Teen Queens

13 August 2008

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This week Emma Roberts, niece of Julia, continues her introduction to the big screen as spoilt brat Poppy in new chick flick Wild Child.

After tipping her father over the edge the use of getting everything her own way Poppy is shipped off to an English boarding school.

Following the success of Nancy Drew it looks like Roberts is about to become the latest teen queen and follows in the footsteps of some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Despite having very few teen movies under her belt it's Alicia Silverstone's role in Clueless, released in 1995 that makes her one of the most famous teen queens.

A witty update of Jane Austen's 1816 novel Emma Silverstone's self absorbed Cher is the queen of beauty and popularity who's only worry is what to wear for school everyday.

Her role as the spoilt brat turned matchmaker shot her to fame as it was the sleeper hit of the year as she gained national and international attention.

Lindsay Lohan became the queen of the teen movie in the early part of her career with a string of movies including Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen.

Having admitted that she would love to win an Oscar, which seems unlikely, the best she has done so far is a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favourite Movie Actress and MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance.

However her return to the teen movie this year in I Know Who Killed Me was an absolute disaster as she managed to win a Razzie for Worst Actress, I fear an Oscar may be a long way away.

Actress Kirsten Dunst backflips her way to becoming one of the best teen queens with her 2000 role as cheerleader Torrance Shipman in Bring It On.

But Dunst turned her back on the teen movie for the blockbuster picture as she went on to star as Mary Jane Watson in the Spiderman franchise, a role which brought her worldwide fame.

While Lohan reigned supreme in the nougties it was Winona Ryder who was the darling of the teen movie in the late eighties early nineties.

With Welcome Home and Mermaids to her name it was her role as Veronica in cult black comedy Heathers that proved to be her piece de resistance.

Heathers takes a new look at high school politics and teenage alienation and with the inclusion of murder/suicide is a savage satire, if somewhat humorous take, on high school life.

Despite not doing well at the box office it didn't harm her career as she went on to star in Edward Scissorhands, Little Women and Bram Stoker's Dracula.

But other actress have dabbled with the teen movie Jennifer Grey found massive with Dirty Dancing but after plastic surgery struggled working in film again.

Julia Styles also made her name in teen movies starring in Save the last Dance and alongside the late Heath Ledger in Ten Things I Hate About You, a modern version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, she has since gone on to star in the Bourne franchise.

So it seems that for many actresses starting out the teen movie has been a great vehicle for their early career and with Julia Roberts on hand to offer advice Emma is sure to find success.

Wild Child is released 15th August

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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