While there are many actors and actresses who have a back story of coming from nothing and working hard to find success. There aren’t many who could say that they were accidentally discovered and never even had aspirations of becoming an actor. One of the few who can say this is Rosario Dawson. Dawson is a prominent figure in the acting world known from a wide variety of movies and a enthusiastic political activist.
Rosario Dawson was born on May 9, 1979 in the city of New York. She was born to Isabel Celeste and Patrick C. Harris. However, she was brought up by her mother and her stepfather, Greg Dawson, who raised her from the age of one. Dawson’s mother is a writer and singer, while her stepfather Greg is a construction worker. Her ethnicity is a mixture of Afro-Cuban, Irish, Puerto Rican, and Native American. Dawson has one half brother named Clay who is four years younger…show more content… When Dawson was 15, she happened to catch the attention of director Larry Clark and screenwriter Harmony Korine while she was hanging out with her friends in front of her building. Korine stated that Rosario was perfect for a part in a screenplay that he had just written titled Kids. They asked Rosario would she like to be in a film and she replied in the affirmative which led to her auditioning for the role, then receiving the part. The film was a gritty independent feature about teenagers in New York City their shockingly active sex lives. While the film received mixed reviews due to it’s controversial subject matter, Dawson’s convincing portrayal gained her notice and launched her acting career. A writer from Ottawa Citizen had the following to say regarding Dawson’s performance in the film, "Even those critics who loathed Kids praised Dawson for the conviction with which she approached this assignment and for her striking onscreen presence."(Portman, 2012, p.