Gemma Louise Ward (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian fashion model turned actress.[2] Born in Perth, Western Australia, Ward was first scouted at the age of 14, and made her Australian Fashion Week debut aged 15. She later became the youngest model to appear on the cover of the American edition of Vogue, later appearing on the covers of both Teen Vogue and Time. Ward's first major acting appearance was in the 2007 Australian film The Black Balloon, and she has since also appeared in the horror film The Strangers (2008) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011).
Early life
Gemma Ward was born on 3 November 1987 in Perth, Western Australia, the second of four children of Gary Ward, a doctor, and Claire, a nurse. She has an older sister, Sophie (who also became a model), and younger twin brothers, Oscar and Henry. She was educated at the Presbyterian Ladies' College and Shenton College.[3] Gemma was the family clown whose ambition was acting.[4] Her passion for acting was born in 1997, when she was cast as the witch in a school play of Hansel and Gretel at age ten.[5]
Ward's brush with modeling was an accidental one.[4] She was discovered in 2002, at the age of fourteen,[5] while accompanying her friends to the Australian modelling competition Search for a Supermodel.[3] As she said herself in a Teen Vogue interview, she ended up being scouted herself:
I had come straight from my auntie and uncle's farm, and I was wearing this big gray barn jacket with mud all over it. When the scout came up to me, I said, 'No, thank you.' They forged my mum's signature [for mandatory parental consent], and pushed me in front of the cameras.[3][6]
Ward didn't win the competition, but her fragile, unique look, got
the attention of a spotter from Vivien's Model Agency who saw her
potential and made a show reel.[3][4] The show reel then landed on the desk of ace model scout David Cunningham from the New York City agency IMG.
"Look how confident she is. I mean, she looks like she's been doing
this for years, and she's a 15-year-old kid walking in an alleyway in
Perth [...] She's a supermodel, for sure," Cunningham said.[4]
Career
Modeling
It girl, 2004–2007
At 15 Ward made her Australian Fashion Week debut in May 2003.[7] Within a year, she was in Italy meeting Prada designer Miuccia Prada.[5] Her look inspired a new generation of baby doll-like models such as Vlada Roslyakova, Heather Marks, Lily Cole, and Lisa Cant.[6] In September 2004 at only sixteen, Ward became the youngest model to appear on American Vogue photographed by Steven Meisel as one of the nine "Models of the Moment" with Daria Werbowy, Natalia Vodianova, Gisele Bündchen, Isabeli Fontana, Karolina Kurkova, Liya Kebede, Hana Soukupova and Karen Elson.[3][5][8]
Ward modeling in San Francisco, 15 March 2007.
In February 2005, Ward appeared in no less than 20 New York runways for designers that included Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and Klein, and was rumored to earn about $20,000 per show.[9] And at 17, she became the famous face of Calvin Klein’s Obsession Night perfume billboards – bumping Kate Moss out of a job in the process.[5][9] Ward was reportedly paid $1.3 million for the Calvin Klein campaign and counted similar deals with Burberry and Valentino among her model earnings.[9]
Ward then graced the Spring 2005 cover of TIME Magazine's Style & Design issue.[5][9] In September 2005, Ward secured a coveted place on the inaugural cover of Vogue China posing between Chinese models Du Juan and Wang Wenqin and was shot by leading photographer Patrick Demarchelier.[10][11] A staggering 300,000 copies sold in the first three hours.[9] "She is every inch blue chip," Vivien's agent Suzie Deveridge said. "Right now she's considered the No. 2 model in the world – and she isn't even 18 yet."[9]
By 2006 Ward became Australia's brightest fashion star since Elle Macpherson.[4] At the age of 18, Ward became the first model ever to appear on the cover of Teen Vogue magazine.[12][13] She was then featured in the Australian television program 60 Minutes as the "It Girl".[4] She was earning $25,000 to stride the catwalk.[5] In Allure magazine (October 2006), Ward is described as "the model of the moment." Allure's
creative director Paul Cavaco stated: "We went through a period that
was very va-va-voom, but now the pendulum has swung back. Gemma is
ethereal, not earthy." Photographer Michael Thompson says, "She's an
exotic blonde, the rarest of creatures."[14]
In July 2007, earning at an estimated total of $3 million in the past 12 months, Forbes named her tenth in the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels.[15] In October 2007 Ward appeared on the cover of the very first issue of Vogue India, centered between Bollywood actresses Bipasha Basu and Priyanka Chopra shot by photographer Patrick Demarchelier (who also photographed her in Vogue China) and it became the second time Ward has appeared on an inaugural issue.[10] Vogue Paris declared her one of the top 30 models of the 2000s.[16]
Retirement claims, 2008–present
In August 2008, reports surfaced that Ward was to retire from modeling to pursue acting.[17]
However, reports were quickly dismissed by Ward herself saying: "I was
surprised to wake up this morning and read news of my own retirement.
While I am taking some time off currently to rest and enjoy the company
of friends and family, I am still very much a (excited and enthusiastic)
working model and actress. I'm only 20, for God's sakes."[18]
Ward hasn't walked down a runway since the spring 2008 shows. Her
last modeling job was an appearance on the cover of and inside the
October 2008 issue of Spanish Marie Claire.[19]
Slightly over a year later, in November 2009, Ward's agent officially
announced her retiring from the industry after her notable absence in
the past few runway seasons.[13]
Following a series of criticisms about her weight gain a spokesperson
from Viviens modelling agency in New York released a statement, saying:
"Gemma hasn't committed to returning to modeling at any time soon",
adding Ward had the agency's full support.[20][21] Again, Ward quickly dismissed the retirement claims, confirming that she would return to modeling in 2010.[22]
After avoiding the spotlight for three years, Ward opened up in an exclusive interview for The Sunday Telegraph in 30 January 2011. There she explained that her break from the media spotlight "was something spurred by Heath's death".[23] As for her career she went on to say:
In terms of me shying away from modelling, I'd like to clarify in some way that I was taking a break from many things in my life and obviously what people in the public see is that I'm pulling away from what is more 'public'. I didn't know how long it would take, I didn't know if it would solve anything, but I set out to really focus inside myself.[23]
Ward shot her first pictorial in years in Australia’s Sunday Telegraph Magazine for the 6 February 2011 edition.[24]
In 2013, Ward signed with IMG Models Australia, prompting rumours of a modelling comeback.[25]
Acting
Ward has long aspired to pursue acting and drama is a passion that she has held since she was a child. She starred alongside Toni Collette and Rhys Wakefield in Australian director Elissa Down's film The Black Balloon as the girlfriend of a boy whose brother has autism.[26] The Black Balloon had its world premiere at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany in February 2008, where it received a Crystal Bear as the best feature-length film in the Generation 14plus category.[27] She was also cast opposite Liv Tyler in the suspense thriller The Strangers as one of the three masked intruders, "Dollface".[28] In the summer of 2009, she took classes at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York.
After three years out of the spotlight, Ward made her international
stage debut in 22 March 2011 for the (PTC) Perth Theatre Company's
production of The Ugly One. The play centres on the modern obsession with physical beauty and the need to resort to plastic surgery.[23] Her star power brought the PTC publicity and boosted ticket sales. Perth Now’s Maria Noakes gave Ward positive reviews for her performance.[29]
MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the 'Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011'.[30] In the summer of 2011, Ward played Tamara, an antagonistic mermaid, in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, opposite Johnny Depp.[29]
Personal life
In early 2008, Ward was reported to have been seeing actor Heath Ledger after media articles linked the two together at end of 2007 holiday celebrations.[31]
Ward and Heath Ledger first met in November 2007 in New York when Ward had just turned 20. In 2011, in an interview for The Sunday Telegraph,
Ward confirmed that they had "developed a relationship and we started
seeing each other." The two then spent Christmas together in their home
town of Perth before returning to New York where Ledger died less than a month later, on 22 January 2008.[23]
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Pink Pyjamas | Heidi | |
| 2008 | The Black Balloon | Jackie Masters | Nominated – Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actress Nominated – Inside Film Award for Best Actress |
| 2008 | The Strangers | Dollface | |
| 2011 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | Tamara (First Mermaid) | |
| 2013 | The Great Gatsby | Languid Girl |
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