Shannyn Sossamon

Shannon Marie Kahololani "Shannyn" Sossamon (born October 3, 1978) is an American actress.

Sossamon attended Galena High School in Reno, graduating in 1995.

The day after her high school graduation, she relocated to Los Angeles with two friends, to study dance.

"Nothing compares to that feeling when you first leave home and arrive somewhere new," she once recalled.

"When we woke up in the morning, just making coffee felt amazing. It felt like being so free – just to wake up and make coffee and look at our couch."

The y in her first name was an alteration in 1995.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1995, she began to work as a DJ, booking gigs in local clubs and performance venues.

While Sossamon was pursuing a career in dance, she actually never planned to become a professional dancer, recalling: "It was more like I just love to do this. It wasn't clear what I wanted, but I was fine with that. I had never needed a plan. I'm really good at feeling safe in the unknown aspects of planning your life".

Around that time, Sossamon established her early career by modeling for various companies including Sassy Magazine, Unionbay Clothing, American Eagle Outfitters, and Planned Parenthood.

She appeared in two television commercials for Gap and in music videos for artists such as Daft Punk, The Goo Goo Dolls, Cher, DJ Quik, and the rock group 9xdead.

In 1997, Sossamon guest-starred as several characters in three episodes of Mr. Show with Bob and David, and two years later, she was discovered by casting director Francine Maisler, while assisting a fellow DJ at Gwyneth Paltrow's brother's birthday party.

Sossamon beat Kate Hudson for the lead female role in Brian Helgeland's medieval adventure dramedy A Knight's Tale, opposite Heath Ledger.

She was cast as Lady Jocelyn, the love interest of a peasant (Ledger) pretending to be a knight.

She has appeared in the films A Knight's Tale (2001), 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), The Rules of Attraction (2002), The Order (2003), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), The Holiday (2006), Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Road to Nowhere (2009), The End of Love (2012), and Sinister 2 (2015).

The film premiered on May 11, 2001, and received average reviews, with her part getting an equally mixed response; Robin Clifford for Reeling Reviews concluded that Sossamon was "pretty but little more than an object of affection" and Rob Blackwelder of SPLICEDwire called her role "the movie's weakest link", noting that although Sossamon was a "wonderfully wicked flirt", her character "isn't terribly well established and she's the most jarringly modern sight in this ancient tale".

A Knight's Tale garnered US$117,487,473 worldwide, bringing Sossamon into mainstream audiences.

It earned her two Teen Choice Awards nominations as well as three MTV Movie Awards nominations, including one for "Best Breakthrough Performance".

In 2002, Sossamon starred in Miramax Films' romantic comedy 40 Days and 40 Nights, as Erica Sutton, the love interest of Josh Hartnett's character, Matt Sullivan.

It received mixed reviews from critics, but was a major box office success, earning a worldwide total of US$95,146,283 on a production budget of US$17 million.

Sossamon's part gained critical acclaim in general; About.com noted that she was "already making a name for herself as a romantic leading lady. With starring roles opposite two of Hollywood's hottest young actors (Hartnett and Heath Ledger) under her belt, Shannyn's star is rising fast. Her exotic looks separate her from the pack, and her performances have, thus far, been exceptional".

Praising Sossamon and co-star Harnett, Elvis Mitchell wrote for The New York Times: "Mr. Hartnett matches up with Ms. Sossamon, and not only because their eyebrows signal that they are both Vulcans. She is a more direct performer; what she does is not acting – yet – but she can look as if she's listening. Her approach contrasts hilariously with his gentility".

Afterwards, both actors received a Teen Choice Award nomination for "Choice Film Chemistry".

Sossamon subsequently played Lauren Hynde in Roger Avary's dark satirical ensemble The Rules of Attraction, an adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis book of the same name.

The film, about a promiscuous college student, included scenes of suicide, heavy drug use, and sexual content.

It received mixed reviews from critics, most either loving it or hating it.

Critical response for Sossamon was more favorable, with Joblo.com commenting that the actress was "very believable and empathetic" as her character.

David Noh of Film Journal International found her performance "heartbreaking" and described it as "an uncanny blend of fragile-fey and urchin-tough, marked by a feverish wit which often proves her undoing as much as her salvation".

Also showing approval of her portrayal, Avary remarked during an interview the actress was "like a wild animal you can't really control. What she does and what she brings is complete and honest truth to the scene. Something real.” Ellis, meanwhile, stated that Sossamon "hasn't had much of a chance to shine before, but she's a star.

She seems freer in this movie than she was before and is totally empathetic, which is a quality that doesn't come easily to most actors". Rules of Attraction is considered a cult hit; it grossed US$11,819,244 worldwide, almost tripling its budget (US$4 million).

Sossamon and Heath Ledger starred together again in Brian Helgeland's supernatural thriller The Order.

The film revolved around the investigation of the suspicious death of an excommunicated priest and the discovery of a Sin Eater headquartered in Rome.

It was released in late 2003, to extremely poor reviews; Critical reception for Sossamon was average with 7M Pictures finding the movie "well acted" by the leads but eFilmCritic.com remarking that she, "so charming in both "A Knight's Tale and 40 Days and 40 Nights, is given very little to do besides utilize her 'tortured soul with dark eye makeup' schtick". The movie failed at the box office, opening at number six at the charts; it finished its theatrical run with US$11 million on a budget of US$35 million.

After Sossamon filmed The Order, she became pregnant and took a hiatus from working on film productions; "It was almost like she was out on a lark, and she found herself in this big circumstance that she hadn't planned on, which I think made it easier for her to go off and have a baby and stop working", director Helgeland said on the actress' motherhood and subsequent acting break.

As a musician, she provided vocals and drums to Warpaint from 2004 to 2008.

She abruptly left the group after recording their first EP.

Sossamon's sole recording with the band is the 2009 EP Exquisite Corpse.

In 2009, Sossamon began directing and producing shorts and music videos through her small production company, the Maudegone Theater.

Shannon Marie Kahololani Sossamon was born in Hawaii, and was raised in Reno, Nevada.

Her ancestry includes Dutch, English, French, German, Irish, Filipino, and Hawaiian.

Her parents divorced when she was five, and Sossamon and her sister were then raised by her mother, who married Randy Goldman, a salesman and manager of an auto dealership.