Annie claimed a spot in hearts around the world, first with Shirley Temple playing the
iconic role, but also thanks in part to the 1982 film adaptation's adorable lead, Aileen
Quinn — who's since gone on to live a successful life, and grown up to be gorgeous.
Although the film hit theaters nearly 40 years ago, Aileen Quinn is Orphan Annie to an entire
generation.
It doesn't matter that the musical has seen multiple Broadway revivals and remountings
over the years, nor the fact that a glitzy and successful modern reimagining of the film
starring Quvenzhané Wallis hit theaters in 2014.
Quinn even still gets recognized for the role, telling Entertainment Weekly in 2012 -
"[It] kind of blows my mind that it's been 30 years, but I still get the whole, 'You
seem familiar...
Did you date my brother?
Did we go to high school [together]?
What do I know you from?'"
Quinn's relationship with the character goes beyond her time on the big screen, too.
When she was eight years old, she nabbed a gig working in the show on Broadway, per My
Hollywood Adventure, which led to her audition for the film adaptation.
After multiple rounds and a screen test, the part was hers.
Nowadays, Annie with her bright red dress and shaggy dog, Sandy, is an iconic image,
but the film was initially a bit of a letdown in terms of box office numbers upon its release,
according to “Broadway.com” — though it's certifiably reached cult status now.
Aileen Quinn went from being a normal girl in Yardley, Pennsylvania., to a global superstar
after the premiere of Annie.
To say there was a day-and-night difference in her life would be an understatement, as
she recalled in an interview with My Hollywood Adventure -
"Suddenly I was famous.
My picture was in almost every newspaper in the country."
Still, it was not necessarily a future her parents could have anticipated, as her mother
Helenann told The New York Times back in 1982 -
"She was the little girl in kindergarten and first grade who was afraid to raise her hand."
Aileen, on the other hand, knew she wanted to be in show business at age seven when she
saw her mom was auditioning for a role.
After scoring a role in Annie Get Your Gun, the younger Quinn went on to nab numerous
commercial gigs.
Her commercial work came in handy for one of her first post-Annie gigs, where she'd
don her memorable costume to hawk orange juice.
Although she became a household name nearly overnight, Aileen Quinn certainly did not
fall prey to the typical pitfalls that face some child actors.
Ahead of her 11th birthday in 1982, The New York Times described her as -
"the epitome of kid: friendly, full of fidgets, with a patina of precocity over a personality
that is pure child."
"She's the archetype - she's the original little girl - beautiful, wonderful little
girl."
It also helped that her mother was anything but the typical stage mom.
She was never pushy with her daughter, and kept Aileen in school even after the film's
premiere, saying -
"My concern isn't so much for what she's doing now.
My concern is with the end result as a human being."
According to the Times, Aileen continued to attend Catholic private school in Yardley,
Pennsylvania, where she maintained good grades even after filming on Annie commenced.
Although the young starlet grew up receiving fan mail from admirers like Nancy Reagan,
she maintained that her life hadn't changed much in an interview with Coming Attractions
in 1982.
Following Annie's release, she continued to audition and pursue theatre roles, but there
was no big family move to Hollywood — and she liked it that way, saying -
"Once and a while when I do have breaks, I go back home and I do play with my friends
and filming to me is like playing with my friends.
Not in the same way, but it's something I enjoy."
Part of the reason Aileen Quinn's acting career slowed down after the release of 1982's Annie
was due to contractual obligations.
According to IMDb, there were plans for both an Annie 2 and an Annie 3, but neither movie
panned out.
It's unclear whether or not this was due to the first film's lackluster box office performance,
but it seems to Quinn that everything happened the way it was supposed to, as she explained
to Broadway.com in 2012 -
"I was under contract for seven years to make more Annie movies, but they never materialized.
I got to have a normal high school and a normal life outside of Hollywood."
Still, performing remained close to her heart, even though she couldn't pursue big screen
roles, and she dabbled in regional theater gigs, where she developed her craft as an
actress.
Like many musical movies before and after it, the big screen adaptation of Annie faced
its fair share of criticism.
The film might be a cult favorite for families who grew up with Little Orphan Annie, but
it only grossed $57 million on a $50 million budget, per Box Office Mojo.
And while fans of the movie unanimously adore Aileen Quinn's infectious energy and radiating
optimism -
"I'm Griddle Gorilla"
"Aileen Quinn."
"THE Aileen Quinn?
Annie?"
- critics seemed to be a bit more divided.
Quinn’s performance of Little Orphan Annie scored her two Golden Globes nominations for
new star of the year in 1983 — the same year that she was nominated for worst new
star and worst supporting actress at the satirical Razzie Awards.
It seems like the Razzies' nominating committee took the easy route in compiling their nominees,
because most critics actually praised Quinn's performance.
After Aileen Quinn's contract for Annie lapsed, she starred in a musical adaptation of the
Brothers Grimm's The Frog Prince, where she portrayed Princess Zora.
The 1986 film may not have been a box office smash, but it largely served as a transition
point in Quinn's career, showing audiences her capabilities as a teenaged actor, as well
as showcasing her singing voice.
Most notably, she sported her natural hair color for the film.
Quinn also voiced Dorothy in an animated adaptation of The Wizard of Oz.
The film was produced by Japanese entertainment powerhouse Toho, famous for creating Godzilla,
and also starred Lorne Greene.
In addition to showing us there's no place like home, Quinn sang the film's main theme,
"It's Strictly Up to You," as well as "I Dream of Home" and "A Wizard of a Day."
With Annie behind her and an impressive stage resume, Aileen Quinn took a hiatus from acting
to attend Drew University, where she majored in languages, according to Biography.
Her love for academia led to a stint teaching theater at New Jersey's Monmouth University,
where she taught drama for non-majors, as well as Acting for TV.
Funnily enough, her role as a professor had a sneaky connection to her time as Annie,
as she told Entertainment Weekly in 2012.
The college's administration building was Oliver Warbucks' mansion in the 1982 film!
"A couple years before I started teaching, I went there for a big fund-raiser to help
them raise money for education.
I went back for the first time and actually got very emotional."
It appears Quinn is no longer teaching as she's relocated to California to focus on
her acting career.
However, she told Entertainment Weekly that she enjoyed her time as a professor and got
to work with talented students.
Considering Annie started off as a Broadway hit, it's only fitting that Aileen Quinn found
a home on the stage.
Because of her contractual obligations to the character, her first big roles following
the 1982 film were in regional theater.
But even as an adult, she didn't slow down, going on to star in touring productions of
Fiddler on the Roof and Peter Pan, as well as in Shakespearean performances at The London
Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, per Biography.
Although she prefers acting for the screen, Quinn told Entertainment Weekly in 2012 that
she quickly learned the ins and outs of live performance, saying -
"In theater, you have to be louder and bigger — that was harder for many years in my teens.
But now I've conquered that.
I eat up the stage.
I love it."
And while Little Orphan Annie might be a dream character for budding young actors, Quinn
has her eyes elsewhere, telling Broadway.com in 2012 -
"One of these days in the next 10 years, I will play Evita,"
Aileen Quinn might be Little Orphan Annie to an entire generation, but she has nothing
but love for the young performers taking on the happy-go-lucky mantle behind her.
After the film adaptation of Annie celebrated its 30th anniversary, she had some wise words
for young actor Lilla Crawford, who portrayed Annie in the show's 2012 Broadway revival,
telling Broadway.com -
"She should just have fun and savor the moment.
Some of my fondest memories are being on Broadway at age eight [in Annie and Peter Pan]."
That same year, Quinn met Crawford and Andrea McArdle, who originated the role of Annie
on Broadway, for a special three generations of Annie interview with Katie Couric.
The trio even seemed to reach a consensus on their favorite musical number starring
the adorable orphan: the anthemic "It's a Hard Knock Life."
Quinn called it a great moment for the Annie characters to get out their aggression, but
added that she had another favorite as well.
"My second favorite – it’s related – they did 4th of July in the movie and I liked the
whole 4th of july tap dancing on the stairs with Albert Finney and the Big Apple circus
behind me."
Quinn also experienced the musical from a different perspective when she took on the
role of Lily St. Regis, who is portrayed by Bernadette Peters in the 1982 film, in a 2010
Colorado stage production, telling Entertainment Weekly -
"It was so much fun, but it did feel strange because I had to be mean to Annie.
And I had to be a little hoochie-mama."
Aileen Quinn has always had the pipes, so it only makes sense that she decided to form
her own band in 2011.
Aileen and the Leapin' Lizards is a rockabilly group that according to the band's website
-
"delivers with foot stompin', grooving tunes as well as the band's own unforgettable and
soulful originals."
The group released its first two albums, Spin Me and Lightning and Thunder, in 2015 and
2019, respectively, and has performed everywhere from swap meets, car shows, and rockabilly
festivals, to Disneyland.
Although rockabilly is a far cry from show tunes, the musical transition came naturally
for Quinn, who fell in love with the style after watching a VH1 special on its female
pioneers, she told Entertainment Weekly in 2012.
"When I came to L.A., I met up with some musicians and it was just meant to be,"
Unlike Annie, Aileen Quinn happens to be a natural brunette... but she still dyes her
hair red.
If her outspoken love for the character and film 40 years after its release wasn't enough,
her unshakeable affinity for the hair color says it all.
While the decision was partially based on her musical career, it's no secret that she
looks good with some scarlet locks, telling Entertainment Weekly -
"In rockabilly, it's either jet-black hair or something red.
Truly when I decided to go more red, people actually laughed.
My friends were like, 'It actually suits you perfectly; you are a sassy redhead.'"
Even after all this time, Quinn told Broadway.com that there are still some scenes that make
her emotional, especially as she reflected back on working with screen legends like Bernadette
Peters, Carol Burnett, and Albert Finney, saying -
"It's such a classic story, and realizing how great the actors were and how lucky I
was to have worked with them really just blows my mind."
The nostalgia for her big debut has its limits, though.
As Quinn told Entertainment Weekly, her closet has no red dresses, but don't fret, Annie
fans — the original costumes are still safely cared for by Quinn's mom.
Thankfully, Quinn's impact as the character extends far beyond her wardrobe, and all it
takes is one flash of her smile to bring back the joy she brought to the silver screen all
those years ago.
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