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Jordana Brewster

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Jordana Brewster
Brewster in 2013
Born (1980-04-26) April 26, 1980 (age 44)
Panama City, Panama
Citizenship
  • Panama
  • Brazil
  • United States
Alma materYale University (B.A.)
OccupationActress
Years active1995–present
Spouses
​
​
(m. 2007; div. 2021)​
Mason Morfit
​
​
(m. 2022)​
Children2
MotherMaria João
RelativesKingman Brewster Jr. (grandfather)

Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980)[1] is an American actress. She made her acting debut in an episode of All My Children in 1995 and next took on the recurring role as Nikki Munson in As the World Turns, garnering a nomination for Outstanding Teen Performer at the 1997 Soap Opera Digest Award. Her first role in a feature film was in Robert Rodriguez's horror science fiction The Faculty (1998).

Brewster's breakthrough came with her role of Mia Toretto in the action film The Fast and the Furious (2001). She reprised the role in its sequels Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), F9 (2021), and Fast X (2023). Other film credits include the drama The Invisible Circus (2001), the action comedy D.E.B.S. (2004) and the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).

Brewster starred on the re-booted TNT series Dallas from 2012 to 2014. She also had a five-episode arc as Denise Brown in the first season of the FX true crime anthology series American Crime Story (2016). She also starred as Dr. Maureen Cahill on the Fox buddy cop action dramedy Lethal Weapon (2016–2018).

Early life and education

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Jordana Brewster was born in Panama City, Panama, on April 26, 1980, the older of two daughters. Her mother, Maria João (née Leal de Sousa), is a former swimsuit model from Brazil who appeared on the 1978 cover of Sports Illustrated, and her father, Alden Brewster, is an American investment banker.[1][2] Her paternal grandfather, Kingman Brewster Jr., was president of Yale University (1963–77) and the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom (1977–81). Brewster is a direct descendant of Mayflower passengers William Brewster and Edward Doty.[3] Jordana lived in London, England and moved to Brazil when she was six years old. She left Brazil at 10, settling in Manhattan, New York City, where she studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and graduated from the Professional Children's School. Brewster graduated from Yale University with a B. A. in English Literature in 2003.[1]

Career

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1990s

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Brewster made her debut in daytime soap operas, with a one-time appearance on All My Children as Anita Santos.[4] She next played the recurring role of rebellious daughter Nikki Munson on As the World Turns. From 1995 to 2001, she appeared in a total of 104 episodes of the soap opera.[5][6] For her performance, she was nominated for Outstanding Teen Performer at the 1997 Soap Opera Digest Awards. Her first film role was in Robert Rodriguez's horror science fiction film The Faculty (1998), written by Kevin Williamson and co-starring Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, and Clea DuVall. In the film about strange occurrences involving the teachers of an Ohio high school, Brewster played a popular vindictive cheerleading captain and an editor in chief of the student paper.[7] The film received mixed reviews,[8] but grossed US$40 million in North America.[9] In 1999, she appeared opposite Julia Stiles and Jerry O'Connell in an NBC television miniseries entitled The '60s,[10] playing a student activist.[11]

2000s

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Brewster at the Fast & Furious premiere in 2009

Brewster starred with Cameron Diaz and Christopher Eccleston in the independent drama The Invisible Circus (2001), portraying a grieving teenage girl who travels to Europe in 1976 in search of answers to the suicide of her older sister. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited theatrical release.[12] The New York Times felt that Brewster "can't summon a credible range of emotion" in her portrayal.[13] Her breakthrough came afterward in 2001, when she took on the role of Mia Toretto opposite Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the street racing action film The Fast and the Furious. As she did not have a driver's license, she took driving lessons during production. Todd McCarthy of Variety, in his review for the film, noted that Brewster did a "better job here than she did as a searching teen in the recent The Invisible Circus."[14] The film was a commercial success, grossing over US$207 million worldwide.[15]

Following the release of The Fast and the Furious, Brewster took a break from acting to complete her B. A. in English at Yale from which she graduated in 2003.[16] She returned to the screen when she played as a lesbian criminal mastermind in the action comedy D.E.B.S. (2004).[17] A.V. Club dismissed the development of Brewster on-screen relationship with co-star Sara Foster, writing that "D.E.B.S. oscillates between the glib camp smirkiness of its half-hearted action send-up and the thudding earnestness of its romance".[18] It was distributed in limited release.[19] She starred as the love interest of a high school student in the 1970s in the independent teen drama Nearing Grace (2005),[20] which was screened at the Los Angeles Film Festival.[21]

Brewster appeared in the drama Annapolis (2006), directed by Justin Lin and starring James Franco and Tyrese Gibson.[22] In the film, she played a Midshipman 2nd Class named Ali, and the love interest of a man attending the United States Naval Academy. Annapolis was panned by critics[23] and grossed US$7.7 million in its opening weekend, described as "uninspired" by Box Office Mojo.[24] Brewster next starred in the slasher horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), opposite Diora Baird, Taylor Handley, and Matt Bomer. The film saw the four actors portray friends driving across Texas who are taken captive by the Hewitt family. Despite largely negative reviews, the film made US$51 million worldwide.[25] For her performance, Brewster was nominated for both Choice Movie Actress: Horror–Thriller and Choice Movie: Scream at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards.[26]

Brewster had a four-episode arc between 2008 and 2009 on the NBC television series Chuck, as Jill Roberts, the title character's ex-girlfriend from Stanford. She returned to the role of Mia Toretto in Fast & Furious (2009), the fourth film of the Fast & Furious franchise.[27] On the growth of her character over the course of the series, Brewster explained in an interview with AskMen.com, "In the first one I'm more of a wallflower and it's much more of a girlfriend-type role, but in [the new movie] I'm more of a woman. She's far more tough. I deal with the repercussions of living in my brother's world."[28] The film earned negative reviews upon its premiere, but was a box office success, grossing US$363 million globally.[29]

2010s

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Brewster (third from left) with the cast of Fast Five in 2011

In 2010, Brewster made a three-episode appearance in Dark Blue, playing an art gallery dealer named Maria, and guest-starred in two episodes of Gigantic. She reprised the role of Mia in the fifth film in the series, Fast Five (2011),[30] which making a departure from the street racing theme, revolves around Diesel, Walker and Brewster's characters as they plan a heist to steal a fortune from a corrupt businessman in Brazil. Critical response toward Fast Five was positive while it earned US$86 million in its North American opening weekend and US$626.1 million worldwide.[31] In 2012, Brewster starred as Elena Ramos, on Dallas, an updated version of CBS's original series of the same name (1978–1991) about the trials and tribulations of a wealthy Texas family. The series was met with an overall positive response and aired until 2014.[32][33]

She played Mia Toretto for the fourth time in Fast & Furious 6 (2013), which follows the remaining wanted fugitives on the heist from Fast Five. The film earned a worldwide total of US$789 million.[34] She returned for the next installment, Furious 7 (2015), which was the final film appearance of Walker, who died in a single-vehicle accident while filming was only half-completed. After Walker's death, filming was delayed for script rewrites to the story arcs for both Walker and Brewster's characters, causing them to be retired.[35] The highest-grossing film in the franchise, it grossed US$397.6 million worldwide during its opening weekend and US$1.5 billion worldwide.[36] She next appeared in the independent action drama American Heist (2014), as the girlfriend of a man involved in a crime. It screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and premiered in a ten-theater run in North America.[37] Brewster also played a young and flirtatious salesperson named Dusty in the dark comedy Home Sweet Hell (2015), released for VOD and selected theaters.[38]

In 2016, she took on the recurring role of Denise Brown, the sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, in The People v. O. J. Simpson, the first season of the true crime anthology series American Crime Story, revolving around the infamous O. J. Simpson murder case. A "giant fan" of executive producer Ryan Murphy, she remarked about obtaining the role: "I heard they were making it and I always felt like my aunt actually really looked a lot like Denise Brown, so my manager and I took a side-by-side photo edit of me and Denise and we fought really hard for it. We just fought to get that show".[39] Also in 2016, she signed on to play the regular role of Dr. Maureen Cahill, a Los Angeles Police Department psychologist, on the FOX buddy cop action dramedy Lethal Weapon and starred in the second season of the ABC anthology crime drama Secrets and Lies as Kate Warner. After not appearing in 2017's The Fate of the Furious, Brewster returned as Mia Toretto in the ninth instalment of the franchise, 2021's F9. Her older son Julian also performed in F9 with a small role.[40]

Public image

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Brewster at the PaleyFest 2013 forum on the TV show Dallas

In 2002, Stuff magazine named her the 96th hottest woman in their "102 Sexiest Women in the World". In 2005, Maxim magazine named her the 54th sexiest woman in the world in their annual Hot 100, while in 2006, Maxim placed her at No.59.[41] In 2009, she was ranked No.9 on Maxim's Hot 100[42] and, to coincide with the release of Fast and Furious, a photographic spread of Brewster in a range of black lingerie in their May 2009 edition ("Life in the Fast Lane").[43] In 2011, Maxim placed Brewster at No.11 in their Hot 100.[44]

In 2015, Jordana posed nude for the May issue of Allure magazine – alongside Laverne Cox, Nicole Beharie, Katheryn Winnick, and Sandrine Holt.[45]

In June 2016, the Human Rights Campaign released a video in tribute to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting; in the video, Brewster and others told the stories of the people killed there.[46][47]

Prior to the 2022 election, Brewster and other celebrities partnered with non-profit, non-partisan voter advocacy and ID assistance group VoteRiders to host text-banking and letter-writing events to encourage people to vote and connect eligible voters with voter ID assistance.[48]

Personal life

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Brewster and film and television producer Andrew Form met on the set of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, which Form produced. They announced their engagement on November 4, 2006,[49] and married in the Bahamas on May 6, 2007.[50] They have two sons born via surrogacy: Julian, born in September 2013[51] and Rowan, born in June 2016.[52] Brewster filed for divorce in mid-2020.[53] The divorce was finalized in June 2021. She married ValueAct Capital CEO Mason Morfit on September 3, 2022 in California.[54]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1998 The Faculty Delilah Profitt
2001 The Invisible Circus Phoebe
The Fast and the Furious Mia Toretto
2004 D.E.B.S. Lucy Diamond
2005 Nearing Grace Grace Chance
2006 Annapolis Alison "Ali" Halloway
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Chrissie
2009 Fast & Furious Mia Toretto
2011 Fast Five
2013 Fast & Furious 6
2014 American Heist Emily VOD and limited release
2015 Home Sweet Hell Dusty VOD and limited release
Furious 7 Mia Toretto
2019 Random Acts of Violence Kathy
2020 Hooking Up Tanya
2021 F9 Mia Toretto
On Our Way Ruby Richardson
2022 The Integrity of Joseph Chambers Tess
Who Invited Charlie? Rosie
2023 Simulant Faye [55]
Fast X Mia Toretto
2024 Cellar Door Sera
2025 Heart Eyes [56][57]
Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1995 All My Children Anita Santos Unknown episode
1995–2001 As the World Turns Nikki Munson Main role; 118 episodes
1999 The '60s Sarah Weinstock Television mini-series
2007 Mr. and Mrs. Smith Jane Smith Unaired television pilot
2008–2009 Chuck Dr. Jill Roberts Recurring role; 4 episodes
2010 Dark Blue Maria Recurring role; 3 episodes
Gigantic Celebrity Guest role; 2 episodes
2012–2014 Dallas Elena Ramos Main role; 40 episodes
2013 Project Runway Herself / Guest Judge Episode: "Finally on My Own"
2016 American Crime Story Denise Brown Recurring role; 5 episodes
Secrets and Lies Kate Warner Main role; 10 episodes
Robot Chicken Molly McIntire / Cindy Brady Episode: "Secret of the Flushed Footlong"; voice role
2016–2018 Lethal Weapon Dr. Maureen Cahill Main role; 33 episodes
2019 Magnum P.I. Hannah Guest role; 2 episodes
2021 The Other Two Herself Episode: "Pat Gets an Offer to Host “Tic Tac Toe”"
2022 Chad & JT Go Deep Episode: "Raising Awareness"
That's My Jam Episode: "Kate Hudson & Oliver Hudson vs. Jordana Brewster & Brent Morin"
2023 The Rookie: Feds Vampire Cop Co-Star Episode: "Out for Blood"
2023 Neon Gina

Music videos

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Year Artist(s) Song Notes Ref.
2000 Neve "It's Over Now"
2001 Ja Rule, Vita & O1 "Furious"
2015 Wiz Khalifa & Charlie Puth "See You Again"

Awards and nominations

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Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome
1997 Soap Opera Digest Awards Outstanding Teen Performer As the World Turns Nominated
2007 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Nominated
Choice Movie: Scream Nominated
2009 Choice Movie Actress: Action Fast & Furious Won
2011 Fast Five Nominated
2012 ALMA Awards Favorite TV Actress Dallas Nominated
2013 NAACP Image Awards Best Supporting Actress in Television Nominated
2015 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress: Action Furious 7 Nominated
2017 People's Choice Awards Favorite Actress in a New TV Series Lethal Weapon Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Jordana Brewster Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016.
  2. ^ "Jordana Brewster profile". E! Online. Archived from the original on February 10, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
  3. ^ "Jordana Brewster on Working With the Late Paul Walker on 'The Fast and the Furious'". Boston Common. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  4. ^ "All My Children Actors, Past and Present". Connecticut Post. April 16, 2011. Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  5. ^ "About ATWT: Who's Who in Oakdale | Nicole Munson | As The World Turns". Soapcentral.com. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  6. ^ "14 Celebs That Appeared on As the World Turns". Teen.com. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on December 1, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  7. ^ Lawrence Van Gelder (December 25, 1998). "The Faculty (1998)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "The Faculty". Rotten Tomatoes.
  9. ^ "The Faculty". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  10. ^ McCluskey, Audrey Thomas (2007). Frame by Frame III: A Filmography of the African Diasporan Image, 1994–2004. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0253348296. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  11. ^ "In the Groovy". People. February 8, 1999. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "The Invisible Circus". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  13. ^ A. O. Scott (February 2, 2001). "Movie Review: Tripping Through Europe On a Quest for Lost Time". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  14. ^ McCarthy, Todd (June 21, 2001). "The Fast and the Furious". Variety. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  15. ^ "The Fast and the Furious". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Jordana Brewster". Channel 5. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  17. ^ "D.E.B.S." Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  18. ^ Rabin, Nathan (March 22, 2005). "Film Review D.E.B.S." The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  19. ^ "D.E.B.S.". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 14, 2005.
  20. ^ Laura Kern (October 13, 2006). "Nearing Grace (2005)". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  21. ^ Los Angeles Film Festival
  22. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 26, 2006). "Annapolis Movie Review & Film Summary". Roger Ebert. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  23. ^ "Annapolis". Rotten Tomatoes.
  24. ^ "'Big Momma' Jams, 'Nanny McPhee' Floats, 'Bubble' Bursts". Box Office Mojo. January 30, 2006. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  25. ^ "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  26. ^ "Teen Choice nominees announced". AOL TV. July 3, 2007. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  27. ^ "Apple – Movie Trailers – Fast and Furious". Apple. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  28. ^ "Jordana Brewster Interview". Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  29. ^ "Fast and Furious". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  30. ^ "Fast Five Moves Away From Super 8". November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  31. ^ "Fast Five". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  32. ^ "Dallas (2012) – Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  33. ^ "'Dallas' Canceled by TNT". Hollywood Reporter. October 3, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  34. ^ "Fast & Furious 6". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.
  35. ^ "Mia Toretto Furious 7". BD. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  36. ^ "Furious 7". Box Office Mojo. IMDb.
  37. ^ "The Weekend Report « Movie City News". Moviecitynews.com. July 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  38. ^ Deadline, The (May 3, 2013). "Jordana Brewster's Next Destination 'North Of Hell'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  39. ^ "Jordana Brewster: I fought to play Denise Brown on "People v O.J."". CBS News. March 28, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  40. ^ White, Abbey (November 8, 2022). "How Shonda Rhimes, Ariana Grande, Paul Rudd and More Encouraged Americans to Vote in the 2022 Elections". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  41. ^ Jordana Brewster of 2006 Hot 100 on Maxim.com Archived July 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  42. ^ "2009 Hot 100". Maxim.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  43. ^ "Jordana Brewster: Maxim Photo Shoot May '09". Maxim.com. May 6, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  44. ^ "Hot 100 Details". Maxim.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  45. ^ The Naked Truth: Celebrities Go Nude for Allure Allure. Archived on April 15, 2015.
  46. ^ "49 Celebrities Honor 49 Victims of Orlando Tragedy | Human Rights Campaign". Hrc.org. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  47. ^ Rothaus, Steve (June 12, 2016). "Pulse Orlando shooting scene a popular LGBT club where employees, patrons 'like family'". The Miami Herald. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  48. ^ White, Abbey (November 8, 2022). "How Shonda Rhimes, Ariana Grande, Paul Rudd and More Encouraged Americans to Vote in the 2022 Elections". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  49. ^ "Jordana Brewster Engaged". Us Weekly. December 8, 2006. Archived from the original on March 18, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  50. ^ "Actress Jordana Brewster Marries Movie Producer". People. May 9, 2007. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020. Form, 38...
  51. ^ Brewster and Form's representative in Finn, Natalie (September 10, 2013). "Jordana Brewster Welcomes a Baby Boy With Husband Andrew Form—Find Out His Name!". E! News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2015. ...are excited to announce the birth of their son, Julian Brewster-Form. They welcomed their son via surrogate. The parents are overjoyed.
  52. ^ Marquina, Sierra (June 14, 2016). "Jordana Brewster Welcomes Second Child With Husband Andrew Form — Find Out His Name!". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020. ...have welcomed their second child, her rep confirms to Us Weekly... Rowan Brewster-Form, was born via gestational surrogate on Thursday, June 9. ...
  53. ^ "'Fast & Furious' Star Jordana Brewster Files for Divorce". TMZ.com. July 7, 2020. Archived from the original on July 8, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020. Jordana Brewster ... filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court last week to divorce film producer Andrew Form after more than 13 years of marriage.
  54. ^ Rice, Nicholas (September 4, 2022). "Jordana Brewster Marries Mason Morfit in Ceremony Including Cars from 'Fast & Furious' Franchise". People. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  55. ^ O'Rourke, Ryan (February 22, 2022). "'Hello Stranger': Simu Liu Joins Sam Worthington and Robbie Amell in Sci-Fi Thriller". Collider. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  56. ^ Squires, John (September 18, 2024). "Valentine's Day Slasher Movie 'Heart Eyes' Coming to Theaters in February 2025". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
  57. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 18, 2024). "Sony Has 'Heart Eyes', Sets Winter 2025 Release For Spyglass Horror Rom-Com". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 18, 2024. Retrieved September 18, 2024.
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