Haley Lu Richardson
started in the entertainment industry not as an actress, but as a dancer. Richardson grew up training in dance and decided to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the performing arts at just 16 years old. With no formal training or acting experience, however, Richardson began with roles as dancers and choreographers, something she already had experience with. . She even appeared as a dancer on Disney Channel’s dance-themed comedy Shake.
Although she had been acting for several years, Richardson’s big breakthrough into the acting world came from Five feet away in 2019. It’s not his best film, but it’s one of his best-known for its appeal to young adult audiences and romance fans. While it’s notable, these are actually his best film and TV projects in his career.
10
The Escort (2018)
As Louise Brooks
Most of Haley Lu Richardson’s films are set firmly in the modern day. That’s why the rare period piece is a fun find for fans who enjoy seeing Richardson completely disappear into a role.
The companion takes place in the 1920s and sees Richardson plays a young woman from Kansas who has the opportunity to train as a dancer in New York. The problem is that she needs to have a companion to accompany her, as it is not considered appropriate for a young woman to live alone. A middle-aged woman who attends one of her performances agrees to be her chaperone while she trains and auditions. The experience of living together and seeing New York from two very different points of view transforms them.
It’s something special to see Richardson here because although she has extensive dance training, few of her modern roles include dance now. This role seems the furthest from who she is, despite working as a dancer and shows her ability with movement.
9
Love at first sight (2023)
As Hadley Sullivan
Love at First Sight is a 2023 romantic comedy from director Vanessa Caswill, based on the novel by Jennifer E. Smith. The film follows Hadley and Oliver, two strangers who meet on a flight to London and share a strong connection until unforeseen circumstances separate them. However, fortunately for them, the design of love has other plans.
- Director
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Vanessa Caswill
- Release date
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September 15, 2023
- Writers
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Katie Lovejoy
- Execution time
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91 minutes
Inspired by romance The statistical probability of love at first sight, This film is a Netflix original. Netflix has been slowly adding young adult dramas to its catalog over the last five years, which have really showcased some powerhouses of talent, and this is one of them.
Richardson stars as a young woman who travels from the United States to England to attend her father’s wedding. While on the plane, she meets a young man and the two hit it off. Although they talk about almost everything, they can’t get each other’s exact contact information and then struggle to find their way back to each other.
The love story may be predictable for romantic comedy fans, but the chemistry is strong and the film’s small threads are as charming as the love story that unfolds.
8
Division (2016)
As Claire Benoit
M. Night Shyamalan’s Split follows Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with dissociative identity disorder, who kidnaps three teenage girls and imprisons them in an underground facility. When Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) realizes she can play Crumb’s personalities against each other, she begins to hatch an escape plan before being sacrificed to a creature he calls “the Beast.”
- Release date
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September 26, 2016
- Cast
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Kim Director, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson, Brad William Henke, Anya Taylor-Joy, James McAvoy, Jessica Sula
- Execution time
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1h 57m
One of Richardson’s first film roles is in the thriller To divide. The film is part of M. Night Syamalan’s surprising trilogy that includes Unbreakable and Glass also.
The film shows a man kidnapping three teenagers who are waiting for a ride home. While he holds them captive, the girls realize that he has different personalities that manifest themselvessome of which want to help them and some of which want to harm them. It’s a thriller that takes Dissociative Identity Disorder and frames it in a potentially terrifying way, which means the film hasn’t gone down well with those who work in the mental health field.
However, the performances of the cast, which includes Jessica Sula, Anya Taylor-Joy and James MacAvoy, were praised. Most of the attention was given to Taylor-Joy and MacAvoy, but Sula and Richardson also deserve praise for excelling in their scenes.
7
The White Lotus (2022)
As Portia
The White Lotus acts as a sort of anthology series, so most of the cast is new to each season of the series. Richardson appears in Season 2 as Portia, the assistant to Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya, who is the season’s best-remembered character.
Richardson’s Portia is a divisive character, but seemingly destined to be a portrait of Gen Zsomeone who is intelligent, makes bold choices in certain areas (like fashion), but also feels a sense of emptiness that leaves them apathetic. She is confident, but cannot organize her own life or pull herself together. She’s someone on the cusp of a coming-of-age story who isn’t quite there yet.
The White Lotus Season 2 received 12 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and was named one of the American Film Institute’s 2022 Best Shows of the Year.
6
After Yang (2021)
As Ada
After Yang is a science fiction drama directed by Kogonada. Set in the near future, the film follows a family’s emotional journey through grief and connection after their robotic son Yang malfunctions. Starring Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith, the narrative explores themes of memory and human experience in a technologically advanced society.
- Director
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Kogonada
- Writers
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Kogonada
- Cast
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Justin H. Min, Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja, Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, Haley Lu Richardson
- Execution time
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96 minutes
After Yang it didn’t have a wide theatrical release and many may not even know of its existence. The quiet sci-fi film, however, is a great work of art. Explores ideas of loss and what it means to be human.
He sees a family trying to fix the android they call their son when he becomes unresponsive. Richardson plays a stranger who is vital to getting into the android’s memories. She becomes a mysterious stranger here rather than comic relief or just a love interest, and it’s interesting to see this air of mystery about her.
However After Yang may not have reached a wide audience, it received much critical praise. He was named one of the IndieWire best science fiction films of the 20th century and one of the Rolling Stone’s best science fiction films of all time.
5
Colombo (2017)
Like Casey
Columbus is a drama film directed by Kogonada, starring John Cho and Haley Lu Richardson. Set in the architecturally rich city of Columbus, Indiana, the film follows a Korean-born man who forms an unexpected bond with a young woman, leading them both to reevaluate their lives and aspirations. As they explore the city’s modernist buildings, their conversations reveal deeper emotional layers and personal struggles.
- Director
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Kogonada
- Release date
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August 4, 2017
- Cast
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John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey
- Execution time
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104 minutes
…perfectly balanced, making the film feel like one of the most realistic Richardson has ever made.
Before After YangRichardson worked with director and writer Kogonada on Columbus also. Columbus was Kogonada’s directorial debut, and while both films are great, Richardson arguably gives his best performance here.
The film follows a man (John Cho) flying from South Korea to Indiana to care for his father, who is in a coma in the hospital. He was in town to give an architecture lecture when he fell ill. While there, the man forms a relationship with a young woman who works at the library and is fascinated by the local architecture.
The film is beautifully shot as it focuses on the city’s modernist buildings, combining them with the complicated lives of the characters at the center of the story. Both characters have big decisions to make and it would be easy for Richardson or Cho to go too far in their dramatic performances, but instead they are perfectly balanced, making the film feel like one of the most realistic Richardson has ever made.
4
Montana History (2021)
Like Erin
Montana Story follows estranged siblings, played by Haley Lu Richardson and Owen Teague, who reunite at their family ranch to care for their ailing father. Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel, this 2022 drama explores themes of reconciliation, family ties and the passage of time in the stark and sweeping landscapes of Montana. The film captures the emotional complexities of dealing with past trauma and finding common ground.
- Director
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David Siegel, Scott McGehee
- Release date
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May 13, 2022
- Writers
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Scott McGehee, David Siegel
- Cast
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Gilbert Owuor, Asivak Koostachin, John Ludin, Haley Lu Richardson, Rob Story, Owen Teague, Kimberly Guerrero, Eugene Brave Rock, Kate Britton
- Execution time
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114 minutes
History of Montana is one of the most moving films in Richardson’s acting history. If she’s calmly balanced Columbusshe is explosive History of Montana.
The film follows two brothers (Richardson and Owen Teague) who return to their father’s Montana ranch after he falls into a coma and is not expected to recover. They are tasked with deciding what to do with the family farm, but their decisions are complicated by the violence they have suffered in the past at the hands of their father.
Richardson’s Erin, in particular, struggles to deal with the trauma she has suffered and doesn’t understand why her own brother couldn’t help her. She can’t escape her feelings, however, as her brothers, father, and the nurse who monitors him are relatively isolated on the family farm. While Teague stands by her side, Richardson is the film’s true star.
3
On the Edge of Seventeen (2016)
As Krista
The Edge of Seventeen is a 2016 coming-of-age story starring Hailee Steinfeld, Woody Harrelson, Kyra Sedgwick, and Haley Lu Richardson. Steinfeld stars as Nadine Franklin, who is struggling to finish high school at age 17. But things get more complicated when her best friend starts dating her older brother.
- Director
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Kelly Fremon Craig
- Release date
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November 18, 2016
- Writers
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Kelly Fremon Craig
- Execution time
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104 minutes
When The limit of seventeen was released in 2016, it was only Richardson’s fifth film and her quiet work on the film may have been somewhat overshadowed by costar Hailee Steinfeld’s electric performance as a young woman struggling with her grief and feelings of betrayal.
The film follows Steinfeld’s character who is still facing the death of her father four years later and her complicated relationship with her mother and brother when she discovers that her best friend is interested in her older brother. It feels like the biggest betrayal to her that her best friend likes her brother more than her when she forces her friend to choose between them.
Richardson’s Krista is a pivotal force in the film, while Steinfeld’s character implodes. Another actor may have been completely overlooked for the role.
2
Support the Girls (2018)
Like Maci
Support the girls may be one of the most underrated comedies in Richardson’s acting history. That’s because few people outside of film festivals saw it when it premiered in 2018.
The film follows a group of employees, led by a manager played by Regina Hall, in a “breastaurant”, a bar that serves a mostly male clientele interested in watching sporting events and admiring the waiters. Richardson is a member of the wait staff working under Hall’s manager, who is just trying to keep the place running smoothly while under pressure from the big boss. As with everything that can go wrong for the team, everyone in the film gives fantastic performances.
The film, and especially Hall, were praised by critical associations. Support the girls managed to address themes of workplace inequality, domestic violence and sexism, while telling a funny and cathartic story to the audience.
1
Not Pregnant (2020)
As Veronica Clarke
Unpregnant is a comedy-drama film directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg. The story follows student Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) who, upon discovering she is pregnant, enlists her former friend Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) to travel across the country to have an abortion. The film explores themes of friendship and autonomy in the context of their journey.
- Director
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Rachel Lee Goldenberg
- Release date
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September 10, 2020
- Writers
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Jenni Hendriks, Ted Caplan, Rachel Lee Goldenberg, Bill Parker, Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
- Cast
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Haley Lu Richardson, Barbie Ferreira, Mary McCormack, Giancarlo Esposito, Alex MacNicoll
- Execution time
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104 minutes
…a buddy comedy that wears its heart on its sleeve…
In the United States, women’s health, and in particular access to abortion, tend to be hot-button political topics, so it seems like it would be incredibly difficult to get a film that centers a road trip around obtaining an abortion. This is exactly what Not pregnant and.
The film takes a serious subject – teenage pregnancy and the choices that surround it – and deals with it with a lot of humor and heart. Although Richardson’s Veronica finds her entire life turned upside down thanks to a positive pregnancy test, her decisions are treated with care and seriousness. The antics surrounding his decisions are where the humor comes in. She even asks a friend she has become estranged from to take a trip to a clinic with her.
It’s a buddy comedy that wears its heart on its sleeve and features excellent performances from the entire cast. This is unfair Haley Lu Richardson did not receive further recognition for his acting work here.