Abigail Breslin will always be grateful for her star-making turn in “Little Miss Sunshine.” But the actress says the role has also hindered her career.
Breslin broke onto the Hollywood scene at just nine-years-old, playing the gumptious aspiring child beauty queen Olive in the 2006 hit movie which landed her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
“I’ll always have a bit of Olive in me, but I want to try new things,” Breslin said in an interview with U.K. news outlet iNews while promoting her new film, “Stillwater.”
“Sometimes people forget that I’m 25 years old and not 9 anymore,” Breslin said. “People tend to want to keep you in one specific pigeonhole.”
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Breslin added that her physical appearance may impact how Hollywood sees her. “I’m really short and I look very little,” the 5’1″ actress explained. “She’s a little young for it,” is a note her agent frequently gets from casting directors.
“I would never want to distance myself from it,” Breslin said of her breakout role. “It opened so many doors for me and gave me so many opportunities and is the reason why I’m where I’m at today.”
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“I don’t want to disrespect it,” she added. “It’s sweet in a way because I think people felt so emotionally attached to that role and to that film. They want me to be Olive. I understand that.”
