21 Facts About Keisha Castle-Hughes

Keisha Castle-Hughes performed as Mary of Nazareth in the 2006 film The Nativity Story.

Keisha Castle-Hughes was born in 1990 in Donnybrook, Western Australia to a Maori mother, Desrae Hughes, and Tim Castle, an Anglo-Australian father.

Keisha Castle-Hughes's family moved to Auckland, New Zealand when she was four years old.

Keisha Castle-Hughes attended Penrose High School and graduated from Senior College of New Zealand in Auckland.

In 2002, Keisha Castle-Hughes made her debut in the film Whale Rider, in which she played the main role of Paikea Apirana.

Keisha Castle-Hughes had no previous acting experience and went directly from her Auckland school classroom to the film set when the shoot began in New Zealand in late 2001.

Keisha Castle-Hughes received widespread critical acclaim for her performance, and in 2004 she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress at the 76th Academy Awards.

Keisha Castle-Hughes soon followed the role by appearing in Prince's controversial "Cinnamon Girl" music video and with a shoot in Vanity Fair magazine.

In 2004, Keisha Castle-Hughes was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In 2005, Keisha Castle-Hughes had a small part as Queen Apailana in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.

Keisha Castle-Hughes had the poise and intelligence to play the character not as an icon of maternity, but rather as a headstrong, thoughtful adolescent transformed by an unimaginable responsibility.

In 2008, Keisha Castle-Hughes appeared in the Australian comedy-drama film Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger, which was filmed in late 2006.

Keisha Castle-Hughes reunited with New Zealand director Niki Caro for the film adaption of The Vintner's Luck, which had its international premiere in September 2009.

Keisha Castle-Hughes starred in the Japanese horror film Vampire, and she played a recurring role as Axl's flatmate in The Almighty Johnsons which premiered in 2011.

In 2011 Keisha Castle-Hughes played a minor part in the film Red Dog as Rosa the veterinary assistant and wife of Vanno.

In 2014, Keisha Castle-Hughes had a guest role in the American television series The Walking Dead in which she played Joan.

Keisha Castle-Hughes pursued a role on the show in part because she is a fan of the books.

Keisha Castle-Hughes found out that she had won the role the night the Season 4 episode "The Mountain and the Viper" aired, in which her on-screen father's death was shown.

Keisha Castle-Hughes described having a very intense emotional reaction to the scene, because of the connection between the characters on the show.

In early 2023, Keisha Castle-Hughes guest voiced Emerie Karr, the Imperial administrator of the Mount Tantiss facility, in Season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

In early 2014, Keisha Castle-Hughes revealed that she has bipolar disorder, in the wake of television personality Charlotte Dawson's suicide.