Blockbusters may have dominated the box office in the summer of 2007 but Hairspray stood it's ground against the special effects laden giants to become the surprise hit of the year.The musical, and adaptation of the Broadway smash, saw nineteen year old Nikki Blonsky make her big screen debut as Tracy Turnblad.Set in 1960’s Baltimore overweight teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) has one dream, to dance on the Corny Collins Show. But Tracy’s mother Edna (John Travolta) doesn’t share her daughter’s dream.Edna hasn’t left the house since 1951, because she is embarrassed about her size, and she fears that Tracy will be ridiculed and disappointed due to her weight.Velma Von Tussle (Michelle Pfeiffer) does everything to spoil Tracy’s chances. She controls the Corny Collins Show, 1960’s version of the Mickey Mouse Club, with an iron fist. She uses the show to promote her daughter Amber and is trying to ban Negro Day, where once a month African American kids dance on the show.Soon Tracy is fighting Amber for the (Miss Hairspray title), calling for integration, and trying to win the heart of Link (Zac Efron), the most popular boy in school.
Her role as the bubbly teenager shot Nikki to fame, a far cry from the job at ice cream par lour Cold Stone Creamery she left behind.
For her role as Tracy, which saw her share the screen with the like of John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer, she won Best Young Actress at the 13th Annual Critics' Choice Awards as well as being nominated for a Golden Globe, losing out to eventual Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.
Since her turn in the popular musical Nikki has been working on television movie Queen Sized.
Maggie Baker (Nikki Blonsky), is an overweight teenage girl nominated for homecoming queen by Camille, Tara and Liz, the mean popular girls at her high school.
They nominated her as a joke. Maggie decides to go for the crown and prove to everyone, including herself, that she's more than just "the fat girl".
She has also been working on Harold with Cuba Gooding Jr. that is due out later this year.
As well as her acting career Nikki has also been working on her debut album with alternative rock musician Duncan Sheik.
Her first single On A High featured in Queen Sized.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw