Former child actor Jonshel Alexander, who portrayed a key supporting role in the Oscar-nominated 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild, was shot and killed in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Per the Hollywood Reporter, the one-time actor and an unidentified man were shot and killed inside a vehicle on Nov. 27. The man drove to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for his injuries, while Alexander was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators are seeking information on a person of interest in the shooting.
Alexander was 22, and leaves behind a 1-year-old daughter, according to CBS affiliate WWLTV.
Alexander made her acting debut at age 12 in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Benh Zeitlin’s film went on to receive four Academy Award nominations—Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress, making 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis the youngest nominee ever in the category.
Wallis mourned her co-star on social media, writing, “when were filming we were always together and i wish i could go back in time so i can see you again. i love you. you will be missed by so many.”
Zeitlin famously cast natives of Louisiana for Beasts, and Jonshel Alexander impressed the team on the film so much that she was cast in a supporting role since she was too old to play the lead.
“We incorporated a part into the film that was very much inspired by her,” Zeitlin said, per THR. “A lot of the lines were written by her, and so much of the character grew out of who Jonshel was. Her character in the film is named Joy Strong, which always seemed like a perfect description of Jonshel. She was a really bright burning light.”
In a quote provided to the Times-Picayune on Tuesday, mother Shelly Alexander said her daughter “brought life to everything.”
“Jonshel was feisty, jazzy, spoiled. It was her way or no way. Jonshel was like, ‘It’s going to be me,’” she said.
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