‘She was a really bright burning light’
Actress Jonshel Alexander has died at the age of 22 after a fatal shooting in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Saturday November 27.
Alexander was a child actor who played a supporting role in the 2012 Oscar-nominated flick, Beasts of the Southern Wild.
The actress was shot while inside a vehicle in New Orleans, suggests the Hollywood Reporter.
A man was also shot alongside Jonshel but a name is yet to be released.
The actress was pronounced dead at the scene, while the unnamed second victim allegedly drove himself to the hospital for treatment.
At the age of 12, Jonshel played Joy Strong in the Oscar-nominated film. The blockbuster followed the lives of a poor bayou community at their battle for survival. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
The movie was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis was nominated for best actress alongside giants like Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain.
Jonshel’s mother, Shelly Alexander, said that her daughter charmed the filmmakers during the audition process which saw 4,000 Louisiana natives audition for lead roles.
She said: “She was like, ‘I’m going to be in this movie. They fell in love with Jonshel.”
Director Benh Zeitlin said Jonshel was an “absolute one-of-a-kind, unforgettable, force-of-nature human being.
“We incorporated a part into the film that was very much inspired by her.
“A lot of the lines were written by her, and so much of the character grew out of who Jonshel was. Her character in the film is named Joy Strong, which always seemed like a perfect description of Jonshel.
“She was a really bright burning light.”
Zeitlin has reportedly been in touch with Jonshel’s family and is devastated by the news.
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