Isa Briones Explained

Isa Briones
Birth Date:17 January 1999
Birth Place:London, England
Nationality:American
Years Active:2008–present
Awards:Ovation Award
Father:Jon Jon Briones
Relatives:Teo Briones (brother)

Isabella Camille Briones (; born January 17, 1999)[1] is an American actor and singer.[2] A veteran of musical theatre, she rose to prominence for her starring roles in the CBS All Access (later Paramount+) series (2020), including Soji, an android "daughter" of Data. In 2023, she starred as Margot Stokes in the Disney+/Hulu series Goosebumps.

Isa Briones began her career as a model in New York City at age three, and started acting in feature films and stage productions in 2008. She won the Ovation Award for Featured Actress In a Musical for Next to Normal in 2018 in Los Angeles. Afterward, she returned to New York and became the youngest performer in the first touring company of Hamilton, playing multiple roles and earning praise for her "sultry alto" voice. In 2024, she made her Broadway debut, playing Eurydice in Hadestown.

In addition to multiple acting performances in Star Trek: Picard, Briones sang a new arrangement of "Blue Skies" by Irving Berlin for the season one finale.

Early life

Isa Briones was born in London, England, to Jon Jon Briones and Megan Briones (Johnson), and she has a younger brother, Teo. Her family members are all musical theatre actors.[3] [4] She is Filipino on her father's side, and Swedish and Irish on her mother's.

Her parents met in Stuttgart while auditioning for Miss Saigon; her father was closing its West End theatre production when Briones was born.[3] She was ten months old when her family moved from London to New York City, where she began work as a model at age three. In 2006, when Briones was seven, her family moved to Los Angeles.[2]

Briones learned acting and singing at home from her parents. She majored in theatre and musical theatre at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.[5]

Career

Film and television

Briones began her acting career as a child in 2008. She appeared in television commercials and played supporting roles in feature films including Brown Soup Thing,[6] Takers and Lonely Boy.

For a television pilot in 2010, Briones played one of three children of a single mother moonlighting as a drug kingpin in Beverly Hills. In 2018, she appeared along with her father in an episode of .[2] In 2019, Briones was cast in as two sets of synthetic twins: Dahj and Soji, and Jana and Sutra.[7] [8] Briones sent tapes of herself to audition for the web television series while she was playing multiple roles on stage in Hamilton, and learned during the process that she would portray twins in the series. She made her debut as both Dahj and Soji during the season premiere in January 2020.[9] Sutra is introduced in episode nine.[8]

Briones said she identified most closely with Soji who, after Romulan attacks, learns she is not human but rather an android created from a remnant of Data:[10] "I think that's a very relatable story as a mixed person, deciding that you can be... both Filipino and white, and you can be both synthetic and human, if that's how you feel inside." Sutra presented a different direction for Briones, who chose a similar look to Data,[11] and the novel challenge of acting opposite herself as Soji.[12]

In his review of the series' debut episode, Entertainment Weeklys Darren Franich called its plot developments "shock tactics" and Dahj "vacant".[13] Scott Collura of IGN wrote that Soji is effectively a plot device, but Briones "gives it her all week after week, reacting best she can to Soji's changing status quo".[14] Keith DeCandido from Tor.com said her performance improved with each episode; "her confused post-activation Soji is her best work".[15]

Paramount+ confirmed in April 2021 that Briones would return for the series' second season,[16] in which she added a new character, Kore, genetically engineered "daughter" of 21st century geneticist Adam Soong (Brent Spiner).[17] In the season finale "Farewell", Kore frees herself from Soong's influence and is recruited by Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) to join the Travelers.[18]

Briones confirmed on May 6, 2022, that Soji will not be returning for the series' third season.[19]

In October, Briones was added to the cast of the Disney+ series Goosebumps, based on the novels by R. L. Stine. Briones plays Margot, a bookworm thought by her high-school classmates to be a snob.[20]

Theatre

Briones has performed in numerous stage musicals since childhood. She played Susan in a Los Angeles production of Miracle on 34th Street, in which Megan Briones appeared as her mother.In 2018, Briones earned three Ovation Award nominations for Featured Actress In a Musical from the LA STAGE Alliance. She was nominated for her portrayal of Perón's mistress in Evita, and won for her performance in one of two discrete productions of Next to Normal.[21] In his review of Next to Normal in August 2016, Cary Ginell of BroadwayWorld wrote, "Briones gives a disquietingly effective, achingly nuanced portrayal" of her character, Natalie;[22] in October, Ginell called her song in Evita "one of the most quietly exquisite moments in the entire musical."[23] Margaret Gray of the Los Angeles Times called Briones the "breakout star" of Next to Normal in May 2017: "Briones played the role before ... and she has a lock on it."[24] Erin Conley of OnStage Los Angeles praised Briones's "beautiful, crystal clear voice."[25]

Briones joined her father when he moved back to New York in January 2018.[21] She was cast in Hamilton following a seven-month audition process, becoming at age 19 the youngest person to join the first national touring company. Over the course of its one-year run, she played both Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds,[26] and understudied for the role of Eliza Hamilton.[5] Her performances brought praise from Judith Newmark of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: she "effectively plays Peggy Schuyler as a cupcake and Maria Reynolds as a flambé." Cincinnati CityBeats Rick Pender wrote, "Briones brings a sultry alto to her second role as Maria Reynolds," Hamilton's mistress. She toured with the company until March 2019,[27] and was cast in Star Trek: Picard in April.[7]

After production wrapped in Los Angeles on the series' first season, Briones returned to the stage. She appeared in AJ Rafael's Crazy Talented Asians, and #Hash(tag) America by Anthony Fedorov and Raye Zaragoza.[28] In May 2020, Briones and the cast of Crazy Talented Asians began producing a monthly online performance series.[29]

Briones returned to the stage in Los Angeles in April 2022 for a reading of Graves, a play written by Ellie Pyle and directed by Bola Ogun.[30] In July, she joined the cast of Grease as staged by Musical Theatre West. Sean McMullen of The Press-Enterprise called her presence as Betty Rizzo "tough, seasoned, and visceral."[31] Steven Stanley of Stage Scene LA wrote, "Briones gives Rizzo both power pipes and tough-girl swagger".[32] In March 2024, Briones joined the cast of Hadestown on Broadway as Eurydice. Her father joined the cast as Hermes.[33]

Music

Briones has recorded several video duets with fellow Filipino-American performer AJ Rafael.[34] Their version of "Rewrite the Stars" from The Greatest Showman was released as a single.

For the Star Trek: Picard season one finale, "Et In Arcadia Ego, Part 2", Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" was set to play during Data's final scene as a bookend to his performance in . Composer Jeff Russo wrote a new arrangement for the episode, and series co-creator Alex Kurtzman suggested they ask Briones to perform the vocals.[35] Briones said, "it's so right that this is the song" playing at the end of Data's journey.[36] Her rendition was released as a single in 2020.[37]

Personal life

As of 2020, Briones lives in Los Angeles.[2]

In April 2020, Briones joined her Star Trek: Picard castmates including Jonathan Frakes, Jeri Ryan and Brent Spiner in a video message of hope to viewers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[38] In July of that year, Briones took part in the Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel for Comic-Con@Home, the virtual event that replaced San Diego Comic-Con in 2020.[39]

In 2021, she participated in a video campaign addressing hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2008Brown Soup ThingCousin IsaFeature film
2010TakersSunday WellesFeature film
2013Lonely BoyMiaFeature film
2018Elena CunananEpisode: "Creator/Destroyer"; also starring Jon Jon Briones
2020The Ready RoomHerselfWeb television aftershow: "S1 E9"
2020–2022Dahj/Soji/Jana/Sutra/KoreCBS All Access/Paramount+ series
2023–presentGoosebumpsMargotMain role

Discography

Singles
YearTitleArtistLabel
2018"Rewrite the Stars"AJ Rafael ft. Isa BrionesAtlantic
2020"Blue Skies"Isa BrionesLakeshore

Awards

Ovation Awards
YearNominated WorkRoleCategoryResult
2018EvitaPerón's MistressFeatured Actress in a Musical
Next to Normal (East West Players)NatalieFeatured Actress in a Musical
Next to Normal (Triage Productions; Standing Room Only Productions)NatalieFeatured Actress in a Musical

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. WATCH: Jude Hosts a Paint-Date With Isa Briones. 0:06. startrek.com. March 11, 2020. October 6, 2020. Cites pronunciation.
  2. Cites birth place and date, American Crime Story.Web site: Dahj/Soji: Isa Briones. https://web.archive.org/web/20200928153914/https://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-picard/cast/216324/. Actor and singer Isa Briones ... most recent credits include ... the First National Touring Company of Hamilton, and Next to Normal ... for which she won an L.A. Ovation Award.. cbs.com. September 28, 2020. March 15, 2021. Cites actor and singer.Web site: Moreland. Alex. Exclusive Interview—Isa Briones and Jonathan Del Arco on Star Trek: Picard, their characters Dahj and Hugh, and more. Flickering Myth. South Shields. January 22, 2020. March 15, 2021. [Jonathan Del Arco:] She's also an incredibly confident actor and performer, a great singer as well." "[Moreland:] It's pretty good going for an actor who only turned 21 the day after our interview.. September 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230907195633/https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2020/01/exclusive-interview-isa-briones-and-jonathan-del-arco-on-star-trek-picard-their-characters-dahj-and-hugh-and-more/. live. Cites actor and singer.
  3. Web site: Grigware. Don. BWW Interview: Isa Briones Opens Up About Next to Normal. BroadwayWorld. New York City. April 9, 2020. en. August 19, 2016. March 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200320191602/https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/BWW-Interview-ISA-BRIONES-Opens-Up-About-NEXT-TO-NORMAL-20160819. live. Cites full name.
  4. Web site: Teo Briones. 2021-08-19. IMDb. August 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210820004529/https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3897067/. live.
  5. Nepales (January 30, 2020), p.2 . Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  6. Web site: Floorwalker. Mike. Why Dahj/Soji From Star Trek: Picard Looks So Familiar. Looper. January 30, 2020. April 5, 2021. May 16, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210516063618/https://www.looper.com/185936/why-dahjsoji-from-star-trek-picard-looks-so-familiar/. live.
  7. Porter. Rick. Patrick Stewart's Star Trek Series Adds Newsroom, Penny Dreadful Actors. The Hollywood Reporter. April 17, 2019. April 3, 2020. Cites casting.
  8. Pirrello. Phil. 11 Star Trek: Picard Easter Eggs as Season 1 Nears the End. The Hollywood Reporter. March 19, 2020. April 10, 2020. Cites characters. Jana is presented in a drawing during season one; she was killed prior to those events.
  9. Schager. Nick. Star Trek: Picard premiere recap: The past, reborn. Entertainment Weekly. January 23, 2020. April 5, 2021.
  10. Cites identified. Picard establishes that a Romulan shadow group intends to destroy all synthetic life. Soji's twin, Dahj, is killed by Romulans in the premiere episode. Kain. Erik. Star Trek: Picard review: Everything I Didn't Know I Wanted It to Be. Forbes. January 28, 2020. May 23, 2020. Cites Data.
  11. Miller. Liz Shannon. Star Trek: Picard Star Isa Briones on the Finale, Confirms Patrick Stewart Is 'Just the Coolest Dude'. Paste. March 26, 2020. October 5, 2020. "[The producers wanted] a distinct look ... and I was like, 'let's just go for it with this one—she can have the long hair, she can have the eyes.' ... I definitely feel, as a theatre actor, that ... once you're in costume, and the lights are on, everything is happening, you naturally fall into the character. And I feel like that's exactly what happened with Sutra". Cites theatre actor, audition process, Sutra.
  12. Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel Comic-Con@Home 2020. Comic-Con International. YouTube. 1:04:47–1:05:19. July 23, 2020. December 16, 2020. "Sutra came later, and I already knew who Soji was ... I was losing my mind—a bit—it looked a little crazy, just turning my head and talking to myself ... and coming from theatre as well, I think I thought it was going to be more different than it was."
  13. Franich. Darren. Can Star Trek: Picard recover from its bafflingly bad premiere?. Entertainment Weekly. January 23, 2020. April 8, 2020.
  14. Web site: Collura. Scott. Star Trek: Picard Episode 9 Recap / Review – 'Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1'. IGN. San Francisco. March 28, 2020. April 6, 2020. March 20, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200320064158/https://www.ign.com/articles/star-trek-picard-episode-9-recap-review-et-in-arcadia-ego-part-1. live.
  15. DeCandido. Keith R. A.. Keith DeCandido. Regrets, I've Had a Few — Star Trek: Picard First Season Overview. Tor.com. April 3, 2020. April 8, 2020.
  16. Web site: Del Rosario. Alexandra. Star Trek: Picard Season 2 Teaser: Patrick Stewart Ponders The Final Frontier, Hints At A Familiar Character's Return. Deadline Hollywood. April 5, 2021. April 5, 2021. April 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210405215627/https://deadline.com/video/star-trek-picard-season-2-patrick-stewart-hints-character-return/. live.
  17. Web site: Roman. Julian. Star Trek: Picard Mid-Season Two Recap & Review: Q's Dangerous Gambit. MovieWeb. April 8, 2022. June 27, 2022. June 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220627155801/https://movieweb.com/star-trek-picard-mid-season-two-review-paramount-plus/. live.
  18. DeCandido. Keith R. A.. Keith DeCandido. "Must it always have galactic import?" — Star Trek: Picards "Farewell". Tor.com. May 5, 2022. May 6, 2022.
  19. Web site: Trestrall. jack. Star Trek: Picard Cast Confirm their Departure!. Trek Central. May 6, 2022. May 6, 2022. May 6, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220506202535/https://trekcentral.net/star-trek-picard-cast-confirm-their-departure/. live.
  20. News: Otterson. Joe. 'Goosebumps' Disney+ Series Casts Zack Morris, Isa Briones (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. October 11, 2022. October 12, 2022. October 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221011193941/https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/goosebumps-disney-plus-series-cast-zack-morris-isa-briones-1235399066/. live.
  21. Cites award/nominations, commercials.Web site: Ginell. Cary. BWW Interview: Isa Briones of Evita at Cabrillo Music Theatre. BroadwayWorld. New York City. October 20, 2016. April 10, 2020. February 25, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170225063416/https://www.broadwayworld.com/thousand-oaks/article/BWW-Interview-Isa-Briones-of-EVITA-at-Cabrillo-Music-Theatre-20161020. live. Cites Evita, move to New York.
  22. Web site: Ginell. Cary. BWW Review: Next To Normal at Pico Playhouse. BroadwayWorld. New York City. August 24, 2016. April 19, 2020. August 27, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160827050127/https://www.broadwayworld.com/thousand-oaks/article/BWW-Review-NEXT-TO-NORMAL-at-Pico-Playhouse-20160824. live.
  23. Web site: Ginell. Cary. Evita Teen Star Isa Briones On The Energy Of Acting. Ventura County Theatre News. Thousand Oaks, California. October 19, 2016. March 28, 2020. [Briones:] I don't want to go all method ... but on the other hand, I know that I am Natalie, I know what she is going through, although I'm only an actor.. January 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210119112359/https://vconstage.com/evita-teen-star-isa-briones-on-the-energy-of-acting/. live.
  24. Gray called Briones "the lovely, impressive newcomer" in her review the year before.
  25. Web site: Conley. Erin. Review: Next to Normal at the Pico Playhouse. Onstage Los Angeles. August 22, 2016. March 28, 2021. May 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210505044042/https://www.onstageblog.com/reviews/2016/8/22/review-next-to-normal-at-the-pico-playhouse. live.
  26. News: Fil-Am Isa Briones is youngest actor in Hamilton nat'l tour. Ang. Walter. April 19, 2018. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Makati. February 9, 2020. April 19, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180419214716/https://usa.inquirer.net/11701/fil-isa-briones-youngest-actor-hamilton-natl-tour. live.
  27. Web site: Isa Briones. About the Artists. December 29, 2020. Also cites understudy.
  28. Bronson. Fred.
    1. Hash(tag) America Brings Together Talent From American Idol, Star Trek: Picard & More
    . Billboard. October 15, 2019. April 17, 2020. [''Crazy Talented Asians''] was one of my first opportunities to interact one-on-one with fans of Star Trek..
  29. Web site: East West Players Announces Virtual Gala and Weekly Streaming Content Featuring Randall Park & More. BroadwayWorld. New York City. April 30, 2020. May 1, 2020. May 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200516121753/https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/East-West-Players-Announces-Virtual-Gala-and-Weekly-Streaming-Content-Featuring-Randall-Park-More-20200430. live.
  30. Web site: Rabinowitz. Chloe. Bola Ogun to Direct Isa Briones in GRAVES by Ellie Pyle. BroadwayWorld. April 19, 2022. May 6, 2022. May 6, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220506223034/https://www.broadwayworld.com/los-angeles/article/Bola-Ogun-to-Direct-Isa-Briones-in-GRAVES-by-Ellie-Pyle-20220419. live.
  31. News: McMullen. Sean. The Showbuzz: Musical Theatre West's Grease offers new look at nostalgia. The Press-Enterprise. Riverside, California. July 13, 2022. July 16, 2022. July 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220714074907/https://www.pe.com/2022/07/13/the-showbuzz-musical-theatre-wests-grease-offers-new-look-at-nostalgia/. live.
  32. Web site: Stanley. Steven. Grease. StageSceneLA. Los Angeles. July 9, 2022. July 25, 2022. November 4, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221104204905/https://stagescenela.com/2022/07/grease-5/. live.
  33. https://www.playbill.com/article/jon-jon-briones-and-daughter-isa-briones-to-join-cast-of-broadways-hadestown Jon Jon Briones and Daughter Isa Briones to Join Cast of Broadway's Hadestown
  34. Cites Filipino-American.Web site: AJ Rafael (official channel). YouTube. April 3, 2020. May 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200516121801/https://www.youtube.com/user/ilajil/search?query=isa+briones. live. Cites videos.
  35. Star Trek: Picard – The Return of 'Blue Skies'. television production. YouTube (CBS official). March 27, 2020. October 14, 2022. 0:58–1:13. [Russo: I told Kurtzman it was a great idea to record our own version], 'and we'll find a singer' ... and he was like, 'well, you know, Isa is a singer.'.
  36. Star Trek: Picard – The Return of 'Blue Skies'. television production. 0:37–0:49 and 3:30–3:47. YouTube (CBS official). March 27, 2020. October 14, 2022. [Briones:] This is obviously a bit of a throwback to... when Data sang 'Blue Skies', so it's really cool that Data's 'daughter' kind of gets to sing it as well.... It's so right that this is the song that is playing during this moment ... in Nemesis, it's the beginning of something. As we sing it this time, it's the end of this chapter; it's a good-bye..
  37. Web site: Search: Isa Briones. Apple Music. April 27, 2020. April 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404014033/https://music.apple.com/us/search?term=isa%20briones. live.
  38. startrekcbs. 1247917116147335169. No matter where you are in the galaxy, we're #InThisTogether. April 8, 2020. April 19, 2020.
  39. Star Trek Universe Virtual Panel Comic-Con@Home 2020. Comic-Con International. YouTube. 1:00:00–1:17:46. July 23, 2020. October 6, 2020.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Isa Briones".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.