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"My mom didn't ever think I would take to acting because I was a very shy, very reserved kind of child. But obviously, something changed!" It's clear that Abigail Breslin outgrew her shyness, and started getting involved in acting and enjoying it. She started out in TV commercials when she was just three years of age, and when she was five she was in her first film, Signs (2002). Two years later, she was in Raising Helen (2004), and two years after that she had a role in Little Miss Sunshine (2006). That role got her an Academy Award nomination. A number of other movies followed, and Breslin has been actively working since her first film role. But how did she get started so early, and where's she headed next? Read on here, to find out more about this talented young actress.

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Growing Up in New York

Born in New York City, Breslin is the daughter of a computer programmer and telecommunications expert. She has two brothers who are older, and who are also in the acting field. The family is close-knit, and the siblings all live in the same area. She was raised on the Lower East Side in an apartment, and as of 2013 she still called that apartment her home. She is named for Abigail Adams, and lost her maternal grandmother in 2015. The rest of her family, including her brothers Spencer and Ryan, remain very close. Breslin's very first acting role was in a commercial for Toys R Us, but it wasn't long before she then started acting in movies. Much of that was based on her brothers' forays into acting, as they had options and opportunities they could offer her.

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Her first film did well, but the next one was less commercially successful. Despite that, she continued to get roles in a number of movies, many of which did well with critics and at the box office. The more the critics noticed and praised her, the more Breslin continued to embark on movie roles that were not necessarily commercial successful but that had value and interest for her. Soon, Breslin started receiving award nominations, even though she was not yet a teenager. She made a stage debut in 2007, in the play Right You Are (If You Think You Are). That same year she was ranked in Forbes magazine as one of the top-earning young stars in Hollywood. She continued to make additional movies, as her popularity developed even further.

Life After Such Early Stardom

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As she settled into more roles and the level of stardom she may not have expected, she said, "I'd like to do more TV; TV is completely different than working in movies in a lot of ways, it's like making a really compact movie. Because you don't have as much time, especially hour long shows, they move so quickly." Most of her roles continued to be in movies, though, and she also made her Broadway debut in 2010, playing the role of Helen Keller. There was criticism of the play, with some saying that a deaf or blind actor should have been given that role. However, that didn't take away from the quality of Breslin's performance. The play's producers defended their choice, stating that a well-known actress was necessary for the role if the play were to be successful.

Since her first film in 2002, Breslin has been in films nearly continuously. She has worked steadily, and she's been focused on acting above nearly everything else. Her family has remained close, and her desire to stay in films and get into TV shows has remained strong. Breslin is also an advocate for those who have been victims of assault in relationships, as she has experienced this in the past. She struggles with PTSD, and works with people who need help in these areas. She will likely move more toward this work in the future, but she doesn't appear to have any plans to stop acting in a number of significant movie roles, either. Fans of Breslin can expect to see her on the big screen for a long time to come.

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Breslin sings as well as acts, and she has released a studio album and several singles, along with having guest vocal appearances on the albums of other people. She has won numerous awards targeted at young artists, and in 2015 and 2016 she had a recurring television role on Fox's Scream Queens. That was her first regular television role, although she was in minor roles and guest appearances in the past. It's likely Breslin will continue to act and sing well into the future, and that she will continue to support causes important to her. Fans have a lot to look forward to.