# Jodelle Ferland
**Jodelle Ferland** (Jodelle Micah Ferland) is a Canadian actress born in 1994 in Nanaimo, British Columbia, known for a career that began in childhood and spans horror films, television series, and voice work[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D99106.html). Her best-known roles include the lead in [Terry Gilliam](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-gilliam)'s *[Tideland](https://www.edgepedia.org/tideland-film)* (2005), Sharon/Alessa in the video game adaptation *[Silent Hill](https://www.edgepedia.org/silent-hill-film)* (2006), the vampire Bree Tanner in *The Twilight Saga: Eclipse* (2010), and the character Five in the science fiction series *Dark Matter* (2015 to 2017)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true) • [3](https://www.beautifuljodelle.com/Filmography.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and origin | Jodelle Micah Ferland, Canadian, born 1994 in Nanaimo, Canada[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D99106.html) |
| First screen work | An episode of CTV's *Cold Squad* (1998), followed by the lead in the Showtime drama *Mermaid* (2000)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Emmy distinction | Daytime Emmy nomination for *Mermaid* as the youngest-ever nominee in that category[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/) |
| Breakthrough film role | Jeliza-Rose in Terry Gilliam's *Tideland* (2005)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true) |
| Signature horror role | Sharon Da Silva/Alessa Gillespie in *Silent Hill* (2006), played at age 12[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/) |
| Series lead | Five (Emily Kolbur) in *Dark Matter*, three seasons from 2015 to 2017[3](https://www.beautifuljodelle.com/Filmography.html) |
| Voice work | Aggie in the animated film *ParaNorman* (2012)[5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/99106/filmo/) |
## Early career
Ferland's first screen appearance was an episode of CTV's *Cold Squad* in 1998[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true). The French-language film database AlloCiné dates her debut to 1999, at age 5, in episodes of the same series, followed by regular small roles in television movies[1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D99106.html).
Her first film lead came in the Showtime cable drama *Mermaid* (2000), in which she played Desi, a young girl struggling to accept her father's death; the character's mental deterioration ends with a life-saving intervention from a stranger[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/). The performance earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination, making her the youngest-ever nominee for that award[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/). She did not win that year, but the nomination served as her introduction to American audiences[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/). A fan-run biography states that she won the award, a claim contradicted by IMDb and [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide), which list the Emmy as a nomination only[6](https://www.jodelleferland.org/biography.html) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true). She did win a 2001 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy or Drama), Young Actress Age Ten or Under[7](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jodelle-ferland/bio/3000096635/).
## Television work through the 2000s
Through the early 2000s Ferland appeared in dozens of primetime series, mostly in single-episode or recurring parts. Her credits include *The Lone Gunmen* (Fox, 2001), the post-apocalyptic *Dark Angel* (Fox, 2000 to 2002), *Smallville* ([The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw), 2001 to 2011), *Dead Like Me* (2003), and *The Collector* (2004)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/) • [3](https://www.beautifuljodelle.com/Filmography.html).
Two [Stephen King](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-king) projects defined this period. She played the young telekinetic in the NBC made-for-television update of *Carrie* (2002), then took the role of Mary Jensen, a tortured young girl who haunts the hospital's halls, in *Kingdom Hospital* (ABC, 2004)[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/). Her genre guest appearances continued with *Masters of Horror* (2006), *Supernatural* (2006), and a role as Adria in *Stargate SG-1* (2006)[3](https://www.beautifuljodelle.com/Filmography.html).
## Film roles
**Tideland and Silent Hill.** In 2004, Ferland was cast as Jeliza-Rose, the lead in Terry Gilliam's *Tideland* (2005), which follows a troubled young girl who takes refuge in her own imagination once her parents have died[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true). TV Insider describes it as her biggest role to that point, a controversial film in which her character explores a barren Texas landscape with her thoughts and a handful of Barbie heads[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/).
She was 12 years old when she was cast as Alessa, the vengeful, isolated spirit in *Silent Hill* (2006), the film adaptation of the video game directed by Christophe Gans[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/) • [1](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D99106.html). IMDb credits her with three characters in the film, Sharon Da Silva and Alessa Gillespie among them[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true). TV Insider attributes the film's surprise success in part to her uncanny maturity, and the role fixed her association with horror productions[4](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/).
**Later films.** Roles that followed include a despondent foster child in Hallmark's *Pictures of Hollis Woods* (2007), Lilith Sullivan opposite [Renée Zellweger](https://www.edgepedia.org/renee-zellweger) in *Case 39* (2009), [Matthew Broderick](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthew-broderick)'s daughter in *Wonderful World* (2009), and Patience Buckner in [Drew Goddard](https://www.edgepedia.org/drew-goddard) and Joss Whedon's *The Cabin in the Woods* (2011)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true). She played the newly turned vampire Bree Tanner in *The Twilight Saga: Eclipse* (2010)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true). In Pascal Laugier's *The Tall Man* (2012) she played Jenny, a character who cannot express herself verbally; in a 2012 interview she described the part as difficult because it left no room for spoken expression and required her to convey the character's thoughts through facial expressions alone[8](https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/729522-excluisve-interview-jodelle-ferland-talks-the-tall-man/xwp_curated_content). She also voiced Aggie, the ghost girl, in the animated film *ParaNorman* (2012)[5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/99106/filmo/).
## Dark Matter and later work
From 2015 to 2017 Ferland played Five, also named Emily Kolbur, a lead role in the science fiction series *Dark Matter*, which ran for three seasons[3](https://www.beautifuljodelle.com/Filmography.html) • [5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/99106/filmo/). Later television credits include a guest role as Emily in season 15 of *Supernatural* (2019) and an appearance in *[The Order](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-order-tv-series)* season 2 (2020)[5](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/99106/filmo/) • [9](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-99106/filmographie/).
Her filmography has remained weighted toward genre material. A French-language horror publication profiled her at Montreal Comiccon 2019 as a scream queen, citing roles in *They*, *Case 39*, *Silent Hill*, *The Tall Man*, and *The Messengers*[10](https://horreur.quebec/entrevue-retour-sur-le-comiccon-de-montreal-2019-avec-la-scream-queen-jodelle-ferland/). In the 2012 interview she explained the attraction: her favorite thing about playing darker roles is that they are not her, and she prefers roles completely different from her real-life self; she added that the appeal is less the genre than finding an enjoyable or challenging part[8](https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/729522-excluisve-interview-jodelle-ferland-talks-the-tall-man/xwp_curated_content).
## References
1. [Jodelle Ferland, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D99106.html)
2. [Jodelle Ferland, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0272706/?showAllCredits=true)
3. [Beautiful Jodelle, Filmography](https://www.beautifuljodelle.com/Filmography.html)
4. [Jodelle Ferland, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/jodelle-ferland/)
5. [Filmografie von Jodelle Ferland, FILMSTARTS.de](https://www.filmstarts.de/personen/99106/filmo/)
6. [Beautiful Jodelle, Biography](https://www.jodelleferland.org/biography.html)
7. [Jodelle Ferland Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jodelle-ferland/bio/3000096635/)
8. [Shock Interview: Jodelle Ferland Talks The Tall Man, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/729522-excluisve-interview-jodelle-ferland-talks-the-tall-man/xwp_curated_content)
9. [Jodelle Ferland : Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-99106/filmographie/)
10. [Retour sur le Comiccon de Montréal 2019 avec la scream queen Jodelle Ferland, Horreur Québec](https://horreur.quebec/entrevue-retour-sur-le-comiccon-de-montreal-2019-avec-la-scream-queen-jodelle-ferland/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › Canadian actors › Surnames Cr to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license