Betty Gabriel

Betty Gabriel
Born Washington, D.C., U.S.
Education Iowa State University (BS)
Juilliard School (GrDip)
Occupation Actor
Years active 2009–present

Betty Gabriel is an American actress. She is best known for portraying the character Georgina in the Oscar-winning horror film Get Out.[1][2] Gabriel has often appeared in Blumhouse Productions films.[3]

Early life and education

Gabriel was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Hyattsville, Maryland.[4]

In 2002, Gabriel received a bachelor's degree in animal science from Iowa State University.[5] After college, Gabriel relocated to Chicago, studying modern dance and working as an actress in the Chicago theater community.[2][6] In 2008 she graduated from the Conservatory at Act One. In 2009, she graduated from The School at Steppenwolf.[7]

In 2014, she received a degree in drama from Juilliard, where she was part of Group 43.[8]

Career

After doing a bit of theater at Iowa State,[9] Gabriel got her start working as an actor and dancer in Chicago theater, first as part of her further studies, and then in various productions.[2][7]

Gabriel's first major role was in a 2011 drama called In Memoriam.[3] She began her career as a television actress with minor recurring roles in Good Girls Revolt and Westworld and her first major role was in the 2016 horror sequel, The Purge: Election Year.[4][10]

Gabriel was on vacation when she was invited to audition for Get Out. She sent in her interview tape from the mountains of Cusco, Peru.[11] She says she prepared for the role by watching the TED talk of Martin Pistorius to get insight into the feeling of being trapped inside one's own body.[12] She also watched Bride of Frankenstein and talked to her own grandmother, who was raised in Alabama, about racial tensions from her era.[13] Director Jordan Peele said that they shot over 11 takes, with each take getting better and better. The last take is the one that is in the final film.[14]

Gabriel was in Australia filming the science fiction body horror film Upgrade, as the female lead, when Get Out was released in the US. She drew parallels between historical race relations in the US and in Australia stating "[B]eing in Australia while I was watching it, I was learning a lot about the Aboriginal culture there and how that basically mirrors what went on in America with the genocide of the Native Americans and slavery. The Aboriginals there, they sort of got both experiences and it’s pretty tragic, so I thought about why colonization is such a horrible reality and has been throughout the ages."[15]

Gabriel's role in Get Out was discussed as a contender for Best Supporting Actress for the 2018 Academy Awards by Variety and The New York Times.[16][17] The New York Times cited her role as Georgina as one of the best performances of 2017.[18]

Gabriel starred opposite Logan Marshall-Green in the sci-fi action horror film Upgrade (2018), written and directed by Leigh Whannell, and shot on location in Melbourne, Australia.[15][19][20] Gabriel has been in six projects by Blumhouse Productions, The Purge: Election Year, 12 Deadly Days, Get Out, Upgrade, Unfriended: Dark Web, and Adopt A Highway.[3]

In 2017, Gabriel joined the cast of Westworld as the character Maling.[21] In February 2018, it was announced she would join the second season of Counterpart playing an FBI agent.[22]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2009 Maidenhead Isabeau Short film
2011 In Memoriam Kayla
2013 He's Way More Famous Than You Hairstylist
2015 Experimenter Sally
2016 The Purge: Election Year Laney Rucker
Good Girls Revolt Denise 7 episodes
12 Deadly Days Willow Russell TV miniseries; 2 episodes
2017 Get Out Georgina
Beyond Skyline Jones
2018 Diverted Eden Shirley
Unfriended: Dark Web Nari
Upgrade Cortez
Westworld Maling 3 episodes
TBA Adopt A Highway
Counterpart Naya Temple
The Spine of Night

Theater

References

  1. ↑ Willis, Brittany (10 March 2017). "The Most Overlooked And Underrated Characters In 'Get Out' Are Black Women". Huffington Post.
  2. 1 2 3 Carroll, Rebecca (2 March 2018). "Don't Sleep on Betty Gabriel, the Housekeeper From 'Get Out'". Shondaland.
  3. 1 2 3 Puchko, Kristy (6 April 2018). "Meet Get Out's Betty Gabriel, the fabulous queen of Blumhouse horror". SyfyWire. Syfy.
  4. 1 2 O'Donnell, S.C. (22 February 2018). "Get To Know Westworld Season 2 Newcomer Betty Gabriel". Beyond Westworld. Fansided.
  5. ↑ "Inside Get Out: Betty Gabriel, Chicago, IL". Iowa State University Alumni. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  6. ↑ Manaa-Hoppenworth, Leni (10 September 2006). "Chicago Dancers Share Their Views on College". Chicago Dance Supply.
  7. 1 2 "Steppenwolf Theatre Presents The Brother/Sister Plays". Steppenwolf Theatre Company. 21 January 2010. pp. 13, 17.
  8. ↑ "Juilliard Drama Announces 2013-2014 Season". Juilliard School. 15 July 2013. Archived from the original (Press release) on 29 November 2013.
  9. ↑ "College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Department of Music, ISU Theatre: Betty Gabriel". Iowa State University. 2000.
  10. ↑ Adlakha, Siddhant (11 August 2017). "Betty Gabriel Gets In Westworld With A Viking And A Tryant". Birth. Movies. Death.
  11. ↑ Smart, Jack (23 February 2018). "In the Envelope: An Awards Podcast - Episode 25 - Betty Gabriel" (Audio podcast). Backstage (25).
  12. ↑ Rosen, Lisa (21 December 2017). "They don't have big roles but these three actresses come through with scene-stealing moments". Los Angeles Times.
  13. ↑ Forero, Camilo (24 February 2018). "Betty Gabriel interviewed at The Wrap's 2018 Women, Whiskey & Wisdom Oscar Nominee Party" (Video interview). Red Carpet Report.
  14. ↑ Roy, Rajendra; Peele, Jordan; Gabriel, Betty (15 February 2018). ""Get Out" Postscreening Q&A with Jordan Peele and Betty Gabriel" (Video interview). Hammer Museum.
  15. 1 2 Hope, Clover (14 April 2017). "A Chat With Actor Betty Gabriel About Get Out, White Colonization and the Allure of Horror Films". Jezebel.
  16. ↑ Tapley, Kristopher; Riley, Jenelle (22 June 2017). "Oscars: 13 Deserving Contenders From 2017 So Far". Variety.
  17. ↑ Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A.O. (5 January 2018). "And the 2018 Oscar Nominees Should Be…". The New York Times.
  18. ↑ Morris, Wesley (6 December 2017). "The Best Performances of 2017". The New York Times.
  19. ↑ Hamman, Cody (24 January 2017). "Betty Gabriel is Leigh Whannell's Stem female lead". JoBlo.com.
  20. ↑ Kit, Borys (23 January 2017). "'Purge: Election Year' Actress Joins Blumhouse Sci-Fi Thriller 'Stem' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. ↑ Petski, Denise (9 August 2017). "'Westworld': Gustaf Skarsgård & Fares Fares Cast As Regulars For Season 2, Betty Gabriel To Recur In HBO Series". Deadline Hollywood.
  22. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (26 February 2018). "'Counterpart': Betty Gabriel Joins Season 2 Cast Of Starz Series". Deadline Hollywood.
  23. ↑ "Pluto Was a Planet". ArtSlant. 24 July 2008.
  24. ↑ Morgan, Scott C. (30 July 2008). "Theater Review: Pluto Was a Planet" (PDF). Windy City Times. p. 12.
  25. ↑ "The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare Directed by Karen Fort". Chase Park Theater. November 2009.
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