While some know her as Ramona, others remember her as Emma Stone’s little sister in Crazy, Stupid Love. Yet others may know her as Elle from The Kissing Booth. No matter the project you associate her with or the performance you are most drawn to, Joey King has shone in all. Right from supporting roles as a child actress to being the leading lady in highly successful productions, Joey King has indeed carved her unique niche in the world of the screens.

Many are familiar with the most prominent Joey King movies and TV shows, but there are other avenues of screenwork that the actress has explored throughout her bright career. King has successfully starred in music videos and has been a part of animated movies as well. Moreover, she has utilized her stardom towards social activism. Nominated too for prestigious awards and accolades, winning some of them, Joey King has indeed had a shining career in films.

Early Life and Beginnings

Joey King was born on July 30th, 1999, in LA. It is widely said that young Joey inherited her love for acting from her grandmother, who used to perform in live theatre. When she was four years old, Joey got her first acting job in the commercial for Life Cereal. However, King was not the first of her family to enter the world of the screens. Her two sisters, Kelli and Hunter, were actors as well. While Kelli starred in shows such as Rude Awakening and Grey’s Anatomy, Hunter performed in Dexter and The Young and the Restless.

The watershed of success

For those who do not know, there were many popular Joey King movies and TV shows where she performed as a child artist before getting her big break in 2010. These were

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000),
  • Entourage (2004),
  • Medium (2005),
  • R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour (2010) and
  • Avenging Angel

King also voiced the yellow fur ball, Katie, in the animated feature, Horton Hears a Who! (2008), and Beaver in Ice Age 3-D.

Her first film was Grace (2006). On the first day of filming, the child actress had to pretend that she was drowning in the ocean. According to King, this was the point where she felt that she would be drawn towards acting her entire life.

When she was nine years old, Joey got her big break in Ramona and Beezus (2010) alongside another highly popular actress and singer, Selena Gomez. Incidentally, Selena had also been a child actress when younger. In this project, King played the role of Ramona and rose to instant popularity, especially among the young. According to King, this role changed her life, and she would be forever grateful to her team for this project.

Blooming forth into a leading lady

In her short yet bright acting career, King has been part of many acclaimed projects and worked with many big names in the filmmaking sector.

  • King has worked with Christopher Nolan, who she feels is very attentive to detail, and for whose film The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Joey had shaved off her hair.
  • For Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), King also worked with Sam Raimi, the filmmaker who had captured her heart with his brilliant vision and gentle and patient demeanor.
  • She also describes Roland Emmerich, with whom she worked for White House Down (2013), as a gifted director.
  • Joey has also appeared in the highly popular book-adapted Netflix Series, The Kissing Booth, based on the novels by Beth Reekles.
  • In 2013, Joey King played the character of Christine, one of the Perron daughters, in the critically acclaimed horror film The Conjuring.

The Beacon of Success: Awards, Nominations and Social Activism

King has won and been nominated for awards and accolades for her performances. These include:

  • The Kids’ Choice Awards, USA in 2019, for Favorite Movie Actress for her performance in The Kissing Booth
  • People’s Choice Awards, USA, for Favorite Comedy Movie Star, won in 2020 for The Kissing Booth 2.
  • King has also been a vocal activist discussing mental health, black lives, and LGBTQ+ rights.

Conclusion

Joey King has risen from a child actress in movies and TV shows alongside stars like Selena Gomez and Emma Stone to a leading lady working with directors like Christopher Nolan. She has also done horror films and romances on Netflix, been awarded for her projects, and has used her platform to discuss social issues. She is a celebrity that the world needs and deserves.