In 1995, the world was introduced to Waterworld, an over-budget blockbuster ($175 million) that required the help of the film’s lead, Kevin Costner, to save it from drowning out at sea. But while the post-apocalyptic action film navigated a very rough release, which included critics who circulated the film like sharks, a very young nine-year-old girl, Tina Majorino, had a breakout role and stole the film as Enola, a character who barely spoke and had a map tattooed on her back. But where is she today?
At the time, Majorino had already been working for several years. At just 7 years old, she landed a role on Camp Wilder on ABC’s TGIF lineup in 1992, which went up against Full House and Family Matters. Sadly, the show only ran 20 episodes before it was cancelled, even if Majorino held her own alongside Mary Page Keller, Jerry O’Connell, Hilary Swank, Jay Mohr, and Jared Leto. Then, in 1993, she scored a Youth in Film Awards nomination for Outstanding Actress Under 10 in a Television Series. But she lost to Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly. Still, it was enough for her to start getting recognition from Hollywood.
Naturally, bigger film roles came quickly after. Majorino played the daughter of Meg Ryan’s alcoholic character in 1994’s When a Man Loves a Woman. And things only got better from there. She soon starred in Corrina, Corrina opposite Ray Liotta and Whoopi Goldberg, where she portrayed a grieving child who barely speaks.
But Waterworld was the film that made everyone sit up. It’s still the face we remember when we think of the film today.
After the film, she took the lead in NBC’s 1999 Alice in Wonderland, a $21 million production packed with Ben Kingsley, Gene Wilder, Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Lloyd, and Miranda Richardson. Majorino was 14 by then and carried much of the film. The miniseries won four Emmy Awards.
And then, at the height of her popularity, she quietly took a break from Hollywood… for a time.
By the young age of 13, school had become rough for Majorino, and fame didn’t help. “When you are that young and you have a good sense of self and have an idea of what you want to be doing at that young, they are not into it and will not have it at their school,” she told the University of Oregon’s Daily Emerald. So she stepped back. “To get to know myself so that if I ever did decide to come back, I could be strong enough and grounded enough to know what’s really important and what’s not.”
Five years later, she was 18 and returned in a tiny indie called Napoleon Dynamite. The film was shot in just 23 days on a tiny budget of $400,000. But like every other project Majorino touched, it blew up and, after Sundance in 2004, grossed over $46 million. If you remember, you’ll know she played Deb, the puffy-sleeved optimist who sticks by Napoleon through every awkward pause. She even helped choreograph Jon Heder’s now-iconic dance.
She revealed that she once emailed author Rob Thomas at 13 for a book report. And, as fate would have it, years later, he cast her as Mac on Veronica Mars. Then she popped up on Grey’s Anatomy, True Blood, Bones, Legends, and The Good Doctor, too. Majorino was everywhere again for a time. Even in music videos for Lifehouse and P!nk.
But that wasn’t enough for one of the hardest-working actresses in Hollywood. Off-screen, she formed The AM Project with her brother Kevin. In 2021, during lockdown, they launched the No Pressure podcast. “The two of us wanted to create a space where we can talk openly about whatever is happening in our lives, and yours, without any limits, and without any pressure. Career, food, love, aliens – you name it, we love to talk about it. Life can be A LOT, but we’re in it with you. We hope you’re as excited as we are to embark on this journey together,” they promised.
Now at 41, Tina Majorino (Instagram posts have all been deleted) still acts, still sings, and still pops up everywhere. That little girl with the map in Waterworld grew up and continued to work. While she hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2014’s Veronica Mars, she’s still very busy in the TV industry.
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