Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2016 | Page 45

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here’s just something enticing and intriguing about the
redheaded, green-eyed acclaimed film and TV actress,
Julianne Moore. The 56-year old flaunts an impressive
acting resume and has starred with some of Hollywood’s
biggest stars. And in 2015, she added a Golden Globe
and Oscar to her list of accomplishments with her lead role in
Still Alice, portraying a woman with early onset Alzheimer’s.
But what you might not know is the North Carolina born bombshell wasn’t always the cool and confident woman you see on
the big screen.

Growing Up
Due to her father’s military service, Moore had a transient childhood, constantly changing schools and moving
around. The young Moore became the bully’s punching
bag, always being teased and harassed over a look that
would eventually make her a household name.
“When I was 7, these kids in the alley behind our house
in Omaha called me ‘Freckleface Strawberry.’ I hated my
freckles and I hated that name,” she explained to Redbook.
After attending high school in Germany, Moore studied at
Boston University’s School of Performing Arts before moving
to New York City and embarking on the path to stardom.

Early Career
Moore’s first major television role was in 1985, joining
the cast of As the World Turns. That role scored her a
Daytime Emmy Award and resulted in a transition from
TV to film.

Her first notable movie was her supporting role in The
Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), and things took off
from there. She appeared in Madonna’s dramatic dud
Body of Evidence, as well as the quirky romantic tale Benny & Joon with Johnny Depp. Moore also landed roles in
The Fugitive and Robert Altman’s Short Cuts.

Becoming a leading lady
In 1997, Moore was cast in Steven Spielberg’s The Lost
World: Jurassic Park; she also picked up her first Academy
Award nomination for best supporting actress in Boogie
Nights, where she played a porn star.
Her career continued to grow stronger from there, as she
landed roles in The Big Lebowski (1998); a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho; and Hannibal (2001), the sequel
to The Silence of the Lambs.
In 2002, she took on challenging roles in Far From Heaven,
playing a 1950s stay-at-home mother whose picture-perfect
life unexpectedly shatters. She also starred in The Hours,
portraying another 1950s housewife who contemplates
freeing herself from her suburban shackles.
Continued next page

People say, ‘Oh, you’re so brave,’ or ‘You’re
such a brave actress.’ But to be brave
connotes that you have to be afraid.

I’m not really afraid of things
that are imaginary. I enjoy it.
COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2016

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