Boorem also had prominent supporting roles in the war drama The Patriot (2000) and the thriller Along Came a Spider (2001). She went on to star in numerous teen films in the early-to-mid 2000s, including the surf film Blue Crush (2002), the comedy Sleepover (2004), and the drama Augusta, Gone (2006). Boorem was a recurring guest star on the network series Dawson's Creek in 2002 and 2003. She had a central role in John Carpenter's horror film The Ward (2010), followed by roles in several independent films.
Also in 2000, Boorem had a central role in the Revolutionary War historical drama The Patriot (2000), playing the daughter of a soldier (portrayed by Mel Gibson).[3] For her performance, she was nominated for her third Young Artist Award as part of an ensemble cast.[5] She subsequently appeared opposite Morgan Freeman and Anton Yelchin in the thriller Along Came a Spider (2001), playing the kidnapped daughter of a United States Senator.[11] The following year, she was again cast opposite Yelchin with a lead in the drama Hearts in Atlantis (2001), playing a young girl who has mysterious interactions with an elderly man (played by Anthony Hopkins) in her community.[3] A supporting role in Penny Marshall's period drama Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) followed,[3] and a part as the younger sister of Kate Bosworth in the surf film Blue Crush (2002). In 2003, she had a supporting role opposite Julia Stiles and Shirley MacLaine in the romantic comedy Carolina.[12] Between 2002 and 2003, Boorem had a recurring guest role on the sixth season of the series Dawson's Creek, portraying Harley Hetson.[13] For her role, she earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice TV Sidekick.[14]
Transition to teen and adult roles
In 2004, Boorem starred opposite Alexa Vega in the teen comedy Sleepover, followed by a supporting part in the dance film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004).[12] In the independent drama Smile (2005), Boorem portrayed a teenager from Malibu who befriends a young Chinese woman with a facial deformity, played by Yi Ding.[15] Critic Justin Chang of Variety deemed the film a "well-meaning but dramatically lopsided tearjerker."[15]
The following year, Boorem starred as the lead in The Initiation of Sarah, an ABC Family television film and remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name,[16] as well as in the television drama film Augusta, Gone, in which she portrayed a teenaged drug addict. Tom Jicha of the Sun-Sentinel praised her performance in the film, writing: "... the meatiest role belongs to Mika Boorem. The relative unknown plays Augusta Dudman, a 14-year-old with typical teenage insecurities and self-esteem problems. This makes her willing prey for a more advanced child of the streets named Rain, who introduces Augusta to the temptations of drugs and sex. Boorem handles the role as if she's in it for more than a paycheck, which cannot be said of all her co-stars."[17] In 2007, she had a guest-starring role on the medical drama series House, appearing in the episode "Insensitive" as a teenager suffering from CIPA, a condition that prevents her from sensing pain.[18]
She guest-starred on the series Ghost Whisperer in 2008, appearing in the episode "Bloodline,"[12] and the same year had a minor role in the drama Trucker.[12] Boorem was also featured in David Cook's music video "Light On" in 2008. In 2010, she had a supporting part as the ghost of a psychiatric patient in John Carpenter's psychological horror film The Ward, opposite Amber Heard and Danielle Panabaker.[19]The Hollywood Reporter's Michael Rechtshaffen, in reviewing the film, noted it as "an economical period piece that still effectively demonstrates what a skilled technician can accomplish in a single location with a compact cast and sturdy old-school effects."[19]
Directing and other projects
In 2012, Boorem appeared opposite Kelly Lynch in the Armand Mastroianni thriller Dark Desire.[20] Boorem was also cast in the 2013 short film Awake, which was subsequently included in the 2016 horror anthologyMinutes Past Midnight.[21]
Hollywood.Con was co-written and produced by Boorem's father, Benjamin Boorem, and its premise was partly inspired by a trip the two had taken to buy jade.[25] In April 2019, Boorem visited Arkansas Arts Academy to present a workshop on the film industry, and students from the academy served as videographers for the premiere screening of Hollywood.Con on May 4, 2019, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.[26][27]
^Boorem pronounces her name as such when introducing herself in a 2018 discussion of her upcoming film, Hollywood.Con.[1]
^Former In Her Sight editor Cara Hutto writes: "Mika Boorem is a veteran actress with over 40 major motion picture and television credits. Her directorial feature length film debut Hollywood.Con was released in 2021."[24]
^Challen, Paul (2010). The House That Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide. Toronto: ECW Press. p. 302. ISBN978-1-554-90308-5.
^ abc"Past Winners and Nominees". Hang Onto Your Shorts Festival. New Jersey. Archived from the original on March 27, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
