Thora Birch Net Worth

Thora Birch's Quotes

• I admire Jodie Foster. Her head is screwed on really well. It's not loose at all.
• For me, romance isn't an over-the-top act. It's someone offering to help and to support me. Or if that person thinks I'm making the wrong decision, he'll tell me. I want him to be honest, because being that honest takes a lot of guts.
• If I wake up on the wrong side of the bed, I look in the mirror and see the most vile creature. But if I'm feeling comfortable about myself, then I'm more accepting. I'm not like, "Oh my God! look at that gorgeous person." It's just like, "Yeah, okay. That's doable."
• [on her nude scene in American Beauty (1999)] It was very, very difficult for me to come to terms with it in a personal way. Creatively, I was solid. I understood the importance and significance of that scene and I had known in advance that it was going to happen. As you can imagine, I had spoken with the director, Sam Mendes, and we both agreed it was not a gratuitous scene, rather a very realistic moment in Jane and Ricky's relationship.
• I tried to walk a fine line between being alluring and somewhat glamorous but maintain a strong identity and pursue things that were a little more thoughtful, and I guess nobody really wanted women to do that at that time.

Interesting Facts about Thora Birch

1. Has a Green Belt in Karate.
2. Her parents, Jack Birch & Carol Connors, thought that she would be a boy, and planned on naming the child Thor, after the Norse God of Thunder and Lightning. When she was born, however, her parents feminized the name and called her Thora.
3. Does her own stunts.
4. Used to live on her family ranch in East Los Angeles.
5. Was fired from Election (1999) due to differences with director Alexander Payne.
6. Older sister of Bolt Birch.
7. Gained 20 pounds for her role in Ghost World (2001).
8. Was actually only 16 years old at the time she was filmed nude for a scene in American Beauty (1999). She told TV talk show host Craig Kilborn when she appeared on his show in 2002 that her parents didn't have a problem with her doing a nude scene, despite her being under age, and they encouraged her to go ahead and do it. They agreed that her character's nude scene was so important to the development of her character that they gave their approval.
9. Has co-starred with Chris Cooper in two movies, Silver City (2004) and American Beauty (1999), but has never appeared onscreen together with him.
10. Her maternal grandmother was the daughter of Polish immigrants, and her maternal grandfather was of French-Canadian, Irish, and German ancestry.
11. Was a contributing director for sketch comedy group The Doomed Planet.
12. Appeared in Moby's video "We Are All Made Of Stars" (2002) and "Eat You Alive" by Limp Bizkit (2003).
13. The family's surname was originally said to be Biersch, of German-Jewish origin. Her ancestry also includes Polish, French-Canadian, German, Irish, Italian, and Scandinavian.
14. She got her first role at the age of 6 in the short-lived sitcom Day by Day (1988).
15. Her parents, Jack Birch and Carol Connors, both appeared in supporting roles in Deep Throat (1972).
16. She bested 4,000 young hopefuls to land the role of Billie Pike in Paradise (1991).
17. She auditioned for the role of Natalie in Evil Dead (2013).
18. She was originally cast in the lead role in The Quiet (2005), but dropped out. Camilla Belle replaced her.
19. She was originally cast as Tammy Metzler in Election (1999), but was fired due to creative differences with Alexander Payne. Jessica Campbell replaced her.
20. She was scheduled to make her NY stage debut in an off-Broadway revival of "Dracula". Four days before the play was supposed to open, Birch was fired and asked to leave the theater immediately, due to interference from her manager/father. He had been supervising every detail of his daughter's performance during rehearsals. When he saw another actor giving Birch a back rub, he demanded that the actor stop. The actor in question explained that he was following directions from the play's director. Reportedly, he told the actor, "Listen, man, I'm trying to make this easier on you - don't touch her". The actor felt that Birch's tone was threatening. This led to her being terminated.