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Photograph by Justin Coit/Selected Artists

Young and Restless

by Kimberly Davis Tarne | Angeleno magazine | February 22, 2012

While most girls her age are thinking about prom, Isabelle Fuhrman is choosing between looks to wear at the red carpet premieres of The Hunger Games. It’s nothing new for the L.A.-based freshman, who’s currently enrolled in high school online. By the time she was 7, Fuhrman had “fallen in love” with the camera and, within three years, landed a star-turning lead role as the evil Esther in 2009’s Orphan. In this month’s hotly anticipated Games she plays deadly Clove in a role that again pushes the actress into dark territory. And with an upcoming role in sci-fi flick After Earth co-starring Will Smith, Fuhrman is officially finding her place among the stars.

As the weapon-wielding Clove who battles for her life in The Hunger Games, what skills did you have to pick up?
I learned how to throw weighted knives, and there was a lot of physical training. I really wanted to bring Clove to life the best way I could, so I insisted that I do all of my own stunts, and I changed my voice for the character.

You’re as sweet as pie but have played very sinister roles in your short career.
I want to be able to play parts where I’m unrecognizable. I admire Meryl Streep’s career because she always morphs into her characters completely.

What’s one of the best perks of fame you’ve experienced thus far?
For my 13th birthday, [Orphan producer] Joel Silver reserved one of the screening rooms on the Warner Bros. lot to watch Sherlock Holmes with my friends. It was a good break from all the bar mitzvahs that year.

Since moving to L.A. from Atlanta nearly six years ago, what do you love most about living here?
Being able to go to the beach, and then drive 20 minutes and go to the mall with my friends.