About Anna Paquin:
Anna Helene Paquin was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on July 24, 1982. Both of Anna Paquin's parents are educators; her Canadian father, Brian, is a phys-ed teacher, while her New Zealand-born mother, Mary, teaches English. Anna Paquin has two older siblings: her brother Andrew, born in 1977, and sister her Katya, born in 1980.Director Jane Campion was looking for a little girl to play a key role in The Piano, set to film in New Zealand, and a newspaper ad was run announcing an open audition. Anna Paquin's sister read the ad and went to try out with a friend; Anna tagged along because she had nothing better to do. When Jane Campion met Anna Paquin, whose only acting experience had been as a skunk in a school play, she was blown away. The director later recalled: "It is rare to find someone so young with such an instinct for performance."
