An exotic beauty from downunder Mia Wasikowska is the daughter of Polish photographer Marzena Wasikowska and the Australian painter John Reid. She was destined for a career as a prima ballerina. However, during adolescence, the future ballerina hung up her dancing shoes. “I practiced dance thirty-five hours a week,” she told the British magazine The Observer. “The race for perfection quickly spoiled any pleasure I’d felt. I chose another way of expressing myself.” Namely, acting.

Rather espousing the same M.O. as her compatriot Naomi Watts, Wasikowska never became a media darling, avoiding the spotlight and keeping a low profile. She clearly loves independent cinema and likes to live in the shadows of the film set. Between two films she often returns to her hometown of Canberra, Australia.

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When choosing movies she chooses well, avoiding paycheck performances.

After a few small roles on Australian television, Wasikowska was cast in the television series “In Treatment,” the story of a high-level sportswoman in a psychological freefall with suicidal tendencies.

She was first discovered as a death camp survivor, playing opposite Daniel Craig (“Defiance”), a couple of small parts in minor movies following after that. It wasn’t until her getting the leading role in “Alice in Wonderland” (2010) that Mia Wasikowska was catapulted to the top. Later she played Joni, the rebellious daughter of a lesbian couple in “The Kids are All Right.”

So, what’s next? Mia Wasikowska has been attached to six different projects. She’ll be appearing opposite Kidman in “Stoker” (Fox Searchlight), a horror film by Korean director Chan-Wook Park slated for release in March 2013.

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