Helena Howard


Kaitlyn Helena Howard is an American actress. She is known for her breakout role in Josephine Decker's film Madeline's Madeline, which was hailed by IndieWire as one of the 50 best performances of the 2010s decade.

Early life

Howard was born on July 23, 1998 in New York City. Her parents, both artists, are Julia Binet and Will Howard. Her mother is of Scandinavian and Eastern European descent, and her father is an African American of mixed descent. She has a younger brother named Liam. Howard grew up in the New Jersey area, and attended the Academy for Performing Arts.

Career

After she was discovered by Josephine Decker in 2014 at the Union County Teen Arts Festival, where Decker was a judge, Howard starred in her critically acclaimed feature film Madeline's Madeline. This served as Howard's screen debut and she played the titular role.
Howard was one of the participants of the festival, and recited a monologue from Blackbird by David Harrower. When she finished, Decker said of Howard's performance that it was "the best she had seen" in her life, and both of them started crying. After the show ended, Decker and Howard exchanged some information, and met up a month or so later; Howard ultimately helped develop the story of the film through several improvisation workshops with Decker and others.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2018. It was released on August 10, 2018, by Oscilloscope Laboratories. The film received critical acclaim, particularly for Howard's performance, which was hailed by IndieWire as one of the 50 best performances of the 2010s decade.
Howard's next role was in the short film Twist, which has its world premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.

Upcoming projects

Howard is slated to appear as Cleo in the upcoming film Shoplifters of the World, and has been cast as Nora in the pilot of Amazon's The Wilds.

Filmography

Film

Denotes films that have not yet been released

YearTitleRoleDirectorNotes
2018Madeline's MadelineMadelineJosephine Decker
2019TwistHannahAly MiglioriShort
TBAShoplifters of the WorldCleoStephen KijakPost-production

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultReference
2018Gotham AwardsBreakthrough ActorMadeline's Madeline
2018Independent Spirit AwardsBest Female LeadMadeline's Madeline