Why Ruby From CODA Looks So Familiar
The most recent film to win the Academy Award for best picture, "CODA" was written and directed by Sian Heder and is based on the 2014 French film "La Famille Bélier." It follows Ruby Rossi, a CODA — that is, child of deaf adults — who, as the only hearing member in her family, is relied upon for communication between her parents and the hearing members of their fishing business. Despite the fact that Ruby's parents rely on her, she dreams of attending Berklee College of Music to pursue her love of singing.
The cast includes two prominent deaf actors: Marlee Matlin, who became the first deaf person to win an Oscar when she took home the best actress prize for 1986's "Children of a Lesser God," and Troy Kotsur, who just became the first deaf man to win an Oscar for his supporting role in "CODA." But at the center of the film is Ruby, the titular CODA, who is played by 20-year-old actress Emilia Jones, who has been working since 2011 (via IMDb).
If Jones struck you as familiar-looking while you were watching CODA, you're probably curious about her acting history. Here's a rundown of Jones' most prominent roles — and why she may look familiar to you.
Jones began on TV with House of Anubis and Utopia
Emilia Jones' first on-screen role was in eight episodes of the children's mystery show "House of Anubis" on Nickelodeon. The series follows the students of a boarding school who begin investigating what happened to a peer that goes missing. Jones played the young version of the character, Sarah Frobisher-Smythe (the older version is played by Rita Davies).
Two years later, Jones moved on to the British thriller series "Utopia," which follows a comic book fan community who believes the unpublished sequel to a popular graphic novel contains information about major events in the future. Jones plays Alice Ward, a young student who gets wrapped up in the conspiracy after learning about it through Grant (Oliver Woollford), an 11-year-old who gets involved by pretending to be an adult online.
"Utopia," despite only lasting two seasons, has maintained a cult fan base over the years — to the point that in 2018, Jones was asked in an interview with In The Panda (via Facebook) if there's any way that the show could come back for a third season. Jones responded that she knows that those involved are interested, concluding, "So we can keep hoping."
Jones had a major role in "Brimstone"
After "Utopia" — and before "CODA" — Emilia Jones began winning bigger roles in films. In 2016, she starred alongside Kit Harington, Dakota Fanning, and Guy Pearce in the Western thriller "Brimstone" by writer-director Martin Koolhoven. "Brimstone" follows four different storylines, told in four parts. Jones plays Joanna, the center focus of the second act, "Exodus." In "Exodus," Joanna is captured and sold to a brothel. With the help of an older woman at the brothel, Joanna eventually escapes. Joanna also appears in the third act, "Genesis," which chronologically takes place prior to "Exodus." "Genesis" depicts a younger Joanna escaping from her home, where her father has abused her.
In an interview with Fred Film Radio, Jones and Fanning discussed how they became involved in the film. Jones said of her role, "When I first read the script, when I was first going to audition, I thought it was absolutely amazing. I couldn't put it down." She then said how she immediately thought that Joanna would be "such an amazing character to play."
Jones stars in Locke & Key
Based on the comic book series of the same name, "Locke & Key" follows the Locke siblings as they move with their mother to their father's family home after their father's death. Jones plays Kinsey Locke, one of the siblings who begin discovering keys around the house that open up magical doors. Soon, they come up against an evil entity looking to use the keys for its own purposes. The Netflix series currently has two seasons released and will return for a third and final season.
While speaking with Collider promoting "CODA," Jones also discussed how her character on "Locke & Key" has grown over the course of the first couple seasons. First noting that she thinks Kinsey has grown "a lot," Jones continued, "Kinsey, at the beginning, is wracked by anxiety and fear, and then she takes this big emotion out of her head and it's a recipe for disaster. She's having to realize how to cope without cheating with these keys ... People are gonna enjoy these characters understanding themselves more and understanding each other."
After "Locke & Key" wraps up with Season 3, Jones is next slated to be seen on the big screen starring alongside "Succession" actor Nicholas Braun in "Cat Person," the upcoming adaptation based on the viral New Yorker short story by Kristen Roupenian.