Amy Jackson | |
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Born | Douglas, Isle of Man | 31 January 1992
Other names | Amy Jackson Westwick |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2009–present |
Spouse | |
Partner | George Panayiotou (2015–2021) |
Children | 1 |
Amy Louise Jackson Westwick (born 31 January 1992) is a British actress and model known for her work in Indian films. She predominantly works in Tamil films but has appeared in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and English films. Jackson's most notable roles include Amy Wilkinson in Madrasapattinam (2010), Sarah in Singh Is Bliing (2015), and Nila in 2.0 (2018). She has won an Ananda Vikatan Cinema Award, a SIIMA Award, and a London Asian Film Festival award.
In 2007, at the age of 15, Jackson began her modeling career in the UK and has since worked with designers such as Hugo Boss, Carolina Herrera, JW Anderson, Bvlgari, and Cartier. In 2009, she was crowned Miss Teen World. She was called to London to audition for the lead role in the Tamil film Madrasapattinam (2010), winning the role despite having had no previous acting experience and beginning her career in India. She made her Hindi debut in Ekk Deewana Tha (2012), and Telugu debut in Yevadu (2014). She was featured on The Times of India 's "Most Promising Female Newcomers of 2012" and "Most Desirable Women of 2014" lists. She made her American debut as Imra Ardeen / Saturn Girl in the television series Supergirl (2017), and her British debut as Nimisha in Boogie Man (2018).
Jackson is a patron for charities such as the Sneha Sargar Orphanage for Girls. In 2018, she was honoured with the United Nations' International Day of the Girl Child Award. She is a vegan and an animal rights advocate who has been an ambassador for PETA since 2016, as well as supporting Elephant Family with their mission to reduce human-animal conflict in Asia. [1]
Amy Louise Jackson was born in Douglas, Isle of Man on 31 January 1992, [2] the daughter of Liverpool natives Marguerita and Alan Jackson. [3] She has an older sister named Alicia, who is a teacher. Jackson was raised as a Christian. [4] When Jackson was two years old, the family returned to Liverpool and lived with her grandmother in the suburb of Woolton so that her father could continue his career with BBC Radio Merseyside. Her parents later divorced. She attended St Edward's College in the suburb of West Derby and intended to take her A-Levels in English literature, philosophy, and ethics before she was cast in her first film. [5] [6] [7]
After winning the Miss Teen Liverpool and Miss Teen Great Britain pageants, Jackson won the title of Miss Teen World in 2009, [8] which resulted in a modelling contract in the US.[ citation needed ] In 2009, Jackson started her modelling career with the Northern-based modelling agency, Boss Model Management, and then went on to sign with her London agency, Models 1. [9] [10] She won Miss Liverpool in 2010. She competed for the Miss England title in 2010 and was crowned the runner-up to Jessica Linley. [11]
In 2010, Indian film producers spotted Jackson's photo on the Miss Teen World website and invited her to audition for the Tamil period-drama film Madrasapattinam (2010). Despite having had no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead opposite Arya. The film, set against the backdrop of Pre-Independence India, tells the story of a British Governor's daughter who falls in love with a village boy. Jackson admitted that it was very difficult to learn the Tamil dialogues. The film was released on 9 July 2010; it was praised by critics and performed well at the box office, [12] with Jackson gaining praise for her performance. Sify wrote, "It is an out and out Amy Jackson show. She is simply amazing to deliver lines in Tamil, and is one good reason to see the film". [13] Behindwoods wrote, "The one who walks away with the top honours is Amy Jackson for a beautiful portrayal of a lady torn between her love and the mighty empire. She looks absolutely beautiful, emotes well through her expressive eyes and is able to earn the sympathy of the audiences during tough times". [14] Rediff wrote, "Amy Jackson is almost perfect as the wide-eyed young girl who is seeing India for the first time, fascinated by its culture". [15]
In 2011, she was signed by Gautham Vasudev Menon to play the female lead opposite Prateik Babbar in Ekk Deewana Tha (2012), the Hindi remake of the 2010 hit romantic drama film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa . She essayed the role played by Trisha in the original, of Jessie, a Malayali Nasrani Christian who falls in love with a Hindu boy, but is prevented from pursuing the romance by her father. [16] The film was released in February 2012. Jackson received praise for her performance and for her chemistry with Babbar, with BehindWoods stating that "she has done wonders," and the Times of India saying that "she never disappoints." [17]
In September 2012, Jackson made her return to Tamil cinema with a supporting role in Thaandavam (2012), starring opposite Vikram and Anushka Shetty. She was signed for the film in 2011 and shooting took place in India and London, enabling Jackson to return to see her family and friends. It was her second collaboration with director A. L. Vijay after Madrasapattinam (2010). She played the role of Sarah Vinayagam, a British-born Anglo-Indian girl who wins the Miss London title. She received her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil at the 60th Filmfare Awards South ceremony. [18]
Jackson made her debut in Telugu cinema with the Vamshi Paidipally's Yevadu (2014) alongside Ram Charan and Shruti Haasan, playing the role of Shruti. [19] Jackson next starred as supermodel Diya in Shankar's romantic thriller film, whose title is simply I (2015), the biggest project in her career. [20] The making of the film, one of the most costly Indian films to date, [21] took over two-and-a-half years, with a major part of the film being shot in China. [22] The film was released on 14 January 2015 and received a mixed critical response, although Jackson's performance received favorable reviews. [23] [24] Deccan Chronicle wrote that she was "simply superb. She is another highlight of the film and has given a mature performance", [25] while Sify noted that she was "the biggest surprise packet in the film" and "perfect eye candy". [26] Consequently, she was ranked #1 in The Times of India, Chennai Edition list of the most desirable women in 2014. [27]
After I (2015), Jackson signed on to Prabhu Deva's Singh Is Bliing (2015), opposite Akshay Kumar. [28] [29] She had signed on to be part of Venkat Prabhu's supernatural thriller Masss (2015), but opted out of it later when the script and her character were changed. [30] Instead, she signed on to Velraj's Thanga Magan (2015) alongside Dhanush and Samantha Ruth Prabhu.
Soon after, Jackson starred in Thirukumaran's Gethu (2016), portraying an Anglo-Indian girl, for which she won positive reviews, . [31] She has been shooting for a "gritty BBC drama series", on which she declined to further elaborate. [22] She then portrayed the lead female role in Atlee's Theri (2016), featured alongside Vijay while portraying a Malayali teacher. Her performance received positive reviews and her role as a teacher was well appreciated. Upon release, the film went on to become one of the most profitable Tamil films of all time.[ citation needed ]
On 25 September 2017, it was announced that Jackson had been cast in her first Hollywood role as Imra Ardeen, aka Saturn Girl, in The CW's superhero drama series Supergirl (2017). The character made her first appearance in the third season. [32] The series, based on DC characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, is produced by Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros Television.
Jackson has played Sita in Prem's Kannada film The Villain (2018) alongside Shiva Rajkumar and Sudeep. She starred as the andro-humanoid robot Nila in Shankar's film 2.0 (2018) alongside Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar. After a five-year hiatus, Jackson returned to film with Mission: Chapter 1 . [33] [34]
Jackson is a practicing Christian. [4] In 2017, Jackson spoke about her observance of the Western Christian liturgical season of Lent on its first day, Ash Wednesday. [35] [36]
In 2011, during the filming of Ekk Deewana Tha (2012), Jackson began a relationship with Prateik Babbar, an Indian actor. They broke up in 2012. [37] [38]
Jackson lived in Mumbai from 2011 to 2015, then relocated to London. [39] She began dating hotelier George Panayiotou, the son of English-Cypriot businessman Andreas Panayiotou, in December 2015. [40] [41] They became engaged in Zambia on 1 January 2019. Their son was born on 19 September 2019. [42] [43] The couple later broke up at an unknown date in 2021. Jackson began dating English actor Ed Westwick in 2022. [44] They became engaged on 29 January 2024, [45] and got married on 24 August 2024. She later changed her name to Amy Jackson Westwick. [46] On 31 October, Jackson announced she was pregnant with her second child with Westwick. [47]
Jackson is a regular attendee at BAFTA, Cannes Film Festival, British Fashion Awards and International Fashion Weeks. [48] [49] [50] [51] [ non-primary source needed ] In 2017 she was chosen as the muse for L'Agence at The Green Carpet Fashion Awards during Milan Fashion Week. She has been featured in editorials for fashion magazines like Vogue, Marie Clare, Cosmopolitan, ELLE. [52] [53] [54]
Jackson is an ambassador and spokesperson for charities such as Being Human, [55] [56] Cash and Rocket, [57] St. Jude's Hospital in Mumbai, and the Girl Child education program in India. [58] In 2014, she posed with her rescue cat in a PETA campaign promoting the adoption of animals from shelters.
Year | Title | Role(s) | Language(s) | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | Madrasapattinam | Amy Wilkinson / Duraiammal | Tamil | [59] | |
2012 | Ekk Deewana Tha | Jessie Thekekuthu | Hindi | [60] [61] | |
Thaandavam | Sara Vinayagam Pillai | Tamil | |||
2014 | Yevadu | Shruthi | Telugu | [62] [63] | |
2015 | I | Diya | Tamil | ||
Singh Is Bliing | Sara Rana | Hindi | |||
Thanga Magan | Hema D'Souza | Tamil | |||
2016 | Gethu | Nandhini Ramanujan | Tamil | ||
Theri | Annie | Tamil | |||
Freaky Ali | Megha | Hindi | |||
Devi | Jennifer | Tamil | Special appearance in the song, "Chal Maar", Trilingual film | ||
Abhinetri | Telugu | ||||
Tutak Tutak Tutiya | Krishna's crush | Hindi | |||
2018 | Boogie Man | Nimisha | English | [64] | |
The Villain | Sita | Kannada | [65] [66] | ||
2.0 | Nila | Tamil | |||
2024 | Mission: Chapter 1 | Sandra James | [33] | ||
Crakk | Patricia Novak | Hindi | [67] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017–2018 | Supergirl | Imra Ardeen | Recurring role (season 3 and 9 episodes) |
Gautham Vasudev Menon is an Indian film director, screenwriter, film producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil film industry. He has also directed Telugu and Hindi films that were either simultaneously shot with or remakes of his own Tamil films. He has won two National Film Awards, three Nandi Awards and one Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Edward Jack Peter Westwick is an English actor and musician best known for his role as Chuck Bass on The CW's Gossip Girl as well as Vincent Swan in the TV series White Gold. He made his feature film debut in Children of Men (2006) and has since appeared in the films Breaking and Entering (2006), Son of Rambow (2007), S. Darko (2009), Chalet Girl (2011), J. Edgar (2011), Romeo & Juliet (2013), Bone in the Throat (2015), Freaks of Nature (2015), Billionaire Ransom (2016) and Me You Madness (2021).
Madrasapattinam is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language historical romantic drama film written and directed by A. L. Vijay. The film stars Arya and Amy Jackson, in her feature film debut, while Nassar, Cochin Hanifa, Lisa Lazarus, and Alexx O'Nell play other prominent roles. The music was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar with editing by Anthony and cinematography by Nirav Shah. The film was released on 9 July 2010 and became a box office success.
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, starring Silambarasan and Trisha. Jointly produced by Elred Kumar, Jayaraman, VTV Ganesh and P. Madan under the banner Escape Artists Motion Pictures and RS Infotainment, the film was distributed by Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies. The story was simultaneously shot in Telugu as Ye Maaya Chesave, starring Naga Chaitanya and Samantha.
Prateik Patil Babbar is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The son of late actress Smita Patil and former MP Raj Babbar, he began his career as a production assistant before pursuing an acting career. Prior to his screen debut, Babbar appeared in television advertisements for a variety of products, including Nestle KitKat, on the recommendation of the filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar. Since his debut in Bollywood, Babbar has received accolades such as a Filmfare Award and a Stardust Award.
Anjali is an Indian actress who primarily works in Tamil and Telugu films. Anjali is recognised as one of the finest actors in Tamil films, known for her "performance-oriented roles". She is a recipient of several accolades including three Filmfare Awards South and two Nandi Awards.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. One of South India's highest-paid actresses, Samantha is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards South and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.
Ye Maaya Chesave is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Samantha in her debut as lead. It was produced by Manjula Ghattamaneni under the banner Indira Productions with soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman. The film featured cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa, editing by Anthony Gonsalves, and dialogue by Umarji Anuradha.
A. L. Vijay, known professionally as Vijay, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Tamil film industry. An assistant director with Priyadarshan, he debuted as director with films such as Kireedam (2007), Madrasapattinam (2010), Deiva Thirumagal (2011) and Thaandavam (2012).
"Hosanna/Hosaanaa" is a Tamil/Telugu/Hindi song from the 2010 Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa,Telugu film Ye Maaya Chesave and 2012 Hindi film Ekk Deewana Tha composed by A. R. Rahman, sung by Vijay Prakash and Suzanne D'Mello featuring Tamil lyrics by Thamarai, and the rap portion in all versions by Blaaze. The song features additional vocals by Vivek Agarwal, Dr. Narayan, V. V. Prasanna and Haricharan and chorus by K. M. Music Conservatory. In the 2012 Hindi remake of the film, Ekk Deewana Tha the song was written by Javed Akhtar sung by Leon D'Souza and Maria Roe Vincent and the interlude Hosanna humming by Suzanne D'Mello. The song became very popular in all versions and was #1 in the year end music charts of 2010.
Alexander Leonard O'Neill is an American actor and musician who is based in India and South Africa and has appeared in films, series, and music videos in English and Indian languages. He is best known for Ae Watan Mere Watan, Khufiya, Golondaaj, Roohi, Aarya, Main Aur Charles, Cheeni Kum, Madrasapattinam, Joker, Yeti Obhijaan, Chittagong and Urumi.
Ekk Deewana Tha is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, featuring Prateik Babbar, Amy Jackson, and Manu Rishi in lead roles. The film is a remake of Menon's own 2010 bilingual film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (Tamil) / Ye Maaya Chesave (Telugu). It features reused soundtrack and film score composed by A. R. Rahman, while the cinematography and editing were handled by M. S. Prabhu and Anthony Gonsalves, respectively.
Spanish Masala is a 2012 Indian romantic comedy film directed by Lal Jose. The film stars Dileep, Daniela Zacherl, Kunchacko Boban, Biju Menon, Javier Sandoval and Nelson Sooranad. With Nivin Pauly and Archana Kavi In Cameo appearance.In the film, Charlie, an impressionist works at an Indian restaurant in Spain, he becomes close to his employer's blind daughter by imitating her lost boyfriend's voice and tries to reunite them. Spanish Masala was released on 20 January 2012 to positive reviews from critics but the film was not commercial successful at box office. It has since developed a cult status.
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Thaandavam (transl. Dance) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir action thriller film written and directed by A. L. Vijay. The film stars an ensemble cast with Vikram, Jagapati Babu, Anushka Shetty, Amy Jackson, Lakshmi Rai, Nassar, Santhanam, Raj Arjun and Saranya in pivotal roles It is produced by UTV Motion Pictures and features music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar. Thaandavam was released worldwide on 28 September 2012.
Ekk Deewana Tha is the soundtrack album, composed by A. R. Rahman to the 2012 Indian romantic drama film of the same name, written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon, featuring Prateik Babbar, Amy Jackson, in her Bollywood debut, and Manu Rishi in the lead roles. This film is a remake of Gautham Menon's own Tamil film, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa or the Telugu film, Ye Maaya Chesave. The soundtrack album was released at Lawns of Taj Khema, eastern gate of The Taj Mahal, Agra, by A. R. Rahman on 21 December 2011.
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Samantha Ruth Prabhu is an Indian actress who has appeared predominantly in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her acting debut with a small role in Gautham Vasudev Menon's Tamil film Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa. She had her first lead role in 2010 with Gautham Vasudev Menon's Telugu romance film Ye Maaya Chesave. The film earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South and a Nandi Award. In 2012, Samantha featured in live action Telugu-Tamil bilingual project Eega. The film received positive reviews in both Telugu and Tamil languages and it was one of the highest-grossing Telugu films of the year, earning ₹1.15 billion globally. Her performance as a micro artist who runs a NGO and takes revenge for the murder of her lover earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Actress. In the same year, she appeared in the trilingual romantic drama Neethaane En Ponvasantham (2012). The film earned her praise from critics, and Samantha won her first Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress. 2012 became her most prolific award-winning year and she secured further recognition for Best Actress at the Vijay Awards, Santosham Film Awards and the CineMAA Awards. Popular playback singer and dubbing artist Chinmayi Sripada has been the voice of Samantha in most of her Telugu language films right from her debut in Ye Maaya Chesave. She has also dubbed for Samantha in a few of her Tamil and Hindi language films.
However, Amy Jackson says, "I am a Christian and since the age of five I have been singing...chanting hymns containing the word Hosanna. I have been brought up in a family that is Christian and the majority of Christians in this country agree with it and there is a small number, who have a problem with it."
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