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Background:
One of Hollywood’s young raising stars Erika Christensen acquired widespread
praise and critical acclaimed after portraying Caroline Wakefield, a teen
daughter of the White House Drug Czar who is herself a drug addict, in the
award-winning Steven Soderbergh film, Traffic (2000), in which she nabbed a MTV
Movie Award, a Young Hollywood Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Seattle
native, Los Angeles-raised Christensen initially gained notice and was
critically applauded as Wally Cleaver’s girlfriend Karen in Leave It to Beaver
(1997) and was nominated a Best Performance by a Young Actress at Young
Star Awards for her good, brief stint portrayal of Garner’s Tutor in an episode
of ”Nothing Sacred” (1997).
Since the notable performances, Christensen has done a number of film projects
such as the indie movies Home Room (2002) and Swimfan (2002), the Goldie Hawn
and Susan Sarandon film The Banger Sisters (2002), The Perfect Score (2004,
opposite Scarlett Johansson), the horror/thriller Riding the Bullet (2004), Mike
Binder’s The Upside of Anger (2005, with Joan Allen and Kevin Costner), the
drama The Sisters (2005, opposite Maria Bello) and Flightplan (2005, starring
Jodie Foster). Christensen will add the dark comedy Gardener of Eden (2005) and
A Hole in the Earth (2006) to her acting resume.
Off screen, 5’ 5” inch tall Christensen was chosen as one of People Magazine’s
“Breakthrough Stars” in 2001. Aside acting, she is committed to be a
humanitarian and has supported a number of charity events, including the Ronald
McDonald House for children with cancer and the Hollywood Police Activities
League. Christensen was once the spokesperson at the National Foundation for
Women Legislators Conference in Washington D.C. Christensen currently still
resides in Los Angeles and is a Scientologist. As for her romantic life,
Christensen is a single, and declares to not have time for having relationship
with boys.
Seattle’s Daughter
Childhood and Family:
Of Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Welsh, and Irish descent, Erika Christensen was
born on August 19, 1982, in Seattle, Washington, but raised in the suburban
outskirts of Los Angeles, California. Young Erika was trained singing, dancing
and acting and was home schooled. She spent a great deal of time working in
theater groups such as Pasadena Dance Theatre and the Serendipity Theatre
Company during her childhood and by age 12, she had realized that her true
calling was acting. Four years later, the elder sister of twins Dane and Brando,
Erika earned her G.E.D that allowed her to pursue a full-time career.
A Hole in the Earth
Career:
Knowing she was going to be an actress at age 12, talented in acting, singing
and dancing Erika Christensen became heavily involved in several local theater
productions in Southern California as a youngster. Her early work included
portrayed spunky Beverly Clearly character Ramona Quimby in a Burbank production
and had small roles in such plays as “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “The
Nutcracker.” Christensen’s first professional job arrived in 1995 when she was
chosen to play a role in a commercial for national advertising giant McDonalds.
This young girl further increased her national popularity when she was quickly
cast in the video for Michael Jackson’s “Childhood” and appeared as a backing
vocal for Neil Diamond’s “The Christmas Album II.”
With such national exposure, Christensen simply made a move to the big screen.
Her break into cinematic industry came in 1997 when she appeared as Karen, the
girlfriend of Erik von Detten’s Wally Cleaver, in Disney’s wide screen version
of the popular TV show Leave It to Beaver. Christensen’s convincing debut
performance won the young actress some notice and critical praise.
More roles began pouring and Christensen burst everywhere. She made guest
appearances in such shows as “The Practice,” “Frasier,” “3rd Rock from the Sun”
and “Touched by an Angel.” But it was a guest spot in the short-lived Catholic
themed show ”Nothing Sacred” (1997) that helped raise her status. As Garner’s
Tutor, Christensen received a nomination for Best Performance by a Young Actress
in a TV Drama Series at the 1998 Young Star Awards. She followed that up with
the Disney’s made-for-TV film Can of Worms in 1999, and the short-lived sitcom
“Thanks” (1999), where she was cast as regular Abigail Winthrop.
The following year Christensen was garnered even more recognition when she
seized the gritty role of Caroline Wakefield, the drug-addicted daughter of a
high-ranking drug official at the White House in a highly acclaimed film by
Steven Soderbergh, Traffic (2000). As a fledgling actress, Christensen was able
to showcase her potentials along side Hollywood’s elite like Benicio Del Toro,
Jacob Vargas, Andrew Chaves, among others. In addition, her outstanding
performance handed Christensen such awards as a MTV Movie for Breakthrough
Female Performance, a Young Hollywood for Standout Performance-Female and a
Screen Actors Guild for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical
Motion Picture (shared award). The film it self took home four Academy Awards.
After the massive success, Christensen chose her roles cautiously. Lingering
with her girl-next-door image, she landed the recurring role of Isabel in ABC’s
sitcom ”The Geena Davis Show” during the 2000-2001 season. Benefiting on her
newfound jumpy and heroic persona, she took parts in a couple of independent
movies in 2002. Christensen first played Deanna Cartwright, the survivor of a
high school shooting spree, in the drama Home Room (2002), then picked up the
starring role of young, obsessed, quasi-psychotic high school girl Madison Bell
in Swimfan (2002). The same year, she also offered a fine appearance in the
Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon film The Banger Sisters.
After a turn as Emily Bronte’s Cate in MTV’s imprudent contemporary television
movie update of Wuthering Heights (2003), Christensen returned to the silver
screen film as Anna Ross, a parent-pleasing high schooler frantically in need of
excitement who joins a plot to heist the SAT key in The Perfect Score (2004),
opposite another promising young actress Scarlett Johansson. She then had a
small role in the horror/thriller Riding the Bullet (2004), a film based on
Stephen King’s novel. In 2005, the promising actress made three movies. She was
cast opposite Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in the Mike Binder’s
Sundance-screened The Upside of Anger (2005), portraying Allen’s daughter Andy
Wolfmeyer. Christensen next found herself acting with Maria Bello in the drama
The Sisters (2005) and appeared in Jodie Foster’s vehicle Flightplan (2005).
The 24-year-old actress is set to star with Lukas Haas, Giovanni Ribisi, John
Arocho and David Bortolucci in the independent film Gardener of Eden (2005). The
dark comedy, which directed by Kevin Connolly and produced by superstar Leonardo
DiCaprio, focuses on a young guy who unintentionally saves a girl from a
neighborhood assault and then decides his calling in life is to be a modern-day
hero. Christensen also will star along side Annette Bening and William H. Macy
in director Paul A. Kaufman’s big screen adaptation of Robert Bausch’s novel A
Hole in the Earth (2006).
Awards:
- MTV Movie: Breakthrough Female Performance, Traffic, 2001
- Young Hollywood: Standout Performance-Female, Traffic, 2001
- SAG: Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture,
Traffic, shared award, 2000
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