Dominique Swain (born August 12, 1980)[1] is an American actress. She first came to attention as the title character in Adrian Lyne's 1997 adaptation of Lolita, alongside a supporting role in John Woo's Face/Off that same year. She worked predominantly in independent cinema throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, with credits including Girl (1998), Intern (2000), Tart (2001), and Pumpkin (2002). Subsequent credits include Alpha Dog (2006), Road to Nowhere (2010), and a succession of films in the action, thriller, and horror genres.
Dominique Swain | |
|---|---|
 Swain in 2017 | |
| Born | August 12, 1980 Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Relatives | Chelse Swain (sister) |
Early life
editSwain attended Malibu High School in Malibu, California. Her parents separated when she was 15. She has three siblings, including actress Chelse Swain.[2]
Career
edit1997–1999: Film debut and critical acclaim
editIn 1995, at the age of 15, Swain was chosen out of 2,500 girls to play the title role of Dolores "Lolita" Haze in Adrian Lyne's controversial screen adaptation of the 1955 novel, Lolita.[2] Released in 1997, the film earned positive reviews from critics, with New York Magazine calling it "superior" to the Stanley Kubrick version from 1962,[3] and Caryn James of The New York Times writing that Swain's performance was "extraordinary," adding:
She is within sight of womanhood yet remains, definitely, a schoolgirl ... Ms. Swain walks this incredibly narrow line between innocent playfulness and adult knowledge without a misstep.[4]
That same year, Swain appeared as John Travolta's rebellious teenage daughter, Jamie, in John Woo's commercially successful action thriller Face/Off,[5] with a positive review from Entertainment Weekly highlighting her chemistry with Travolta.[6] Next, she headlined the 1998 drama Girl, in which she portrayed a high-schooler determined to lose her virginity. Writing for Variety, critic David Stratton called it a "well-cast, modestly effective pic" with "a bright, intelligent performance" by Swain.[7]
Speaking of finding it hard to secure roles in the wake of Lolita, a matter she attributed to typecasting, Swain later commented, "I turned down stuff specifically because of nudity, because it doesn't take a whole lot of class to yank your clothes off ... I had a body double in Lolita [so] I think the goal was 'Let's see what she really looks like.' They were sending me scripts with no substance to them."[2]
2000–2006: Independent films
editSwain had prominent roles in various independent films throughout the early 2000s—The Smokers, Intern, Pumpkin, New Best Friend—and worked on three occasions with Brad Renfro—Happy Campers, Tart, The Job—prior to his death.[8] In 2006, she starred as aspiring dancer Lori Gunderson in Totally Awesome, a parody of 1980s teen movies.[9] Next, she played the supporting role of Susan Hartunian in Alpha Dog, the closing night film at that year's Sundance Film Festival.[10] A crime drama based on the murder of Nicholas Markowitz, Swain's character was inspired by Natasha Adams-Young, a key figure in the real case who was granted legal immunity in exchange for her testimony in court.[11]
2007–present: Genre films and television work
editIn 2007, Swain headlined the supernatural horror film Dead Mary, which Fangoria felt was successful in setting itself apart from other entries in the genre.[12] She received praise for her performance in the 2010 thriller Road to Nowhere,[13] which Kevin Thomas described as a "stylish, shimmering neo-noir" in his review for the Los Angeles Times.[14]
Following lead roles in the straight-to-video action films The Girl from the Naked Eye, Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Skin Traffik, and Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre, Swain starred in the 2016 thriller The Wrong Roommate; her first of several appearances in the Wrong... series, an anthological group of Lifetime television films.[15]
Campaigning
editIn 2001, at the age of 21, Swain posed nude for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur" campaign.[16]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Face/Off | Jamie Archer | |
| Lolita | Dolores "Lolita" Haze | ||
| 1998 | Girl | Andrea Marr | |
| 2000 | Intern | Jocelyn Bennett | |
| The Smokers | Jefferson Roth | ||
| 2001 | Happy Campers | Wendy | |
| Tart | Cat Storm | ||
| Mean People Suck | Kate | Short | |
| 2002 | Pumpkin | Jeanine Kryszinsky | |
| Dead in the Water | Gloria | ||
| New Best Friend | Sidney Barrett | ||
| Briar Patch | Inez Macbeth | ||
| 2003 | As Virgins Fall | Ellen Denver | |
| The Job | Emily Robin | ||
| 2004 | The Freediver | Maggie | |
| The Madam's Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel | Monica | TV movie | |
| Out of Season | Kelly Phillips | ||
| 2005 | Devour | Dakota | Video |
| Journeyman | Dominique | ||
| The Locrian Mode | Jill | Short | |
| 2006 | Alpha Dog | Susan Hartunian | |
| All In | Ace | ||
| Totally Awesome | Lori | TV movie | |
| 2007 | The Pacific and Eddy | Chelsea | |
| White Air | Christie | ||
| Dead Mary | Kim | Video | |
| Fall Down Dead | Christie Wallace | ||
| 2008 | Prairie Fever | Abigail | Video |
| Stiletto | Nancy | ||
| Noble Things | Amber Wades | ||
| Toxic | Nadia | ||
| A Cat's Tale | Mom (voice) | Video | |
| Capers | Mercy | ||
| Borders | Ashley | Short | |
| 2009 | Nightfall | Quinn | |
| Stuntmen | Mindy Danger | ||
| 2010 | Road to Nowhere | Nathalie Post | |
| Trance | Laura | ||
| 2012 | The Girl from the Naked Eye | Alissa | |
| Nazis at the Center of the Earth | Dr. Paige Morgan | Video | |
| Private War | LCpl. Roberts | Video | |
| 2013 | Blue Dream | Gena | |
| 2014 | The Knockout Game | Citizen | Short |
| Fatal Instinct | Aly | ||
| The Lost Girls | Lucy | ||
| Boudoir | Colette | Short | |
| 2015 | Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre | Honey | TV movie |
| The Mourning | The Suited Woman | ||
| No Deposit | Girl in Bar | ||
| Fatal Flip | Alex Saunders | TV movie | |
| Skin Traffik | Anna Peel | ||
| 6 Ways to Die | Steph Garcia | ||
| Rock Story | Sammy Carlson | ||
| Embers | Woman in the Long Dress | ||
| A Horse Trail | Sydney | ||
| 2016 | The Wrong Roommate | Janice Dahl | TV movie |
| Widows | Amanda Brandt | Short | |
| The Demon in the Dark | Giganta | Short | |
| Fishes 'n Loaves: Heaven Sent | Reva Hutchins | ||
| The 6th Friend | Heather | ||
| A Doggone Christmas | Dr. Langley | ||
| A Husband for Christmas | Amanda Hess | TV movie | |
| 2017 | The Matadors | Madonna | |
| You Can't Have It | Tammy | ||
| The Fast and the Fierce | Juliette | ||
| Boone: The Bounty Hunter | Olivia | ||
| Hate Horses | Wendy Lou Perrin | ||
| You Have a Nice Flight | Ashley | ||
| The Black Room | Stacy | ||
| Photographic Memory | Elisa McAdams | Short | |
| Hexing | Alice | ||
| Spreading Darkness | Fiona Funari | ||
| 2018 | Battle Drone | Alexandra Hayes | |
| A Doggone Adventure | Amy Hill | ||
| Astro | Julie Adams | ||
| Minutes to Midnight | Chloe | ||
| The Wrong Cruise | Monica | TV movie | |
| For Jennifer | Randi | ||
| Nazi Overlord | Dr. Eris | ||
| The Wrong Teacher | Beth | TV movie | |
| 2019 | 1st Born | Ingrid | |
| Rottentail | Anna Banana | ||
| Blood Craft | Hilde | ||
| The Last Big Save | Joan | ||
| 2177: The San Francisco Love Hacker Crimes | Guadalupe Santana | ||
| The Wrong Mommy | Kellyanne | TV movie | |
| Eminence Hill | Gretchen | ||
| 2020 | Chronicle of a Serial Killer | Kelly Smith | |
| Girl Lost: A Hollywood Story | Beth | ||
| Meteor Moon | General Hauser | ||
| 2021 | Obsessed with the Babysitter | Silvia Cartwright | TV movie |
| The Wrong Mr. Right | Scarlett Shaw | TV movie | |
| 2022 | 4 Horsemen: Apocalypse | General Bridget Norris | |
| Shadow Master | Dewitt's Mother | ||
| 2023 | State of Desolation | Tina | AKA End Times |
| Secrets at the Museum | Danielle | TV movie |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | JAG | Lt. Eve Sorrens | Episode: "The Sixth Juror" |
| 2006 | Ghost Whisperer | Stacy Chase | Episode: "Friendly Neighborhood Ghost" |
| 2014 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Herself | Episode: "Julie White/Roger Bart/Dominique Swain/Thomas Ian Nicholas" |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Lullaby" | Shawn Mullins |
| 2002 | "We Are All Made of Stars" | Moby |
| 2004 | "Rapid Hope Loss" | Dashboard Confessional |
| 2007 | "Rockstar" | Nickelback |
Accolades
edit| Year | Ceremony | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Saturn Awards | Best Performance by a Younger Actress | Face/Off | Nominated |
| 1999 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Actress | Lolita | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards | Best Kiss (with Jeremy Irons) | Lolita | Nominated | |
| Young Artist Awards | Best Performance – Leading Young Actress | Lolita | Won | |
| YoungStar Awards | Best Young Actress | Lolita | Nominated | |
| 2003 | DVD Exclusive Awards | Best Actress | Tart | Nominated |
| 2007 | San Diego Film Festival | Rising Star | The Pacific and Eddy | Won |
| Silver Lake Film Festival | Best Actress | The Pacific and Eddy | Won | |
| 2013 | Downbeach Film Festival | Lifesaver Achievement Award | — | Won |
| 2019 | Hoboken International Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress | The Last Big Save | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Dominique Swain - Turner Classic Movies". TCM. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
- ^ a b c Hampson, Sarah (January 5, 2002). "Skin against skin". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Leonard, John (August 3, 1998). "Vlad the Impaler". New York Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ James, Caryn (July 31, 1998). "Revisiting a Dangerous Obsession". The New York Times. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Face/Off (1997)". The Numbers. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa (July 11, 1997). "Face/Off review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Stratton, David (June 8, 1998). "Girl". Variety. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ LaBruce, Bruce (August 23, 2011). "Lost Child Stars and Drag Queens". Vice. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "DVD Review – 'VH1 Films Totally Awesome: The Unrated DVD'". Collider. November 4, 2006. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "'Alpha Dog'". Spin. January 12, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "First the movie - then the trial". The New Zealand Herald. May 30, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Reviews: DEAD MARY and KNOCK KNOCK". Fangoria. January 10, 2007. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ "Road to Nowhere Review". TV Guide. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (June 11, 2007). "Movie review: 'Road to Nowhere'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Nicolaou, Elena (July 27, 2020). "Vivica A. Fox Tells Us What Makes Her "Wrong" Lifetime Movies So Right". Oprah Daily. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ Malkin, Marc S. (December 17, 2001). "December 17, 2001". New York Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
