Paz de la Huerta

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is de la Huerta and the second or maternal family name is Bruce.

Paz de la Huerta
De la Huerta in 2009
Born
María de la Paz Elizabeth Sofía Adriana de la Huerta y Bruce

(1984-09-03) September 3, 1984
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • model
  • painter
Years active1998–present

María de la Paz Elizabeth Sofía Adriana de la Huerta y Bruce[1] (born September 3, 1984), known professionally as Paz de la Huerta (pronounced [paθ de la ˈweɾ.ta]), is an American actress, model, and painter.[1] She began her career as a teenage model before appearing in supporting roles in the films The Cider House Rules (1999) and A Walk to Remember (2002).

She had a lead role in Gaspar Noé's art film Enter the Void (2009), and subsequently played Lucy Danziger in the HBO period drama series Boardwalk Empire from 2010 to 2011. She also starred in the horror film Nurse 3D (2013).

Early life

De la Huerta was born September 3, 1984[2] in New York City, the daughter of Spanish nobleman Don Ricardo Ignacio (Íñigo) Rafael de la Huerta y Ozores (14th Duke of Mandas and Villanueva, Grandee of Spain, born in San Sebastián on November 17, 1944) and wife Judith Bruce (born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 23, 1946). Her older sister, Doña Rafaela María de la Paz de la Huerta y Bruce (born in New York City on 15 November 1981), is the presumptive heiress of their father's titles.[3] De la Huerta was born with recurrent cystic hygroma under her arm, which she has had treated with multiple surgeries.[4] She and her older sister were raised by their mother in the SoHo neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. Her mother worked as an authority on birth control and women's issues in Third World countries.[4] De la Huerta was raised a Roman Catholic,[4] and has described herself as "very Catholic."[5]

She attended the private Saint Ann's School in the New York City borough of Brooklyn on a scholarship,[1] where she met fellow student and future fashion designer, Zac Posen, for whom she later became a muse.[4][6] During this time she was a babysitter for Lexi Jones, daughter of David Bowie and Iman.[6]

Career

1998–2009: Modeling and early work

She made her film debut with a small role in the 1998 romantic comedy The Object of My Affection.|[7] The next year, she appeared opposite Michael Caine and Charlize Theron in Lasse Hallström's The Cider House Rules (1999), a period drama adapted from John Irving's novel of the same name, in which she portrayed a young orphan.[8] She next had a small role in the independent drama Looking for an Echo, followed by a minor appearance in Ethan Hawke's directorial debut, Chelsea Walls (2001).[7]

De la Huerta subsequently starred in the ABC television film Bailey's Mistake (2001) opposite Linda Hamilton.[9] Jonathan Storm of the Orlando Sentinel praised her performance in the film as "exquisite."[9] In 2002, she appeared opposite Shane West and Mandy Moore in A Walk to Remember, an American coming-of-age romantic drama film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name.[7]

In 2007, de la Huerta was cast in a lead role in Enter the Void (2009), a psychedelic melodrama set in neon-lit nightclub environments of Tokyo, in which she portrayed a troubled young woman whose brother is murdered by a drug dealer.[10] Director Gaspar Noé found her after holding auditions in New York City.[10] "I met Paz and I really liked her. She had the profile for the character because she likes screaming, crying, showing herself naked - all the qualities for it."[11]

The following year, she appeared in a supporting role opposite Sam Rockwell in the dark comedy Choke (2008), based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk.[12] In 2009, de la Huerta appeared in a supporting role in Jim Jarmusch's mystery film The Limits of Control.[13]

2010–present: Career expansion and later roles

In 2010, de la Huerta appeared in the HBO pilot Boardwalk Empire, set in Atlantic City during the Prohibition era, as Enoch "Nucky" Thompson's mistress, a former Ziegfeld Follies dancer.[14] Boardwalk Empire was renewed for a second season, with de la Huerta returning as Lucy. Discussing the second season she said; "The first season was very different from the second season. With the first season, nobody really knew how the show was going to be received. With the second season, we had gotten lots of accolades and great reviews, so it was work, work, work, where we were shooting two episodes at a time."[15] After the second season ended, de la Huerta and fellow co-stars Michael Pitt, Aleksa Palladino, and Dabney Coleman all departed the cast. In 2012, she commented on her departure from the series, stating she wanted to put her focus on other things.[15] In 2013, she commented on how she would like to return to the hit series. "I’m still close with the producers. Terry (Terence Winter) always says it's possible for me to come back." Also adding; "I would love to come back with Lucy as a loving, doting mother."[16]

In 2011, Lana Del Rey, an American singer, received widespread attention when the music video for her single "Video Games" became a viral internet sensation.[17] The video—directed and edited by Del Rey—included paparazzi footage of de la Huerta falling down while intoxicated.[18] When asked if she was upset about the video, de la Huerta stated, "No, no. I don't get hung up about anything really. That's insignificant. I didn't really care."[15]

In July 2011, de la Huerta signed on to play Abby Russell, the protagonist in the horror film Nurse 3D.[19] A sequel for Nurse had been rumored by de la Huerta on her Twitter page with her stating that Nurse 2 would start shooting soon.[20] However, In 2015, it was reported that de la Huerta was suing the filmmakers, for ruining her career and injuring her when a speeding ambulance driven by a stunt driver struck her while shooting.[21]

In 2014, she completed filming in Las Vegas for the movie Death in the Desert, cast as Margo and co-starring with Michael Madsen and Shayla Beesley.[22] She also had a supporting role in the Canadian horror film The Editor.[23] She later appeared in Louis Theroux's 2015 documentary My Scientology Movie when she "crashed" an interview.[24]

The next year, de la Huerta played Pepper in the drama film Bare, opposite Dianna Agron. The film follows a young woman living in a small desert town in Nevada, who becomes romantically involved with a female drifter who leads her into a life of drugs, stripping, and psychedelic spiritual experiences. Director Natalia Leite wanted to cast two women who were willing to be totally raw and exposed on camera in the leading roles. She stated: "I wanted to find two women who were very different from each other to put those two contrasting energies together."[25] The film had a world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 19, 2015.[26] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that de la Huerta was perfectly cast for her role as Pepper, though the film has a "mundane storyline."[27] John Stewart of The Slanted wrote, "The film is an wonderful departure for Glee's Dianna Agron and her performance with Paz de la Huerta is sure to spark a lot more work in the future for both rising stars."[28]

De la Huerta walked the runway for the Autumn 2026 Vivienne Westwood collection in March 2026.[29][30]

Artwork

In July 2024, de la Huerta, who began painting in her childhood, exhibited a collection of fourteen works at the Ruttkowski;68 contemporary art gallery in Paris, titled "El Vallé de Lagrimas" (English: "The Valley of Tears").[1] The collection featured works completed in watercolor, ink, and oil resin.[1] The paintings, often surrealist in nature, are also based on parts of de la Huerta's life.[31] She described her paintings as "very Biblical" and influenced by her Catholic faith.[31] Her work was exhibited at a Los Angeles art gallery in February 2025.[6]

Personal life

De la Huerta lived in New York City in an apartment on Gay Street, and then moved into an apartment adjacent to her mother in the Tribeca neighborhood.[4] As of 2021, de la Huerta resided in a farmhouse "near Paris."[6]

She has a cobra tattooed on one leg and a crown on an arm, the latter as a tribute to her lineage.[32]

In April 2011, she was sued by MTV reality show actress Samantha Swetra after an altercation at a bar.[33] De la Huerta was arrested, issued a desk appearance ticket, and released.[34]

In July 2011, she pleaded guilty to harassment and, in exchange, misdemeanor charges against her were reduced to a non-criminal violation. A judge ordered her to complete 12 weeks of alcohol counseling, one day of community service, and to stay away from Swetra.[35]

Abuse allegations

De la Huerta, at the height of the Me Too movement, said in an interview with Vanity Fair that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein raped her on two occasions in 2010, once after demanding to enter her apartment and have a drink, and once showing up after she had been subjected to repeated phone calls and was intoxicated. De la Huerta came forward to police in 2017, within the New York state statute of limitations for rape in the first degree, and the New York District Attorney's Office was considering bringing charges against Weinstein.[36] While charges have yet to be filed in de la Huerta's case, Weinstein has been charged in New York with the rape of another woman. More than 75 women accused Weinstein of sexual abuse.[37]

In November 2018, de la Huerta filed a $60 million lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court accusing Weinstein of raping her in 2010 and then embarking on a campaign of harassment that she contends damaged her career.[37] "After Weinstein raped me for the second time I went to a journalist," de la Huerta said in a 2024 interview. "Shortly after that I got fired from Boardwalk Empire and was blackmailed into making this B movie called Nurse 3D. During the filming I was hit by a truck; an ambulance in one of the scenes piloted by a “stunt driver” drove right into me."[38] De la Huerta stated that she was hospitalized for over two years after being struck by the vehicle, and was subsequently "blackmailed" into taking 300 milligrams of Seroquel shortly before a subsequent court hearing.[38]

In 2021, she ran away from her father in Madrid.[6] In a 2024 interview, de la Huerta stated she is now living in hiding from her parents, of whom she accused of exploiting and harassing her: "I have nearly died many times. And guess what, now I want to expose it and all the abuse I have suffered at the hands of my family, which was basically Satanic ritual abuse. Satanic abuse is real, and I was a victim of it. I come from Spanish royalty, this is the thing. And they think they can get away with murder. Spain is kind of corrupt. I have evidence, and when I show people the things I’ve survived, they’re like, “How are you alive?”"[38]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
1998 The Object of My Affection 13-year-old Sally [7]
Luminous Motion Beatrice [39]
1999 The Cider House Rules Mary Agnes [40]
2000 Looking for an Echo Nicole Delgado [41]
2001 Bailey's Mistake Becca Donovan Television film [9]
Chelsea Walls Girl [7]
Riding in Cars with Boys Phone call flirt [41]
Salome Short film, director [42]
2002 A Walk to Remember Tracie [43]
A Girl's Guide to the Galaxy Maxie Short film [44]
2003 Bringing Rain Dakota Cunningham [45]
Rick Vicki [41]
2004 Homework Sara [46]
2005 Steal Me Lily Rose [47]
Fierce People Jilly [48]
Pupa, Papa, Puta Short film, director [42]
2006 Hollywood Dreams Wedding guest [49]
5up 2down Allie [41]
Nail Polish Becky Burns
The Tripper Jade [50]
2007 Anamorph Young woman [41]
Light and the Sufferer Annette [41]
Neal Cassady Tonya Novak [41]
2008 The Guitar Constance "Cookie" Clemente [7]
Choke Nico [12]
Deception List member #1
The Hairy Beast Short film, director [42]
2009 The Limits of Control Nude [7]
Enter the Void Linda [51]
Nothing Personal Tess Short film
42 One Dream Rush N/a [52]
2011 4:44 Last Day on Earth Woman on street [41]
2012 Getting High Ally [41]
30 Beats Laura [41]
2013 Nurse 3D Abby Russell [53]
In the Woods N/a Part of The Being Experience trilogy by Jennifer Elster [54]
2014 The Editor Josephine Jardin [23]
2015 Bare Pepper [26]
The Girl Is in Trouble Maria [55]
Aimy in a Cage Caroline [56]
Death in the Desert Margo [41]
My Scientology Movie Herself Documentary film; cameo appearance [24]
El Vallé de lagrimas Short film, director [42]
2016 Streets of East L.A. The Nun [41]
2017 A Midsummer Night's Dream Hippolyta [57]
2019 Superstrata Emily Faraday [58]
2020 Puppy Love Carla [59]
2024 The Roots Rose Miller [60]

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Law & Order Chloe Episode: "Loco Parentis"
The Practice Jenny Holbrook Episode: "Black Widows"
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Karen Raye Episode: "Chat Room"
2008 X Femmes Miss Lingerie Episode: "Le bijou indiscret"
2010–2011 Boardwalk Empire Lucy Danziger Main cast (seasons 1–2); 13 episodes
2013 Eagleheart Tess 2 episodes

Music videos

Year Title Artist Notes
2007 "By the Time I Get Home There Won't Be Much of a Place for Me" Grand National
2011 "Video Games" Lana Del Rey Paparazzi footage
2025 "New Wave America" The Hellp

References

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  3. ^ Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía (1992). Anales de la Real Academia Matritense de Heráldica y Genealogía: Tomo I, año 1991. Ediciones Hidalguia. pp. 126–. ISBN 978-84-600-8178-4. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
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