Hatty Jones

Hatty Jones

She's a young girl from England with no acting experience and had never read the classic Madeline book series. Yet Hatty Jones landed the lead at only nine years old, competing with actresses all over the world.

Madeline, of course, was "born" 60 years ago when Ludwig Bemelmann began writing a series of books about a fearless young British schoolgirl who was "not afraid of mice."

Now, over 10,000,00 copies have been sold and each one begins with: "In an old house in Paris that was covered with vines, lived 12 little girls in two straight lines. They left the house at half-past nine, in rain or shine. The smallest one was Madeline."

Hatty Jones is small indeed, shorter than all the girls who play her classmates, as well as Pepito, played by Kristian de la Osa.

Madeline, the film, is set in the 1950's and was directed by Daisy Mayer, who believes a courageous schoolgirl can be a good role model for girls today, who too often lose confidence in themselves before they're 12.

But Hatty Jones suffers from no lack of confidence. Instead, she seemd to be lacking for a good nap. "What's the hardest part about being Madeline? Well, I'd have to say it's being tired all the time. That's why I loved the appendicitis scenes so much. I got to lie down in bed the whole day."

Filmography

Madeline (1998)