Born in 1997 in Washington, but raised in Atlanta, Fuhrman was welcomed by her Russian journalist mother and her politician father.
A casting director from Cartoon 9 Network spotted her waiting for her big sister when she was just seven, and immediately cast her for one of the shows, Cartoon Days.
In 2007, she made her big screen debut in the dramatic movie Hounddog, and immediately followed it up with Orphan. The role as the titular orphan was a prized one, and she saw off hundreds of young actresses to land the part after an exhaustive nationwide search.
The plot is as thus: ‘The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate (Vera Farmiga) and John (Peter Sarsgaard), taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate’s fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) …but Esther is not what she appears to be and, concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther’s sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late…for everyone.’
Producer Joel Silver said: ‘I think a villain like this is interesting to watch. You wouldn’t want to see her in the real world, but it’s fun to see her in a movie. She’s a psychopath in the shape of a little girl who will stop at nothing.’
Producer Susan Downey said: ‘The character of Esther starts off one way – you have to believe that she’s this sweet, angelic girl, who’s had a bit of a difficult past, but is excited to be part of this new family. Then you realise, no, she’s pretty evil, and she has intentions. And then you go deeper into why she has those intentions. So we needed an actress who could pull off all those things. Not to mention the fact that we gave her an accent.’
Silver said about the part: ‘During the casting process, we all felt very strongly about Isabelle and I have to say, I think we were right. She is fantastic in this role.’ Downey attests: ‘Isabelle brought all these different layers – there’s such a sophistication about her, and yet also a wide-eyed innocence when she wants to play that. At the beginning of the movie, you completely buy that she’s this sweet little girl. Then, as Esther evolves during the story, Isabelle was able to pull off all the harder, edgier stuff, as well.’
Fuhrman said about the part: ‘I read the script and it was so thrilling, it made me sit on the edge of my seat, thinking: “Oh my gosh, what happens next?” I knew I wanted to play Esther because she would be such a challenge and a lot of fun, so I dressed up in an old-fashioned dress and put ribbons around my neck and wrists, and went to the audition trying to make myself feel what Esther was feeling like. Esther is very complex. She is sweet and happy one moment, and then in a minute she’s crazy and upset and angry. She feels that she was never loved by anybody, like she’s a good little girl in a world that is just against her. She feels like she is the victim. I tried to bring all her different sides – her shy side, her sweet side, her menacing side and her weird, kind of crazy side – and mesh them into one person and add my own twist to it. If I make people love Esther and hate her at the same time, I’ve done my job.’
In The Hunger Games she plays Career Tribute Clove. When asked by her fans about the role, she declared: ‘I can’t believe I’m a part of it! I am so excited. She said learning the stunts was her most fun experience on set, ‘and getting to meet such an amazing cast and make great friends’.
Next up she stars in The Healer, with The Hollywood Reporter stating: ‘Giorgio Serafini’s supernatural thriller The Healer, starring Isabelle Fuhrman, Joel Courtney and James Le Gros, is set to begin filming on 14 September [2011] in North Carolina. Furhman, who is one of the stars of the upcoming The Hunger Games, and Courtney, who most recently appeared in Super 8, will play teenage twins who go on a camping trip with their father only to become lost in a haunted forest. The film is being produced by Giuseppe Pedersoli and Susan Johnson through Pedersoli’s Italy-based Smile Prods. Serafini previously collaborated with Pedersoli on the dramatic thriller Johnny’s Gone, which will premiere at the upcoming Hollywood Film Festival. Johnson and Pedersoli also recently wrapped the family drama Eye of the Hurricane, directed by Jesse Wolfe and starring Campbell Scott and Melanie Lynskey.
More impressively she is set to star in another sci-fi film After Earth, which stars Will Smith, who plays a man who crash lands on Earth with his real life son Jaden. Earth has become uninhabitable, but his son must try to save them when his dad becomes injured. The eagerly awaited blockbuster will be directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the filmmaker who has helmed box office hits such as The Sixth Sense and Signs.