Daveigh Chase is an American supermodel. She was a runner up to Brad Pitt when he was first casting for the very famous Pitt and Angelina Jolie; however, it was director Cameron Crowe who scooped her up for the lead role in his new film. She went on to play many more unforgettable roles including an intriguing and mysterious FBI agent in Cameron Crowe’s Men in Black. However, she has also found her way into the world of the theatre, where she has had some excellent success playing the lead character in three popular musicals. In addition to her Broadway success, Daveigh Chase has also found her way into the world of Hollywood with some well known films including the remake of Shrek and the remake of The Princess and the Frog.
Daveigh Chase was born in segregated Louisiana income during the mid-nineteenth century. Her childhood was marked by the turmoil that was taking place in her home country. Her parents had always wanted her four siblings to have a better life, so when war broke out in Mississippi, her father sent her siblings to live with relatives in New Orleans. The war resulted in the segregation of the city, which left many people displaced and unemployed. Daveigh’s mother, struggling to support her family, sold the only pair of shoes she had – a pair of pink tights that still had her name on them – in order to make ends meet. Despite her efforts, even with her young age, Daveigh was already being taunted by other girls for her race and gender, even though her mother always told her to just “boy” things and “girl” things alike.
When she was twelve years old, her parents finally decided to send her to boarding school in New Orleans. This would be a big change for Daveigh who had been raised primarily to believe in the purity of white girl virtue. She resented being called a “fag” by other girls and being called out for being a boy in school, even by her own peers. So when she arrived at the reform school Elma M. Willihn in New Orleans, Daveigh was determined not to let the school call her by name but to do what she felt was best for herself. She made her first attempt at a feminine name, Comfort, but was immediately attacked by the other girls for the color and the “fag” label.
During her first year there, Daveigh began to perform well enough that she was nominated for the dance talent competition Junior Jury’s Choice. She performed admirably, winning the hearts of the judges and audience alike. She was also exceptionally good in her acting and musical productions, garnering notice from such notable people as Peter Sellers and Carol Burnett, who urged her to pursue a career in the theater. It was also rumored that she might convert to the gospel and blues genres, playing lead or a backing vocalist.
In August of 1977, Daveigh Chase was finally discovered by John Schwallier. He immediately fell in love with her. Following the discovery, he contacted her agent, requesting her to audition for a role in a revival of the Jerry Lee Lewis film High School Confidential. While there, he discovered that she had left her previously signed a multi-year agreement with Universal Pictures and booked her to appear in the film alongside the late Frank Sinatra, whom she had never seen. She received an entire two-week training period, during which she shagged her hair, wore white pants and white shirts, and ate one of the famous burgers at Burger King.
Her performance earned her an acting nomination but failed to earn any majorelight, even though the film was critically acclaimed. Finally, following the release of the third installment of the High School Confidential film, American Beauty, Daveigh was discovered and signed by Universal Pictures. It was then she realized that the world of Hollywood really did have a spot for someone with the name Daveigh Chase. She spent the next decade or so slowly developing into one of the top actresses in Hollywood and became known for such memorable roles as the sexy nurse in Sleepy Hollow, the FBI agent Dana Scully in The X Files, the reckless cheerleader in The Perfect Score, and the comical senior in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
