On Saturday, a former child star in the Oscar-nominated movie Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012 film) was killed and shot in New Orleans.
The late Louisiana native Jonshel Alexander, 22, played a supporting role in the acclaimed film that had been shot by director Benh Zeitlin in her home state.
Alexander was riding in a vehicle along a man who has not yet been identified when she was attacked by a male suspect.
The man took her to the hospital and declared her dead.
The suspect is being sought out by the police, who are currently investigating the matter. There is no motive.
Jonshel Alexander (22 years old) was an ex-child actress who starred in the film Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012). She was killed and shot in New Orleans.
After she had been cast as Joy Strong by Benh Zeitlin, Alexander was 12, and she appeared in that film.
Alexander was 12 when he played the part of Joy Strong, the main character in Beasts of the Southern Wild. The drama, which was shot near Houma, tells the story of a Louisiana bayou family struggling to survive.
This film was awarded the Grand Jury Prize by the Sundance Film Festival. It also received nominations for the Academy Awards for best picture and three Academy Awards.
Benh Zeitlin, the director, cast Louisianans in the leading roles. He auditioned more than 4000 actors before finalizing the cast.
Shelly Alexander claimed that her daughter Charmed the Filmmakers and won.
‘She was like, “I’m going to be in this movie,”‘ her mother recalled. They fell in love Jonshel.
Alexander was too old to play the film’s lead role of Hushpuppy, which went to then-6-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis.
Zeitlin however stated that Alexander captured his attention and that he considered her a ‘absolute, one-of a-kind, unrepeatable, force of nature human being’. He then cast Alexander in the supporting role.
Zeitlin stated, “We included a portion into the movie that was very much inspirit by her,”
She wrote a lot of lines, so Jonshel was a big influence on the characters.
“Her film character is Joy Strong. It always felt like Jonshel’s perfect description. She had a bright, shining light.
Zeitlin expressed his shock at the news of his wife’s death, and he has been in contact with her relatives.
Alexander, and unnamed male were both shot while riding in a car at the 1500 block North Claiborne Avenue in New Orleans. The victim was declared dead on the spot and the unnamed man drove to the hospital.
The incident is under investigation by police. They are looking for the suspect male who was discovered at the crime scene.
Alexander was one of three kids, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports.
Following graduation from high school she was a restaurant hostess and then devoted herself fully to her 1 year-old daughter De-vyne Robinson.
Shelly Alexander said Tuesday that she was a “life-giving person”.
Jonshel was fierce, jazzy, and spoilt. It was either her way or the highway. Jonshel was like, “It’s going to be me.”‘