Briana Evigan

Last updated

Briana Evigan
Briana Evigan LF adjust.jpg
Evigan at the premiere of Step Up 2: The Streets, 2008
Born (1986-10-23) October 23, 1986 (age 38)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma mater Los Angeles Valley College
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
Years active1996–present
Spouse Damien Mander [1] [2]
Children1 [3]
Parent Greg Evigan (father)
Relatives Jason Evigan (brother)
Vanessa Lee Evigan (sister)

Briana Evigan (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress and dancer best known for her roles in the Step Up series and for her scream queen roles in numerous horror films. [4] Born in Los Angeles, Evigan is the daughter of actor Greg Evigan and his wife Pamela, a dancer, model and choreographer. She began dancing and acting at a young age, graduating from Los Angeles Valley College with a degree in speech and communication.

Contents

Evigan began dancing professionally and appeared in numerous music videos, most notably "Numb" by Linkin Park (2003). She also started acting and had small roles in films such as Bottom's Up (2006) and television series such as Fear Itself (2008). She made her breakthrough when she appeared as Andrea "Andie" West in the dance film Step Up 2: The Streets (2008). She has since been noted as a Scream Queen for starring in numerous horror and thriller films, including S. Darko (2009), Sorority Row (2009), Burning Bright (2010), Mother's Day (2010), The Devil's Carnival (2012), Stash House (2012), Mine Games (2012), Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival (2016) and the second season of From Dusk till Dawn: The Series (2015). [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Early and personal life

Evigan was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Pamela C. Serpe, a dancer, model and actress, and actor Greg Evigan. [10] She has Polish (from her paternal grandmother) and Italian (from her maternal grandfather) heritage. [11] She is the youngest of three siblings, with brother Jason and sister Vanessa. [10] She has studied dance since she was nine. [12] She is one of the singers and plays keyboards in the group Moorish Idol. [13] In October 2023, she married Damien Mander, with whom she has one child.

Career

A professional dancer, Evigan has appeared in music videos for Linkin Park, Flo Rida, T-Pain and Enrique Iglesias. She has also had small roles in television series and films such as Bottom's Up , Something Sweet and Fear Itself .

In 2008, she won the breakout role of Andie West in the sequel to the 2006 dance drama Step Up , Step Up 2: The Streets . Filming took place in late 2007 in Baltimore and was released February 14, 2008. The film, which met with negative reviews with Rotten Tomatoes (receiving 24%), achieved box office success earning a worldwide gross of $148,424,320. Both Evigan and co-star Robert Hoffman earned the Best Kiss Award at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards.

In 2009, S. Darko , a sequel to the 2001 cult-hit horror Donnie Darko , was released. Evigan played Samantha Darko's best friend, Corey. The film stars James Lafferty and Ed Westwick. A theatrical release was scrapped and was released Straight-to-DVD on May 12, 2009. Unlike Donnie Darko, the film received negative reviews.

In August 2008, Summit Entertainment announced Evigan has signed on to portray the central character Cassidy Tappan in the remake of the low-budget horror film Sorority Row . The screenplay was written by Good Luck Chuck writer Josh Stolberg and directed by Stewart Hendler. The film was budgeted at $12,500,000. Evigan stars alongside Audrina Patridge, Rumer Willis and Jamie Chung. Sorority Row was released on September 11, 2009, and debuted at No. 6 at the box office and earned worldwide $26,735,797. Critical reception was mixed to negative. Evigan's performance was well received by critics. The leading female cast members earned a ShoWest Award for "Female Stars of Tomorrow" in April 2009. The DVD release was February 23, 2010.

In January 2009, Evigan was confirmed by Lionsgate to star in Burning Bright . She plays the lead female role, Kelly Taylor. In the film, "A young woman and her autistic brother find themselves trapped in their house with a ravenous tiger during a hurricane". Critical reception was extremely positive. Despite this, the film was announced to be released Straight-to-DVD on August 17, 2010. [14]

In February 2009, Evigan announced in an interview she has signed on for another remake. The film will be a remake of the cult slasher horror film Mother's Day and will be directed by Darren Lynn Bousman, best known for his work with previous Lionsgate films such as the Saw trilogy. Bousman previously directed Evigan in an episode of Fear Itself in 2008. The film will co-star A. J. Cook and Jaime King. The film has suffered numerous push backs, and was finally released on May 8, 2012, on DVD and Blu-ray. The film was also part of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

Evigan played the central character in the indie drama romance film Subject: I Love You . [15]

Evigan at the New York Comic Con, 2012 10.12.12BrianaEviganByLuigiNovi.jpg
Evigan at the New York Comic Con, 2012

She stars in The Devil's Carnival , a short film that got a 30 city world tour that began on April 15, 2012. [16] Evigan later confirmed that she had reprised her role in its sequel, The Devil's Carnival: Alleluia! , which was released in late 2015.

In 2011, during a UStream, Evigan announced that she was working in a TV series with her family, though nothing has been confirmed yet. She was scheduled to star as the protagonist of Left for Red: Betrayal, the first of a trilogy which centered on a young woman seeking vengeance on the soldiers who sold her to a sex trafficking group, but has been shelved due to budget issues.

In 2014, Evigan reprised her role as Andie West in the fifth installment of the Step Up series, Step Up: All In . She was later cast in Love Is All You Need? as Jude, a heterosexual woman living in a world where homosexuality is right, and heterosexuality is the wrong.

In 2015, Evigan announced, via Twitter that she would be recurring, alongside Danny Trejo in the second season of the Action-Vampire TV Series From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series as Sonja, "an American expatriate working as a tattoo artist in a Mexican Mercado – who also has a sideline forging papers and passports out of her back room". The season premiered August 25, 2015, on El Rey.

In 2017, she joined director James Kicklighter's Angel of Anywhere, with co-stars David A. Gregory, Ser'Darius Blain and introducing Axel Roldos. [17] [18] [19]

In 2023, Evigan collaborated with Veldskoen Shoes, a South African shoe brand to create "MoveMe" Ranger boots. [20]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1996 Spectre Aubrey Southalso known as House of the Damned, Escape to Nowhere
2006 Bottoms Up High School Girl
2008 Step Up 2: The Streets Andrea "Andie" West
2009 S. Darko Corey Richardson
Sorority Row Cassidy Tappan
2010 Burning Bright Kelly Taylor
Mother's Day Annette Langstonco-wrote, sang end credit song Better Than Yesterday
Monster HeroesSvector Orlaff
2011 Subject: I Love You Butterfly
2012 Rites of Passage Penelope
The Devil's Carnival Ms. Merrywood
Stash House Emma Nash
Mine Games Lyla
2013She Loves Me NotCharlotte
2014 Puncture Wounds Tanyaalso known as A Certain Justice
Step Up: All In Andrea "Andie" West
Lap Dance Tasha
Paranormal IslandIvy
2016 Monday at 11:01 A.M. Olivia
ToYChloe
Love Is All You Need? Jude Klein
The Devil's Carnival: Alleluia! Ms. Merrywood
2018My Husband's Secret WifeMelanie
River Runs Red Marilyn

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008 Fear Itself HelenEpisode: "New Year's Day"
2012A Star for ChristmasCassie DrakeTelevision film (Ion)
2013 Longmire BrandyEpisode: "Carcasses"
2015 From Dusk till Dawn: The Series Sonja LamRecurring role; 8 episodes
2015Once Upon a HolidayKatherine "Katie" HollingtonTelevision film (Hallmark)
2017The Good NannySummer PrattTelevision film (Lifetime)

Music videos

YearTitleArtist
2003"Numb" [21] Linkin Park
2008"Low" [22] Flo Rida featuring T-Pain
"Push" [23] Enrique Iglesias featuring Lil Wayne
"Church" [24] T-Pain
"I Don't Think When I Dance" [25] Herself
2009"Get U Home" [26] [27] Shwayze
2018"Give Me Your Hand" Shannon K
2020"Never Alone" (Paul Oakenfold & Varun Remix) Emmanuel Kelly

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRefs
2008 MTV Movie Awards Best Kiss (with Robert Hoffman) Step Up 2: The Streets Won [28]
Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Breakout FemaleStep Up 2: The StreetsNominated
2009Sho West AwardsFemale Star of Tomorrow (with Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung,
Audrina Patridge and Margo Harshman)
Sorority Row Won
2016FilmOut Audience AwardsBest ActressToYWon [29]
2023Vegas Movie AwardsBest Woman FilmmakerMoveMe South AfricaWon [30]

Related Research Articles

<i>Saw II</i> 2005 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Saw II is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Erik Knudsen, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell. In the film, a group of ex-convicts are trapped by the Jigsaw Killer inside a house and must pass a series of deadly tests to retrieve the antidote for a nerve agent that will kill them in two hours.

Sheri Moon Zombie is an American actress, model, dancer, and fashion designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Carpenter</span> American actress (born 1979)

Jennifer Carpenter is an American actress. She garnered wide attention for her role as the titular character in the supernatural horror film The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005), which established her as a scream queen. She rose to prominence for playing Debra Morgan in the crime drama series Dexter (2006–2013), which she reprised in the miniseries Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022). Her accolades include a MTV Movie Award and a Saturn Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Television Award and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. J. Soles</span> American film and television actress

Pamela Jayne Soles is a retired American actress. She made her film debut in 1976 as Norma Watson in Brian De Palma's Carrie (1976) before portraying Lynda van der Klok in John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) and Riff Randell in Allan Arkush's Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979).

<i>Saw III</i> 2006 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Saw III is a 2006 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and a story by Whannell and James Wan. It is the third installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2005's Saw II, starring Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, and Dina Meyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Hoffman (actor)</span> American actor and producer

Robert James Hoffman III is an American actor, producer, dancer, and choreographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Larose</span> American actor

J. Adam Larose is a Navajo actor.

<i>Step Up 2: The Streets</i> 2008 American film

Step Up 2: The Streets is a 2008 American dance film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Toni Ann Johnson and Karen Barna. The film is the sequel to Step Up (2006) and the second installment in the Step Up film series. It stars Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Will Kemp, and Cassie Ventura.

James Cotten is an American actor, film director, film producer, and writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darren Lynn Bousman</span> American film director and screenwriter

Darren Lynn Bousman is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the Saw films: Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV, and Spiral. He also directed the horror musicals Repo! The Genetic Opera and The Devil's Carnival movies. Bousman is co-creator and writer of alternate reality games (ARG) and immersive experiences, The Tension Experience (2016), The Lust Experience (2017), Theatre Macabre (2018), iConfidant (2020), and One Day Die (2020).

<i>S. Darko</i> 2009 film by Chris Fisher

S. Darko, also known as S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Chris Fisher and starring Daveigh Chase, Briana Evigan, and Ed Westwick. It is a sequel to the 2001 cult film Donnie Darko.

<i>Sorority Row</i> 2009 American film

Sorority Row is a 2009 American slasher film directed by Stewart Hendler and written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger. A remake of the 1982 film The House on Sorority Row, the film stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge, and Carrie Fisher. It follows a group of sorority sisters who cover up the accidental death of a fellow sister after a prank goes horribly wrong. Eight months later, a masked killer begins stalking and murdering the girls on the night of their graduation for their role in the cover up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrance Zdunich</span> American artist

Terrance Zdunich is an American artist, singer, actor, writer, composer, producer, illustrator and storyboard artist. He is most known for his role as GraveRobber in Repo! The Genetic Opera, as Lucifer in The Devil's Carnival films, and Mister Tender in American Murder Song.

<i>Mothers Day</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Darren Lynn Bousman

Mother's Day is a 2010 American psychological horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. It is a loose remake of Charles Kaufman's Mother's Day and was written by Scott Milam and produced by Brett Ratner. The film stars Rebecca De Mornay, Jaime King, Briana Evigan, Patrick Flueger, Deborah Ann Woll, Matt O'Leary, Jessie Rusu and Shawn Ashmore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gianni Capaldi</span> Scottish actor

Gianni ‘Aldi’ Capaldi is a Scottish actor and film and television producer.

<i>The Barrens</i> (film) 2012 American film

The Barrens is a 2012 American horror film written and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Stephen Moyer and Mia Kirshner.

<i>The Devils Carnival</i> 2012 American film

The Devil's Carnival is a 2012 American musical horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and starring Sean Patrick Flanery, Briana Evigan, Jessica Lowndes, Paul Sorvino, Emilie Autumn and Terrance Zdunich. The film marks the second collaboration of Bousman and writer/actor Terrance Zdunich, their previous work being the musical film Repo! The Genetic Opera. The film also brings back several of the cast members of Repo!, such as Sorvino, Alexa Vega, Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre. The Devil's Carnival has Aesop's Fables and other folklore at the core of its story, with the main characters each representing a fable. Flanery's character John represents "Grief and His Due", Evigan's character Merrywood represents "The Dog and Its Reflection", and Lowndes' character Tamara represents "The Scorpion and the Frog", an animal fable that seems to have first emerged in Russia.

<i>Puncture Wounds</i> 2014 American film

Puncture Wounds is a 2014 American action film directed by Giorgio Serafini and James Coyne, and starring Cung Le, Dolph Lundgren, Vinnie Jones, and Briana Evigan. The film follows John Nguyen, a war veteran suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. After he rescues a prostitute, Hollis, a local crime lord, marks them for death. It was released direct to video in the United States on March 11, 2014, followed by a limited release in other countries.

<i>Alleluia! The Devils Carnival</i> 2015 American film

Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival is a 2015 American musical fantasy horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Terrance Zdunich. It is a direct sequel to Bousman's 2012 film The Devil's Carnival. Production commenced in August 2014 and the film was released on August 11, 2015 by Cleopatra Films.

<i>Step Up: All In</i> 2014 American film

Step Up All In is a 2014 American dance film directed by Trish Sie and written by John Swetnam. The film is the sequel to Step Up Revolution (2012) and the fifth and final installment in the Step Up film series. It stars Ryan Guzman, Briana Evigan, Stephen "tWitch" Boss, Misha Gabriel, Izabella Miko, Alyson Stoner, and Adam Sevani.

References

  1. "Briana Evigan on Instagram".
  2. "Damien Mander on Instagram".
  3. "Briana Evigan on Instagram: "Best year of my life… I can't believe it's been a month with our son. The days keep getting better and better. I can't wait to find out what comes next. 🧡"".
  4. "Today in History: October 23". The Associated Press . October 23, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  5. "Hot 10: Briana Evigan". maxim.com. Maxim. May 5, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  6. Leavengood, John. "The Scream Queens of Film: Briana Evigan". moviesfilmsandflix.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  7. Hoare, Peter. "10 Hot Actresses Who Should Stop Doing Horror Movies". complex.com. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  8. "Briana Evigan". listal.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  9. Z., Jamie (October 23, 2014). "15 MOST SCREAM QUEEN FILLED FILMS". houseofgeekery.com. House of Geekery. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Virginia Rohan (March 9, 1999). "New sitcom's dad role is a familiar job for Greg Evigan". The Record .
  11. brianaeviganfanchat (November 14, 2011). "Briana Evigan on UStream.tv – November 24, 2011". UStream . Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  12. BRIANA EVIGAN Interview at Dizzy Feet Foundation Dance Show November 29, 2009 on YouTube.
  13. Moorish Idol at MySpace Music.
  14. Michael Allen (August 15, 2010). "A Tiger is Burning Bright on DVD August 17th". 28dayslateranalysis.com. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  15. Flisha. ""Subject: I Love You" Stars Jericho Rosales and Briana Evigan". randomdetox.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  16. "Darren Bousman Opens The Devil's Carnival". Dread Central. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 7, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. "Angel of Anywhere". IMDb . January 6, 2018.
  19. "Angel of Anywhere (2018) | Briana Evigan & Ser'Darius Blain".
  20. Lifestyle, Aspire (February 9, 2023). "Hollywood's Briana Evigan, and local shoe company, Veldskoen join forces to create a social impact shoe". Aspire Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  21. Numb | Linkin Park | Music Video | MTV
  22. FLO Rida feat. T.Pain Music from the Movie Step Up 2 'Low' on YouTube.
  23. Enrique Iglesias – Push ft. Lil Wayne on YouTube.
  24. Video Clip T-Pain : Church at clipzik.com.
  25. I Don't Think When I Dance at Sammy Smith's website
  26. Shwayze – Get U Home on YouTube.
  27. Eric Ditzian (August 28, 2009). "Shwayze Stages 'Hot, Sweaty, Sexy Dance Party' For 'Get U Home' Video". mtv.com. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2010..
  28. "MTV Movie Awards 2008". mtv.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  29. "FilmOut 2016 Festival and Audience Awards results". San Diego Gay and Lesbian News. June 20, 2016. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  30. "August 2023 Edition".