Facts

  • Full name is Emmanuelle Grey Rossum.
  • Attended the Spence School in Manhattan, an elite private girls’ school that was also attended by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kerry Washington.
  • Has appeared in 20 different operas singing in five languages.
  • Had never seen the stage version of The Phantom of the Opera (2004) prior to filming the screen version.
  • Made her stage debut at seven years of age (she sang “Happy Birthday” for her audition) at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She made $5 a night singing with the children’s choir. According to her, “There were horses onstage that were getting $150″.
  • Her father is a banker and her mother is a corporate photographer.
  • Took cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu in London.
  • In preparation for her role in The Phantom of the Opera (2004), she attended a séance at the Spiritualist Association of Great Britian, where a medium talked to her about her late grandmother.
  • Won Best Young Actress in 2004 Critic’s Choice Awards.
  • She obtained her high school diploma online via a Stanford University program.
  • Has Celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the body can’t tolerate any foods containing gluten or wheat.
  • Is an only child.
  • Her favorite actors are Sean Penn (her Mystic River (2003) co-star) and Miranda Richardson (her The Phantom of the Opera (2004) co-star).
  • Attending Columbia University.
  • Hobbies include reading, horseback riding, and ballet.
  • Her favorite book is John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”.
  • Is Dutch and Scot-Irish.
  • Cousin is Cecilia Becker, daughter of world-famous designer Vera Wang.
  • Her favorite designer is Ralph Lauren.
  • She is a fan of Audrey Hepburn.
  • Her favorite opera is “Carmen”.
  • Used to be a vegetarian.
  • Is related to Vera Wang by marriage.
  • Studied acting with Flo Salant Greenberg of the Actor’s Workshop in New York City for several years.
  • Is very close friends with singer/actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz.