Naomi Scott

NAOMI SCOTT

Date of Birth: May 6, 1993

Naomi Scott was born in London, England to parents Usha and Chris Scott. Her father is a British-born minister and her mother, who has Gujarati Indian origins, emigrated to the U.K. as a child.

Naomi proved to have singing talent from a young age and performed in many concerts and musicals at Devanant Foundation School. When she was 13, her drama class was asked to break into groups to write a play based on a Bible story. Naomi took over, writing the script and directing it.

When Naomi was 14, she was singing at a church function when she was spotted by an agent. She was signed and soon after, landed a starring role as Megan on the Disney Channel series Life Bites, filmed in London.

After Life Bites, Naomi literally moved across the pond to star in the Disney Channel TV movie musical Lemonade Mouth (2011). The film focused on five high school teenagers who meet in detention, and later form the titular band. Naomi played Mohini "Mo" Banjaree, the band’s bass player. The movie was an instant hit among Disney audiences, and due to its similar plot and musical numbers, Lemonade Mouth was quickly typecast as "the new High School Musical." In a 2011 interview with British outlet Metro, Naomi dispelled the comparisons, saying, “It is flattering considering the success of High School Musical but this is not a musical, as such. It's about a band, so the songs are performed rather than spontaneous. It’s maybe aimed at a slightly older audience.”

Naomi was also able to lend her vocal capabilities to the film’s equally successful soundtrack, with three original songs. Following the film’s success, fans were eager for a sequel. However, in 2012, rumors of a return were officially put to rest by members of the cast. Even without a sequel, it was clear that Lemonade Mouth kick-started Naomi’s movie career.

Also in 2011, she got the part of Maddy Shannon, on the Fox Network's prehistoric sci-fi series Terra Nova. Although the series boasted Steven Spielberg as an executive producer, it lasted only one season.

Despite that minor setback, 2014 proved to be a great year for Naomi. In June, the actress married her longtime love, soccer player Jordan Spence, whom she'd met back home in England at church when they were both teenagers. One guest at the wedding was her Lemonade Mouth co-star and real-life BFF, Bridgit Mendler. In August, Naomi returned to her singing roots, and independently released her debut EP Invisible Division.

The following year, Naomi starred as Ryoko in her first big-budget blockbuster, The Martian (2015), alongside a number of Hollywood heavyweights such as Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig and Jeff Daniels. The Ridley Scott-directed film was a box office success, and picked up many awards including the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture — Comedy/Musical, and received a total of seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and Best Actor (Matt Damon).

She also played Escarlette in The 33 (2015) before being chosen to star as Kimberly Hart/The Pink Ranger in the big screen adaptation Power Rangers (2017). She subsequently was chosen to play Princess Jasmine in the live-action adaptation Aladdin (2019).

Naomi, who is a self-professed tomboy, underwent intense training prior to filming. After arriving in Vancouver for filming, she and her co-stars went through three weeks of intensive fight training before cameras began rolling.

Next up, she stars alongside Kristen Stewart in the newest reboot of the 1970s TV series, Charlie's Angels (2019).

Filmography:

Aladdin (2019)
Power Rangers (2017)
The 33 (2015)
Lemonade Mouth (2011)