MovieChat Forums > Kingdom Hospital (2004) Discussion > In defense of Jodelle/Mary

In defense of Jodelle/Mary

posted 13 years ago by ShyLivesMatter
5 replies | jump to latest

So, I had a pretty detailed response to the "that little girl was just terrible" thread. Thought I raised some valid points that no one else had yet raised. However, this was 6 months ago and no responses since my post. So it either hasn't been read, it put people to sleep (lol), or people refused to debate it because they only see what they want to see. Fair enough, so I'll start my own topic defending Jodelle/Mary, pretty much restating my former post. I realize this is not a new series, so there won't be tons of posts, but hopefully at least a few read and it doesn't put any of them to sleep :-)

I thought Jodelle (Mary) was great. One of the bright spots of the series for sure. And I'm not even a big fan of kids usually. She was so cute, innocent, sweet, and vulnerable, my heart couldn't help but go out to her. Wanted to give her a big hug - maybe I just have a thing for ghost girls lol But her whole existence, like being an orphan, working that miserable job, hungry, tired, and all the pain she went through after, surviving a fire but only to be punished for her kindness, in limbo for over a hundred years, I don't blame her one bit for being whiney. You try that existence and get back to me.

As for her word pronounciations...well, I guess she was so cute, and Antibus was so badass, I kind of looked past it :-) No, seriously, I don't think anyone's mentioned this, but I think people just assume that when a child actor/actress mispronounces certain words, its the fault of the actor. Did it never cross your mind that maybe its just the character they're playing? That the words are supposed to be pronounced like that? Just like maybe the character is supposed to be a little whiney?

I think her character was supposed to be a little slow, so that's why she talked like that. I mean, she was the bell girl, not doing the actual grunt work like the other kids, so maybe there was a reason, like a disability? And as someone said, no normal kid could be that sweet, thoughtful, and selfless, so...? Finally, it helps explain her Anubis/Antibus confusion a little better, since I agree its a stretch. Just a thought my wife and I had to explain her pronounciation. Could be wrong.

However, Jodelle is seriously a great child actress, not just a cute face or a "one note" vulnerable actress that makes you want to protect her, but that's all she's good at. Far from it. The next year after this, she had the starring role in Terry Gilliam's Tideland. I watched it shortly after my post from 6 months ago. I've never seen such an amazing performance by someone so young. Ever. She also did extensive acting work before this series, even being nominated for a Daytime Emmy at age 4 for her work in Mermaid (one of her first ever roles). So don't disregard her performance so easily...look deeper.

"I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule."

[–] katran1 13 years ago

I agree. I thought she was great in Kingdom Hospital (less so in Silent Hill, but I blame the crappy script writers who gave her character some seriously cheesy lines). She was also great in Dead Like Me, though her part was small and only in one episode.

[–] ShyLivesMatter 13 years ago

Thank you for the comment. Hmmm...I thought she did great being alternately endearing and creepy in Silent Hill. Some cheesy lines, true, but she did great playing 3 totally separate characters. I've honestly never seen a little girl either that talented or that cute...and now she's a beautiful young woman...truly amazes me she's not a household name yet. Dead Like Me, yeah, she was great, small part but still choked me up However, if you want to see her in some crap, check out the Uwe Boll films Seed and Bloodrayne: Deliverance. Ick. I'm a true fan/admirer (so maybe I'm a bit biased lol), I'll watch anything she's in, but even she couldn't save those turkeys. Wonder why she decided to work with him of all people?

Anyway, I forgot to mention in my first post:

I'm not sure I like how they ended the series, regarding the resolution for Jodelle's character Mary. Yeah, its great they went back in time and prevented the fire, so all those children could be spared and Mary wouldn't become a ghost for all those years. Its great she lived and founded the hospital (St. Mary's Hospital) where everyone works now (the name changed from Kingdom Hospital when they re-wrote history).

However, I would have much preferred her spirit, as is, be set free and released to some benign afterlife where she could be at peace. After all her character endured and suffered, all those years as a ghost...that helped shape who she is and she deserved peace. You also see her miraculously smile sometimes even as a ghost...moments of unexpected beauty. And she found a friend and protector in Antibus. To just wipe all those experiences, good and bad, out like they never happened...that just didn't sit right with me somehow. Just my opinion.

"I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class. Especially since I rule."

[–] katran1 13 years ago

Yeah, but:

The whole point of them going back in time was to prevent her suffering in the first place. It's as if it never happened. She lived a good life with presumably no memory of the other life (or unlife, as the case may be), died at a ripe old age and is now at peace. She never suffered the horrible things that she did in the other timeline because it was changed at the source.

[–] Hoshi_Reed 13 years ago

I liked her in KH. I always took her pronunciations to be a mix of her age and the time she lived in.

As for I've never seen such an amazing performance by someone so young.
Though Jodelle is great I still say Dakota Fanning in the Taken mega series was the most amazing child performance I've seen since Shirley Temple.

[–] windyyatikaaa 8 years ago

Nah i like jodelle better sometimes dakota sucks -_- i cant take her seriously in every damn movie she has that annoying vibe