returned with the Netflix thriller miniseries '' Anatomy of a Scandal'' (2022) and the horror film '' Smile 2'' (2024), the latter of which established her as a scream queen.

Early life

Naomi Scott was born on 6 May 1993 in Hounslow, London, to a British father and an Indian mother. Her mother, who was born in Uganda and emigrated to the United Kingdom at a young age, is Gujarati. Scott also has an older brother.

At eight years old, she and her family moved to Woodford, London, where both of her parents were pastors at the Bridge Church. She grew up listening to gospel and R&B music, specific singers Kim Burrell, Mary Mary, and Kirk Franklin, and singing in church. She attended Davenant Foundation School in Loughton, Essex. She left school halfway through taking her A-Levels to pursue her role in the series '' Terra Nova''.

Career

Early work and recognition (2008–2018)

Scott was discovered by British pop singer Kéllé Bryan from the girl group Eternal, who signed her as a client. She went to work with British songwriters and producers Xenomania. Her first major acting role was Disney Channel UK series '' Life Bites''.

In 2010, she was cast as Mohini "Mo" Banjaree in the acclaimed 2011 Disney Channel original film '' Lemonade Mouth'', her first role in an American production. She told ''Collider'' that "I lsoremember being introduced to craft services for the first time. And for me, it’s this US production and I was like, oh my gosh, they have a trolley of candy that just came around! And to me I just thought, I’ve made it. This is what I’ve wanted. This is what it’s all about. It’s all about candy on a trolley." Khalid McCalla of '' The Oberlin Review'' believed that Scott "absolutely crushes it." She additionally contributed vocals to the film's commercially successful soundtrack. The song "She's So Gone" featured Scott on lead vocals; it was included on '' Billboard'''s list of "The 100 Greatest Disney Songs of All Time". That same year she was cast as Maddy Shannon in the science fiction series ''Terra Nova'', which premiered in September 2011 on Fox. The series was not renewed for a second season.

In 2013, Scott appeared in the music video for the song "Hurricane", by her ''Lemonade Mouth'' co-star Bridgit Mendler. In August 2014, she independently released her debut EP ''Invisible Division''. Scott was cast as Ryoko in Ridley Scott's '' The Martian''. She filmed her scenes but most of them (including every scene where Scott speaks) were removed from the final cut, effectively making her an "extra" in the film. In 2014, the YouTube channel "Reload" published two videos featuring her, as part of their "Reload Sessions" series.

Screen International selected Scott as one of their 2015 Stars of Tomorrow. In October, she was cast in a co-leading role as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger, in ''Power Rangers'' (2017), a film adaptation of the TV series of the same name. The film was released on 24 March 2017, and earned Scott a Teen Choice Award nomination. The film was met with mixed reviews upon release and was a box office disappointment, grossing $142 million worldwide against a budget of $105 million.

Mainstream breakthrough (2019–present)

In 2019, Scott starred as Princess Jasmine in '' Aladdin'', a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1992 animated film of the same name. Scott's casting over a "Middle Eastern or Arab actress" attracted comment. In his review for the '' San Francisco Chronicle'', critic Mick LaSalle found Scott to be the "real star" of the film and that she "thrives and gives everything to her new power anthem Speechless'. Richard Roeper of ''Chicago Sun-Times'' wrote that Scott "absolutely sparkles" in her performance of "Speechless". For her role, Scott won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actress – Sci-Fi/Fantasy and also received a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. ''Aladdin'' was also commercially successful, grossing $1 billion at the box office. Also in 2019, Scott starred as one of the three leads, alongside Kristen Stewart and Ella Balinska, in the action comedy '' Charlie's Angels'', the third installment within the franchise of the same name, released in November. The film received mixed reviews from critics.

In 2020, Scott was cast in the Netflix series '' Anatomy of a Scandal'', as parliamentary aide Olivia Lytton, and in the science fiction film '' Distant''. Filming of both projects took place the same year, and were released in 2022 and 2024, respectively.

In 2023, Scott was cast as pop star Skye Riley in the horror film '' Smile 2'', the second film in the ''Smile'' franchise. She drew inspiration from 2010s music and artists such as Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. She additionally performs songs for the film, which are featured on the extended play '' Smile 2: The Skye Riley EP''. Released in 2024 to critical and commercial success, her performance drew acclaim from critics. Benjamin Lee of ''The Guardian'' called Scott "a fantastically committed goes-to-hell-and-back scream queen" and Owen Gleiberman of ''Variety'' believed she gave the film "a genuine emotional center." For the role, she won the Astra Award for Best Performance in a Horror or Thriller and was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Actress.

Scott will next appear in the epic romance film ''Eternal Return'' and the crime comedy film '' Wizards!'' She is scheduled to perform at the American music festival Lollapalooza, to be held on Grant Park on July 31 to August 3.

Personal life

Scott is a Christian. She is a UK ambassador to the Christian charity organisation Compassion International, sponsoring children and families living in poverty. She suffers from the skin condition eczema. She holds a black belt in karate, having studied it since her youth, which she credits as helpful with her roles in ''Power Rangers'' and ''Charlie's Angels''.

In June 2014, Scott married English footballer Jordan Spence after four years of dating. The couple met at church when she was 16.

Filmography

Film

Television

Podcasts

* '' Soft Voice'' (2021) as Lydia

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Other charted songs

Guest appearances

Music videos

As a director

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Naomi
1993 births
Living people
Actors from the London Borough of Hounslow
Actors from the London Borough of Redbridge
Actresses from London
English child actresses
English child singers
English evangelicals
English film actresses
English people of Indian descent
English people of Gujarati descent
English people of Ugandan descent
British people of Indo-Ugandan descent
English television actresses
21st-century evangelicals
21st-century English actresses
21st-century English women singers
People from Hounslow
People from Woodford, London