Sofia Boutella (Arabic: صوفيا بوتلة) is an Algerian actress, model, and dancer, famous for roles in Star Trek, Kingsman and The Mummy (2017).
She was born on 3rd of April 1982.
Growing up in Paris, Boutella was exposed to many more forms of dance, particularly hip hop and street dance, which intrigued her for offering more "freedom" compared to the more disciplined styles of ballet and gymnastics. She joined a group called the Vagabond Crew, which won the Battle of the Year in 2006, and participated in a spin-off group called "Chienne de Vie and Aphrodites".
Her breakthrough as a dancer came in 2007, when she was picked for the Jamie King choreography for Nike Women's "Keep Up" campaign, serving as a role model of femininity and hip-hop. This was a major boost to her career and led to more work alongside stars like Madonna, in her Confessions Tour, and Rihanna. She credits her work with Madonna for helping her learn English.
Boutella successfully auditioned for the Michael Jackson 'This Is It' concerts but could not attend due to the extension of the Madonna tour, whose dates coincided with the Jackson tour. She was the main character in the music video for "Hollywood Tonight" by Michael Jackson in February 2011.
Boutella has cited Fred Astaire (brilliant), Jean-Michel Basquiat, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Bob Fosse as artistic influences.
ACTING
Beginning at age 17, Boutella rehearsed with famed Spanish choreographer Blanca Li. She began dancing in film and television shows, as well as in commercials and concert tours.
She played the lead character Eva in the drama film StreetDance 2 (2012), the sequel to StreetDance 3D (2010).
In 2014, after 12 years as a dancer, Boutella sought a career in acting. Initially, she purposefully avoided auditioning for lead roles, wishing to play supporting characters so as to learn from more experienced actors. In 2015, she appeared in her first major film, Kingsman: The Secret Service, which jump-started her career as an actress. One year later, she appeared as the alien warrior Jaylah in Star Trek Beyond, released on July 22, 2016.
In 2017, she portrayed a French secret agent in the David Leitch film Atomic Blonde, which also featured Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman and Toby Jones. The same year, she played the titular role in The Mummy, along with Tom Cruise, Russell Crowe and Annabelle Wallis.
Beginning in 2018, Boutella's profile rose, and she began to appear in more central roles. That year, she appeared in the Gaspar Noé dark psychological horror film Climax, starred alongside Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon in the HBO drama film Fahrenheit 451, and portrayed French contract killer 'Nice' in the near-future action crime thriller Hotel Artemis, alongside Jodie Foster, Jeff Goldblum, and Dave Bautista.
In October 2019, she starred in episode 5 of the first season of Amazon Prime's Modern Love.
In November 2021, Boutella was cast in the sci-fi adventure film Rebel Moon directed by Zack Snyder for
Netflix.
CLEOPATRA
THE MUMMY - UNDER DEVELOPMENT
'Cleopatra
- The Mummy' is the prequel to 'Kulo-Luna,'
two stories in the John Storm franchise (for which a draft
script is available to studios and actor's agents). The John Storm
franchise is a series of
ocean awareness adventures, featuring the incredible solar
powered trimaran: Elizabeth
Swann.