Mae Whitman is turning 30 in a few days and what better time for an evolutionary glimpse at her acting career? If you don’t know, she’s been around for a couple decades, more in fact, and has been actively pursuing a career since she was five years old. Seriously, look at her filmography and you’ll be able to see that she’s been one of the hardest working individuals in Hollywood for a great deal of her career. Even before she was able to ride the big kid rides at Disneyland she was becoming famous, and since that time she’s been wracking up the credits and even entertaining a singing career that’s been very small next to her acting career but has remained one of her interests for some time.
A lot of people that have daughters interested in Tinkerbell might know who she is since she’s been able to voice the notoriously popular fairy for no less than six movies. She’s done a lot in her (almost) thirty years of life and has accomplished what some actors only ever get to do after working as hard as they can for an entire lifetime, she’s created a lasting career that will remain memorable for some time to come. It’s odd that a lot of people still don’t know her by name, but perhaps after watching some clips something will finally stick.
Here’s just a few examples of the evolution of Mae Whitman and how it’s gone.
When a Man Loves a Woman
How in the world would you tell a child what an alcoholic is so that they can understand? This was Whitman’s debut role on the big screen and it was a traumatizing story that showed a mother deep in the grip of alcoholism and struggling to get out. Once she did however things changed in such a way that her husband felt like the one that was detached from reality, and it took a monumental effort to get their family back to something resembling a stable group. But Whitman was so very innocent at this time that you couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for Andy Garcia’s character when his explanation, meant to be sensitive and nurturing, just wasn’t enough for his young daughter to accept.
Tinker Bell
The iconic fairy that started out her days in the film Peter Pan came to viewers in a big way in 2008 when she got her own movie. Whitman gave voice to one of the most popular characters ever to hit the Disney roster and created something that was so well-received that five more films followed after, all of them straight to DVD. That didn’t seem to matter however as Whitman and those that voiced the other fairies, including Lucy Liu and several others, created a roster that kids still know and love today. While the popularity of Tinker Bell has dimmed just a bit with the younger crowd she’s still remembered by those that grew up with her and is bound to always be a mainstay with Disney.
Parenthood
As Amber Holt she was one of the main characters on Parenthood and she was also one of the most troubled at times. The point of the whole show was to display the many different personalities and the troubles and triumphs they went through in order to learn, grow, and remain a tightly-knit family that not only loved each other but could tolerate one another. Throughout much of the show Amber had a few problems here and there with her life when it came to growing up and being the kind of adult that would hold herself accountable for her own actions. But eventually it was seen that she was getting herself on track and was bound to be someone that could fend for herself one day.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Roxy Richter seemed like more of a fun role to play than anything since this movie was fashioned in the style of a video game. What that meant is that everything was going to be insane when it came to the plot, the fights, and the backstories of each individual. Roxy was apparently the ex of Scott’s would be love interest, which is a surprising twist to him but shouldn’t be in this day and age. After being called just a phase however Roxy took it to her ex in a way that could only be described as lethal and simply outrageous. If you want a good time with a brainless but fun movie this would be a good pick.
The DUFF
If you want any evidence of how people grow and evolve then take a look at the people they become when they start getting older. As the DUFF Bianca allows the more negative connotations of the acronym to unsettle her until her friend Wesley tells her to own it, make it hers, and stop worrying what everyone else thinks. It’s a long road to acceptance, but the fact that Whitman made this role her own was something that says she’s come a long way from being the innocent little girl and has become a very confident woman at this point in her career.
Now that’s evolution.
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