Isabelle Fuhrman has become one of the most fascinating young actors around

Why do so many child actors struggle? To be a good actor, you need self-awareness and empathy, and those are traits many children don’t have. This makes Isabelle Fuhrman’s performance in Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Orphan” all the more exceptional.

In “Orphan,” a Connecticut couple — Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard) — is still reeling from the miscarriage of their third child. So, they decide to adopt. They’re instantly charmed by a young Estonian girl named Esther (Fuhrman) and welcome her into their home. But Esther shows increasing sadism, culminating in the horrible truth: she’s actually a 33-year-old serial killer, afflicted with hypopituitarism that prevented her body from aging with her mind.

“Orphan” — released in 2009 — was shot in late 2007 when Fuhrman was only 10 years old. In what was her second film appearance, she was a child playing the part of an adult who is playing the part of a child. A performance that layered would be demanding even for an adult actor, but the nature of the role precluded one from playing Esther.

Somehow, Fuhrman did the seemingly impossible and pulled it off. She was scary, but not so chilling that it diluted the film’s inherent camp value. She also understood the black comedy camp of her role — take her faux-innocent, s***-eating grin whenever Esther lets the mask slip and gets under Kate’s skin.

Many child actors quit the business once they come of age. Almost 15 years on from “Orphan” though, Fuhrman remains an actress. What has she been up to since?

The Hunger Games

Isabelle Fuhrman’s highest-profile project remains “The Hunger Games,” released in 2012. In a dystopian future, the nation of Panem holds an annual tradition where two children are selected from each of the nation’s 12 Districts and forced to fight televised gladiatorial combat.

Fuhrman auditioned to play the lead, Katniss Everdeen, but she was deemed too young at 14. The part went to then-22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence. As a consolation, she got the part of Clove, one of the “career” tributes who’ve spent their whole lives training for the Hunger Games. Part of a pack of four, Clove stands out from her friends in two ways. The other three are all tall blonds, far from the short, freckled, and raven-haired Fuhrman. She’s also particularly vicious.

Fuhrman uses the same sinister smile for Clove that she did for Esther. But while Esther had to conceal her true self, Clove always gets to be who she is and it’s terrifying. In her scant screentime, she’s often eying the other tributes like a lioness on the hunt. During a TV interview, Clove brags about her lethal knife-throwing skills — unfortunately, the film’s shaky-cam action direction doesn’t do them justice.

However, a scene where she tussles with Katniss while trying to stab her brings to mind the horror of “Orphan.” Thanks to Fuhrman’s young age, Clove actually looks like a child — unlike most of the other tributes — so her sadism is all the scarier and underlines the horror of the Hunger Games themselves. As Clove met her end in the first film, Fuhrman couldn’t return for “The Hunger Games” sequels.

Career Lull

“The Hunger Games” was the highlight of Isabelle Fuhrman’s 2012, but it wasn’t her only project that year. Before it, Fuhrman had done the occasional voice acting role, such as in the children’s films “Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage” in 2010 or the English dub of “From Up on Poppy Hill” in 2011. In 2012, she gave video games a try with “Hitman: Absolution.” She voiced Victoria, the Mathilda to Agent 47’s Léon. However, she remains a primarily live-action actor.

In 2012, Fuhrman was announced to star in a remake of Dario Agento’s Giallo classic “Suspiria,” to be directed by David Gordon Green. Fuhrman had broke out as a slasher villain, so turning her into a final girl would’ve been a flex of her talents. However, the project ultimately fell through. Luca Guadagnino’s eventual “Suspiria” remake is a good film, but the potential of the unmade Green/Fuhrman “Suspiria” is still fascinating.

Most of Fuhrman’s films during the 2010s weren’t widely seen or received well. She had an uncredited role in “After Earth” and a supporting one in the direct-to-video Stephen King adaptation “Cell.” Her most notable role was on television — a recurring part in “Masters of Sex” as Tessa Johnson, daughter of the lead Virginia (Lizzy Caplan).

While Fuhrman wasn’t getting big parts, she at least kept trying different ones. She starred in more horror movies (“The Last Thing Mary Saw” and “Down a Dark Hall”) but also comedies (“Dear, Eleanor” and “Good Girls Get High”) and romantic films (“1 Night”).

The Novice

In 2021, Isabelle Fuhrman finally got a star vehicle with “The Novice,” an actor-anchored character study written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Lauren Hadaway. Fuhrman plays Alex, a college freshman who is always pushing herself. Even if she gets no enjoyment from something, she has to be the best at it. That’s why she’s majoring in physics, even though it’s her worst subject. She cites JFK’s quote about going to the moon to explain her ethos: “We [do things] not because they are easy but because they are hard.” One of Fuhrman’s greatest acting assets is her intense glare, the perfect body language for a single-minded overachiever like Alex.

Looking for an extracurricular, Alex discovers her university’s rowing team. Rowing is a physically intensive sport but one that mandates teamwork — it’s all about moving in synchrony with the other rowers. However, the individualistic Alex only sees her teammates as competition to get the highest score and winds up alienating them all. Tellingly, once she does get the highest score, she quits.

“The Novice” is akin to films like “Raging Bull” or “Whiplash,” other movies about a person driven to be the best in their field and who takes ambition to self-destructive levels. The physicality of their profession — whether boxing, drumming, or rowing — underscores the lead’s drive with a cinematic punch. Speaking to /Film about “The Novice,” Fuhrman called her part “a role that any actress would die to play.” She continued:

Orphan: First Kill

Why didn’t “Orphan” become the next big slasher franchise? The first film was more of a cult classic than an instant hit. It made decent money — earning $78 million worldwide — but got middling reviews. It has a 58% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 42 ‘mixed’ score on Metacritic.

Secondly, Esther’s death in the film is definitive. Kate snaps her neck with a forceful kick and then her body sinks into a frozen lake. Even Michael Meyers would have a tough time coming back from that one. If “Orphan” were to continue, it would have to be a prequel. And that’s what happened with “Orphan: First Kill” in 2022. To account for Isabelle Fuhrman being in her 20s, “First Kill” used a multitude of practical effects to make Fuhrman look younger (and shorter).

Since the audience already knows the truth about Esther, she’s more unhinged than in the original. And Fuhrman relishes that. The opening shows how she escaped a psychiatric facility and became Esther. Seventy-five minutes into the film, there’s a scene where Esther drives a stolen car, smokes a cigarette, and listens to Michael Sembello’s “Maniac.” This pushes the envelope on camp even further than the original “Orphan” did — and it’s glorious.

“First Kill” also flipped the formula of the first film. It turns out that Esther’s first “mother” Tricia (Julia Stiles) is hiding a secret about her real daughter’s disappearance. Esther is now at a disadvantage in her battle of wits — and when she starts killing the family in the climax, you’re actually rooting for her.

Fuhrman has indicated a third “Orphan” film is coming. Fingers crossed that “Orphan” prequels don’t remain the only films she’s starring in.