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Where in God's Name Is Ruby Barnhill? 10 Facts About the Child Actress
Where in God's Name Is Ruby Barnhill? 10 Facts About the Child Actress
Robert Thorne••6 min read
Ruby Barnhill is an English child actress that got her major break in the Steven Spielberg remake of Roald Dahl’s book The BFG.
The then ten-year-old actress got the role after she impressed the director and other scouts from Dreamworks Studious
At the moment not much is known about what Ruby has been up to.
Ruby Barnhill became a big name in the movie industry after starring in Steven Spielberg’s action film The BFG. The English actress has made an impact at such a tender age.
Her peculiar role in Spielberg’s film has opened up the young and upcoming actress to many other projects.
Despite the expectations that she will be seen taking many more roles following the success of The BFG, her presence is not felt in recent times. The question is what is the young actress up to or has she given up on an acting career? Let’s delve in to find all the details about the upcoming actress.
Here Are All The Fascinating Details about Ruby Barnhill
1. Who Is Ruby Barnhill?
She is an English child actress who was unknown till she was picked in 2014 to appear in the movie adaptation of an English author, Roald Darl titled The BFG.
The Big Friendly Giant or BFG is a story about an orphan, Sophie who started an unlikely friendship with a giant.
She was ten years old at the time she was picked by the American director and producer, Steven Spielberg. He was impressed by her cheerful nature and skill for an actress of her age.
2. She was Born In England
Ruby Barnhill was born July 16th, 2004 in Knutsford, Cheshire, England to Paul Barnhill and Sarah Barnhill. She has a sister, Darcey whom she grew up together with.
The English actress nurtured an interest in acting right from when she was still a little girl. While growing up she paid attention to becoming a great star.
She became a member of a local youth theater where she is honing her skills. Ruby likely started getting serious roles two years before she made her appearance in The BFG.
5. Ruby Barnhill is a Rising Actress
Despite coming to the limelight after Spielberg cast her in the main role of her first feature film, Ruby had the experience of acting.
Her movie roles include:
Four O’Club Club(2015-2017)
The BFG(2016)
Mary and the Witch’s Flower(2018)
Princess Emmy(2018)
6. How She Made the Cut for the Role of Sophie in The BFG
When Spielberg and Dreamworks studios went on a nationwide quest for a girl to play the part of Sophie in The BFG, it was a long and tedious process.
Sophie was one of the girls that showed up for the open casting call auditions in Britain. She impressed them and was picked. She proved to be a curious and brave ten-year-old girl at the time.
Her career as an actress took off after she portrayed Sophie in Steven Spielberg’s movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG. Dahl was born over 100 years ago but it was after his death that Spielberg brought it to life on the movie screens.
The book was first published in 1982 and over the years, it has been adapted in many forms.
The original character in Dahl’s book was a boy Jody. However, Dahl later had a change of heart after the birth of his granddaughter, Sophie.
7. Her Father was Also An Actor
The actress may have gotten some of her acting genes from her father, Paul Barnhill who was also an actor. Paul launched his career in 1994 after his graduation from East 15 Acting School in 1992.
His first comedy debut in 1994 was in the Die Fledermaus. His career has spanned the period of over two decades. Paul is well-traveled and toured with many companies. He and his daughter were in Spielberg’s BFG.
8. Ruby Had No Idea of Spielberg’s Reputation
At the time the child actress took the role of Sophie in The BFG alongside fellow actor Mark Rylance, she did not know that Spielberg was a successful producer/director.
She later revealed that she always saw him as a dear friend and that one day she may look back and be in awe.
As it is she was dealing with a veteran that had helped to push the career of other child actors in films like Jurassic Park and many more.
Her role earned her many nominations such as:
London Film Critics Circle Award for Young British/ Irish Performer of the Year
Young Artist Award for Best Young Leading Actress
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
9. How Much is Her Net Worth?
At the moment her exact net worth is worth thousands of dollars. She made her net worth from her acting career. Interestingly, most of it came from her Sophie role in The BFG.
At the time she started shooting for the film, she had a deal with Spielberg who is considered the most commercially successful producer/ director in Hollywood.
Her contract as a minor was for $85 thousand for the first movie. Going by Spielberg’s other successful works, she may have more than the deal carried.
It is notable to know that the contract she signed with Dreamworks leaves an open room for the child actor to be picked for 2 more productions. Each of these two was to the tune of $250 thousand and $450 thousand respectively as filed at the County Court in L.A.
10. Where is Ruby Barnhill?
Ruby Barnhill is alive and kicking. While fans are curious to know why her career is slow, it is not surprising as she may be concentrating on school right now.
At her age, she has a long life to decide whether she wants to take acting fully or change her career path.
