Originally published on our site thedailyday.com
It’s unlikely that you haven’t heard about the 1995 film Waterworld, directed by Kevin Reynolds. However, if you do know about it, it’s probably not for good reasons as it was one of Hollywood’s biggest flops.
But it wasn’t all bad. One standout performance was the child who played Enola, Tina Majorino. The cute little girl captured our hearts as Enola and we’ve been waiting for her to grace the big screen ever since.
What ever happened to this precious girl and did she make her mark in Hollywood? You may be surprised to know that she went on to act in some of your favorite television series.
Screenshot from “Waterworld” (1995)
You’ll have to continue reading to find out what roles she has appeared in throughout the years! We bet you didn’t even recognize Tina Majorino.
Big Break in Hollywood
Like many Hollywood actresses, Tina Majorino’s career began with playing roles in television commercials.
She thrived in the ’90s, starring in her first television show Camp Wilder in 1992. Just two short years later, she was featured in her first movie When a Man Loves a Woman. She played Meg Ryan’s daughter, who deals with the aftermath of a family affected by alcoholism. That same year, she also starred in Corrina, Corrina with Whoopi Goldberg, playing a girl whose mother had passed away and a nanny comes to help the family out.
Screenshot from “Corrina, Corrina” (1994)
She continued starring in a couple of other films before she seemed to take a break from Hollywood.
90s Child Actress
But those weren’t the only 90s roles Majorino starred in. In her next film, Andre, she helps rescue a baby seal. Her co-star Keith Carradine (who plays her father) told the Los Angeles Times, “Tina’s a major talent, no doubt about it. There’s a certain focus she has that belies her age. She’s a very centered, very focused little girl. It’s amazing to me that someone who’s nine can be so sure of what she wants to do.”
She was in two more films before she disappeared from Hollywood; she starred in Waterworld and Alice in Wonderland.
Screenshot from “Andre” (1994)
So why did this young successful actress take a long break from the spotlight?
Waterworld
Majorino’s next role was as Enola in Waterworld in 1995. The action film, starring Kevin Costner, takes place in the future, after the world is submerged underwater and the polar ice caps have melted, an injured mariner fights starvation and helps a woman (played by Jeanne Tripplehorn) and girl (Enola) onto dry land.
Unfortunately, although the film happened to be the most expensive film made at the time, costing $175 million to make, the story was, in lack of better words… a mess. The New York Times referred to it as “the most wasteful feat of one-upmanship in Hollywood history.”
Tina Majorino as Enola
Tina Majorino wasn’t the first choice to play Enola in Waterworld, Anna Paquin was originally offered the role.
However, this didn’t stop Majorino from stealing the spotlight in every scene she appeared in. In fact, she told Newsweek in 2015 that people recognize her most from her role in Waterworld, “It’s the film I get recognized the most for! It’s always funny for me now that I’m an adult. People are like, ‘You look exactly the same.’”
Int eh same interview, she told the magazine that her co-star Kevin Costner started calling her “jellyfish” because she was stung so many times during filming, “I was stung seven times, to the point where Kevin Costner was calling me ‘Jellyfish.’ It seemed like anytime we were in the water for extended periods of time I was stung.”
So why did Jellyfish take a break?
Her Next Role
Before taking a leave from Hollywood, Majorino starred in one last role; NBC’s TV movie adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. Also part of the cast was Ben Kingsley, Gene Wilder, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robbie Coltrane.
Even though she acted alongside some of the industry’s brightest stars, Majorino held her own as Alice. She told The Morning Call, “I’m not threatened or intimidated by people who have won all kinds of awards. I just think of them as fellow actors and we’re all trying to do a good job.”
But this role meant more to her than the experience of starring with Hollywood A-listers. Keep reading to find out how this role impacted her life.
“Alice in Wonderland”
Alice in Wonderland gave Majorino the opportunity to visit Europe for the first time; she lived in London for three months while the film was being shot.
The young actress connected with fellow co-star Robbie Coltrane. She said he was fun to work with and in an interview with The Morning Call she referred to him as a “wild [man] who know[s] how to keep things light and airy.” All in all, it seemed like Majorino was on her way to become a huge star.
Image by Hallmark/Nbc/Kobal/Shutterstock (5879897g)
So, what happened, and why did she take a break after this role?
A Break From Hollywood
Majorino’s break from Hollywood lasted five years; and started at the age of thirteen. Majorino told The Daily Emerald, “I think … the best decision I ever made for myself was taking that time off to get to know myself so that if I ever did decide to come back, I could be strong enough and grounded enough to know what’s really important and what’s not.”
But, Majorino did come back and she took on different types of roles than she did in the 90s.
You probably didn’t even realize that the girl who starred in some of your favorite film and television series of the 2000s was the same girl who played Enola in Waterworld.
2000s Party Life
That wasn’t the only reason Majorino took a break from the limelight. During an interview with Stephanie DuBois via Netscape, she said she didn’t want to be part of the Hollywood party scene that so many famous celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan were becoming known for during the 2000s.
