Dominique Swain


Dominique Swain is an American actress. She first came to attention as the title character in Adrian Lyne's 1997 adaptation of Lolita, alongside a supporting role in John Woo's Face/Off also released in the same year. She worked predominantly in independent cinema throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s with credits including Girl, The Intern, Tart, and Pumpkin. Next she was in Alpha Dog, Road to Nowhere, and a succession of films in the action, thriller, and horror genres.

Early life

Swain attended Malibu High School in Malibu, California. Her parents separated when she was 15. She has three siblings including actress Chelse Swain.

Career

1997–1999: Film debut and critical acclaim

In 1995, at the age of 15, Swain was chosen from 2,500 girls to play the title role of Dolores "Lolita" Haze in Adrian Lyne's controversial screen adaptation of the 1955 novel, Lolita. Released in 1997, the film earned positive reviews from critics with New York Magazine calling it "superior" to the Stanley Kubrick version from 1962, and Caryn James of The New York Times writing that Swain's performance was "extraordinary," adding:
Also in 1997, Swain appeared as John Travolta's rebellious teenage daughter, Jamie, in John Woo's commercially successful action thriller Face/Off, with a positive review from Entertainment Weekly highlighting her chemistry with Travolta. Next, she headlined the 1998 drama Girl, in which she portrayed a high-schooler determined to lose her virginity. Writing for Variety, critic David Stratton called it a "well-cast, modestly effective pic" with "a bright, intelligent performance" by Swain.
Speaking of finding it hard to secure roles in the wake of Lolita, a matter she attributed to typecasting, Swain later commented, "I turned down stuff specifically because of nudity, because it doesn't take a whole lot of class to yank your clothes off... I had a body double in Lolita I think the goal was 'Let's see what she really looks like.' They were sending me scripts with no substance to them."

2000–2006: Independent films

Swain had prominent roles in various independent films throughout the early 2000s—The Smokers, The Intern, Pumpkin, and New Best Friend—and worked on three occasions with Brad Renfro—Happy Campers, Tart, The Job—prior to his death. In 2006, she starred as aspiring dancer Lori Gunderson in Totally Awesome, a parody of 1980s teen movies. She played the supporting role of Susan Hartunian in Alpha Dog, the closing night film at 2006's Sundance Film Festival. A crime drama based on the murder of Nicholas Markowitz, Swain's character was inspired by Natasha Adams-Young, a key figure in the real case who was granted legal immunity in exchange for her testimony in court.

2007–present: Genre films and television work

In 2007, Swain headlined the supernatural horror film Dead Mary, which Fangoria felt was successful in setting itself apart from other entries in the genre. Her performance in the 2010 thriller Road to Nowhere was lauded, which Kevin Thomas described as a "stylish, shimmering neo-noir" in his review for the Los Angeles Times.
File:MandalynnCarlson.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Swain and Mandalynn Carlson at a screening of The Sparrows: Nesting at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California, April 20, 2015
After lead roles in the straight-to-video action films The Girl from the Naked Eye, Nazis at the Center of the Earth, Skin Traffik, and Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre, Swain starred in the 2016 thriller The Wrong Roommate; her first of several appearances in The Wrong... series, an anthological group of Lifetime television films.

Campaign

In 2001, at the age of 21, Swain posed nude for PETA's "I'd Rather Go Naked than Wear Fur" campaign.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Accolades

YearCeremonyCategoryWorkResult
1998Saturn AwardsBest Performance by a Younger ActressFace/OffNomitated
1999Chicago Film Critics AssociationMost Promising ActressLolitaNomitated
1999MTV Movie AwardsBest Kiss LolitaNomitated
1999Young Artist AwardsBest Performance – Leading Young ActressLolitaWon
1999YoungStar AwardsBest Young ActressLolitaNomitated
2003DVD Exclusive AwardsBest ActressTartNomitated
2007San Diego Film FestivalRising StarThe Pacific and EddyWon
2007Silver Lake Film FestivalBest ActressThe Pacific and EddyWon
2013Downbeach Film FestivalLifesaver Achievement AwardWon
2019Hoboken International Film FestivalBest Supporting ActressThe Last Big SaveNomitated