Ariana Greenblatt was made for the camera, and has proven so in her various roles from massive blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War to the small screen as a competitor in Dancing With The Stars: Juniors. The 12-year-old’s next projects include the postponed In The Heights and the Gina Rodriguez-lead Awake.
Most recently, Ariana’s acting is showcased in Disney’s The Only And Only Ivan, starring alongside an all-star cast including Bryan Cranston, Angelina Jolie and Sam Rockwell. “I got to work with Bryan Cranston for almost three and a half months, which is like a dream!” Ariana gushed in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife.com. “He was so incredible to work with. He taught me a lot just by watching the choices he makes during scenes, which were definitely inspiring.”
She continued, “Sometimes even when I wasn’t in the scene, I would kind of just sit back and watch him. He’s just so natural and completely morphed into his character, which I find so incredible. Just observing his instincts and the choices he made were most beneficial to me.
In The One And Only Ivan, based on an award-winning book about a special gorilla, Ariana plays Julia, a younger dreamer who loves to draw and is the daughter of the mall custodian George (Ramón Rodríguez). Julia helps Ivan, an easy going gorilla voiced by Sam Rockwell, and his gang of animals held captive in the mall to fulfill their goals of being brought to a zoo.
The film is also produced by none other than Angelina Jolie, who also voices Stella, a senior elephant. “She visited set once and it was so crazy because I was filming one of the last scenes in the movie, and they said cut, and then they said ‘Angelina Jolie,’ and I was like, ‘No way! Ariana, act cool!'” Ariana recalled. “She was so nice, and she brought her kids to set and I got to meet them which was really cool. She’s just so kind and I hope that I can work with her, one on one.”
The One And Only Ivan is now available for streaming on Disney+!