Career
At the age of 2, Ladd began appearing in commercials. Her first commercial was for Polaroid. She began acting in film and television while in school, working with her mother in films such as The Girl Who Came Between Them (1990) and Broken Promises: Taking Emily Back (1993). After graduating high school, she took up acting professionally.
In 1994, she guest appeared in the NBC series Saved by the Bell: The New Class episode "The Return of Screech", and followed that appearance with a role opposite Alyssa Milano in the horror-thriller feature Embrace of the Vampire. She was going to play the role of Amy Blue in the teen drama film The Doom Generation (1995), until her mother vetoed her playing the role, at last minute. She spent the majority of the 1990s appearing in a variety of independent films, including Inside Out, Nowhere (for which she gained a wider attention), Stand-ins, and Taking the Plunge. In 1999, she landed her first high-profile role as a popular teenager who tortures Drew Barrymore's character in the teen comedy Never Been Kissed, during its filming, Barrymore – who also produced the film – asked Ladd if she would like to appear in her film adaptation of Charlie's Angels (2000), but turned it down. She was voted one of the "100 Sexiest Women In The World" by Stuff magazine.
She appeared in The Specials (2000), a comedy about a group of superheroes on their day off; in the film she played a neurotic named Nightbird. That year, she had the starring role as an actress who vying for an Academy Award in E! first original film Best Actress. Ladd established herself as an independent film actress, appearing in films such as Boys Life 3 and Darkened Room. She starred as the lead role in Eli Roth's 2002 horror film Cabin Fever, which was a moderate success at the box office. In 2004, she won the role of Penelope in the horror film Club Dread, and starred in the direct-to-video horror Madhouse. Ladd appeared opposite Anna Faris, Ryan Reynolds, and Justin Long in the independent romantic comedy Waiting..., which opened in the U.S. on October 7, 2005.
After small role in the film Inland Empire (2006), she was cast as Shanna in Quentin Tarantino's segment Death Proof of the film Grindhouse. She won acclaim for her performance as the character Madeline Matheson in the horror film Grace. It was screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. In 2010, she starred as Cynthia in Wishing Well, a made-for-television film about a journalist from New York City who gets sent to a small town in Illinois to report on a legendary wishing well. She also stars in a project entitled First Dates, playing the character Joanna.
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Famous quotes containing the word career:
“They want to play at being mothers. So let them. Expressing tenderness in their own way will not prevent girls from enjoying a successful career in the future; indeed, the ability to nurture is as valuable a skill in the workplace as the ability to lead.”
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