KiKi Layne

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Kiandra "KiKi" Layne (born December 10, 1991 in Cincinnati , USA ), alternative spelling Kiki Layne , is an American actress.

Life

Training and theater work

KiKi Layne grew up in Cincinnati . There she attended an art college and learned to play the flute , horn and trumpet . Layne then completed an acting degree at the DePaul University Theater School in Chicago , from which she graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts . After graduating, she appeared as a stage actress in Chicago and became a permanent member of the Definition Theater Company . She chose the nickname "Kiki" as a stage name instead of her maiden name Kiandra. Around the beginning of her film career, she should change the spelling to "KiKi".

In 2016 Layne played a supporting role as the betrayed wife Ayesha Price in Evan Linder's racial drama Byhalia, Mississippi (Definition Theater / New Colony), after which the 24-year-old African American was praised for her intellect by the Chicago Tribune and was named one of the ten most exciting young talents of the season. That same year, Layne starred as the combative and sexuality-dominating Prism in Kristiana Rae Colón's slam-poetry drama Octagon (Jackalope Theater Company), which earned her a 2017 Black Theater Alliance nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She went on tour with the war drama Letters Home (Griffin Theater), which was inspired by letters from US soldiers stationed in the Middle East .

Roles in film and television

Parallel to her career in the theater, Layne got the lead role in Seith Mann's short film Veracity (2015). In the drama, she starred as a popular high school student who is outed by her friends after having feelings for a new classmate. A year later, she made a guest appearance on an episode of the Chicago Med hospital series (2016). In 2017, Layne applied to CBS's Drama Diversity Casting Initiative , which was looking for talented young actors across the country to enable auditions for production series or pilot films in Los Angeles , thereby promoting diversity and inclusion in the US television industry to care. From more than 10,000 applicants, Layne was among the twelve final candidates and was featured in the documentary CBS Drama Casting Initiative 12 at the beginning of 2017 .

Layne moved to Los Angeles in June 2017 . Three months later, she became more well-known in the media by signing Barry Jenkins ' feature film If Beale Street Could Talk , which was released on September 9, 2018. In the film of the same name by James Baldwin (English title: Beale Street Blues ), Layne plays the main role of the pregnant Tish, who tries to prove the innocence of her Afro-American fiancé (played by Stephan James ) in Harlem in the 1970s is accused of raping another woman. During the casting for her first film role, Layne prevailed against more than 300 competitors. According to her own statements, Layne originally wanted to support her boyfriend at the time in the application for the male lead and therefore read into the part of the Tish. She took a liking to the role and then sent off a separate application video.

The film and leading actress were considered potential Oscar candidates by industry services long before the premiere of If Beale Street Could Talk . In fact, Layne has been nominated for a number of young talent awards and received the Black Reel Award for Best Actress. Further film engagements followed for Rupert Wyatt's science fiction thriller Captive State and Rashid Johnson's historical drama Native Son , both of which were released in theaters in 2019.

Filmography

Awards

  • 2018: Philadelphia Film Critics Circle Award for If Beale Street Could Talk (Best New Actress)
  • 2018: "Discovery Award" of the Savannah Film Festival for If Beale Street Could Talk
  • 2019: Black Reel Award for If Beale Street Could Talk (Best Actress)
  • 2019: " Essence Black Women in Hollywood Honoree" for If Beale Street Could Talk

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kiandra Layne on mylife.com
  2. ↑ a b c Jones, Chris: Destined for stardom: Hot New Faces of Chicago Theater 2016 . In: chicagotribune.com, August 10, 2016 (accessed June 8, 2018).
  3. ↑ a b Smith, Krista: KiKi Layne, Star of If Beale Street Could Talk, Knows How to Own a Room . In: vaintyfair.com, September 17, 2018 (accessed March 19, 2019).
  4. ^ Greene, Morgan: An actor with Chicago ties to lead new Barry Jenkins film . In: chicagotribune.com, September 13, 2017 (accessed June 8, 2018).
  5. ↑ a b TTS Alumni receive Black Theater Alliance Nominations . In: blogs.depaul.edu, August 10, 2017 (accessed June 8, 2018).
  6. ↑ a b Kiki Layne . In: thenewcolony.org (accessed June 8, 2018).
  7. ↑ Petski, Denise: CBS Announces Drama Casting Diversity Initiative Participants . In: deadline.com, December 12, 2016 (accessed June 8, 2018).
  8. ^ Kroll, Justin: Barry Jenkins' New Film Finds Lead in Newcomer Kiki Layne (EXCLUSIVE) . In: variety.com, September 13, 2017 (accessed June 8, 2018).
  9. ↑ Grater, Tom: 12 films that could be in the running for the Oscars in 2019 . In: screendaily.com, March 6, 2018 (accessed June 9, 2018).
  10. ↑ Thompson, Anne: 2019 Oscars: Best Actress Predictions . In: indiewire.com, April 23, 2018 (accessed June 9, 2018).
personal data
SURNAME Layne, KiKi
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Layne, Kiki; Layne, Kiandra (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1991