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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/86502-thora_birch_3205.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:300: Thora Birch does not think very highly of you.]]
3->''"When you're making a film, you become incredibly close. It's not like you're filing away papers all day. You're creating with human emotions, so you do become very connected, so it is familial and romantic."''
4
5Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. Named after the Norse god of thunder, she began her career as a child star in the films ''Purple People Eater'', ''Film/PatriotGames'', ''All I Want For Christmas'' and most memorably as Dani in ''Film/HocusPocus''. She also had significant roles in the films ''{{Film/Alaska}}'' and ''Film/NowAndThen''.
6
7At the age of sixteen, Thora sought to pursue more adult roles, and got her wish with ''Film/AmericanBeauty''. The film's portrayal of a dysfunctional family in a [[StepfordSuburbia seemingly perfect suburb]] earned critical acclaim, and provoked lots of hype surrounding the younger actors. Thora even received a significant seven figure salary for her part in the British thriller ''Film/TheHole''. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for ''Film/GhostWorld''. She seemed poised to become a star...
8
9...Until the [[http://www.wetpaint.com/what-happened-thora-birch-creepy-598751/ reported antics]] of her father/manager began to cost her roles. Despite her talent and directors being keen to work with her, she gradually disappeared from the mainstream roles. Occasionally she surfaced in an independent film or voice acting role - before taking a hiatus from acting in 2012. But 2017 saw her returning with a role in the sci-fi series ''{{Series/Colony}}'', and the film ''The Etruscan Smile''. Could CareerResurrection be in the cards?
10
11!!Selected Filmography:
12* ''Film/AllIWantForChristmas'' (1991) as Hallie O'Fallon
13* ''Film/PatriotGames'' (1992) as Sally Ryan
14* ''Film/HocusPocus'' (1993) as Dani Dennison
15* ''Film/MonkeyTrouble'' (1994) as Eva Gregory
16* ''Film/ClearAndPresentDanger'' (1994) as Sally Ryan
17* ''Film/NowAndThen'' (1995) as Tina "Tiny" Tercell
18* ''{{Film/Alaska}}'' (1996) as Jessie Barnes
19* ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' (1999) as Jane Burnham
20* ''[[Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000 Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (2000) as Empress Savina
21* ''Film/TheHole'' (2001) as Liz Dunn
22* ''Film/GhostWorld'' (2001) as Enid Coleslaw
23* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'' (2005) as Vega (voice) (1 episode)
24* ''{{Series/Colony}}'' (2016) as Morgan (2 episodes)
25* ''Film/{{Train}}'' (2008) as Alex Roper
26* ''Film/TheLastBlackManInSanFrancisco'' (2019) as Becca
27* ''Series/{{The Walking Dead|2010}}'' (2019-20) as Gamma/Mary (9 episodes)
28----
29
30!!Tropes associated with her work:
31
32* TheCastShowOff:[[invoked]] She did all her own stunts in ''Alaska''.
33* ContractualPurity:[[invoked]] Presumably avoiding said purity was why she chose to go topless in ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' at the age of seventeen. It seemed to work as she got a lot of critical acclaim for her role.
34* DawsonCasting:[[invoked]] She continued to play teens even after she became an adult. She was nineteen playing sixteen in ''Film/TheHole''. In ''Film/GhostWorld'' she was also twenty-one playing Enid as a high school graduate.
35* DyeHard:[[invoked]] She's naturally blonde but more commonly known as a brunette.
36* DyeingForYourArt:[[invoked]] She gained around twenty pounds to play Enid in ''Film/GhostWorld''. She also dyed her hair green for a sequence in the film where Enid does the same.
37* EnforcedMethodActing:[[invoked]] In the dinner scene in ''Film/AmericanBeauty'', Kevin Spacey felt Thora and Annette Bening weren't giving the right reactions. So he decided to throw the plate, getting an appropriately shocked reaction from them.
38* FakeBrit:[[invoked]] She plays the English Liz Dunn in ''Film/TheHole'', with a decent enough accent.
39* FormerChildStar: A zigzagged example. She transitioned very well from child to adult, as the only one of her childhood films to be remembered these days is ''Film/HocusPocus''. But her famous roles came in her late teens, and her career slowly declined into adulthood.
40* MagnumOpusDissonance:[[invoked]] She lists ''Film/HocusPocus'' as her favorite role. Although a cult favorite, she is better known for ''Film/AmericanBeauty'' and ''Film/GhostWorld''.
41* TheOtherMarty:[[invoked]]
42** She was originally cast in ''Film/{{Election}}'' as Tammy, but Jessie Campbell replaced her.
43** She was also originally cast in ''Series/{{Wednesday}}'', only to be forced to leave mid-way through production due to a family emergency, resulting in her replacement by Creator/ChristinaRicci.
44* PlayingAgainstType:[[invoked]] As [[ColdHam hammy]] Empress Savina in ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000''.
45* StageMom: Ironically she maintains that her parents ''didn't'' want her to get into the industry at first, and didn't even let her watch television as a child, only relenting when a babysitter noticed how enthusiastic she was about performing commercials. Her father became rather infamous for micromanaging her career and cost her several roles because of it.
46* StarDerailingRole:[[invoked]] ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000'' derailed a lot of the acclaim she had earned with ''Film/AmericanBeauty.'' She did nearly rebound with a Golden Globe nomination for ''Film/GhostWorld'' but her [[StageMom Stage Dad]]'s tendencies didn't help.
47* TimeShiftedActor: She plays the younger version of Melanie Griffith in ''Film/NowAndThen''.
48* TomboyAngst: She maintains that her career declining into adulthood was because she "wouldn't wear the frilly bows", the 2000s preferring blonde girly girls.
49* TypeCasting:[[invoked]] As an outsider type character. Part of this is intentional, as she claimed she "wouldn't wear the [[GirlinessUpgrade frilly bows.]]"
50* WhatCouldHaveBeen:[[invoked]]
51** Creator/ChristinaRicci was originally attached to star as Enid in ''Film/GhostWorld''. By the time the film got produced, Christina was too old to play Enid, so Thora replaced her. Thora had been offered the part of Rebecca, but wanted to be Enid. Two decades later, the roles would be reversed when Christina replaced Thora in the role of the titular character's dorm mother in ''Series/{{Wednesday}}''.
52** She was cast as Lucy in an Off-Broadway revival of ''{{Literature/Dracula}}'' but was fired after her father had too many clashes with the rest of the cast and crew.
53** She was a leading contender for the role of Claudia in ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'', but she was uncomfortable with the character's adult relationship with Louis, and turned it down.

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