Bonnie Aarons

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Bonnie Aarons
Aarons in 2011
Born (1960-09-09) September 9, 1960 (age 64)
Maryland, U.S
OccupationActress
Years active1994–present

Bonnie Aarons (born September 9, 1960)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the Nun, a personification of the demon Valak, in The Conjuring Universe (2016–present), starring in The Conjuring 2 (2016), The Nun (2018) and The Nun II (2023). Other roles include the bum in Mulholland Drive (2001), Baroness Joy von Troken in The Princess Diaries (2001) and its sequel, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).

Career

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Aarons attended acting school in New York City and found work in Europe, where she acted short films and commercials. Her first American film was 1994's Exit to Eden, portraying a prostitute. She then appeared in the Roger Corman-produced "woman in prison" film, Caged Heat 3000.[2] Aarons already had notable roles in other horror movies, such as I Know Who Killed Me, and Drag Me to Hell. She also had a short but memorable role in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Since 2016, Aarons has starred in the Conjuring Universe making her first appearance in the franchise's second main film The Conjuring 2, portraying a shape shifting demon by the name of Valak that takes the form of a nun.[3] Aarons was only added during reshoots of the film but her character was received well with fans and a spin off was announced shortly after the film's release.[4] Production of The Nun began in May 2017 and the film was released on September 7, 2018.[5] A sequel, The Nun II, was announced in April 2019 and was released on September 8, 2023. In August 2023, Aarons sued Warner Bros., New Line, and Scope productions, the distribution and production companies behind the films in which she starred as the Nun, for breach of contract relating to a lack of pay over merchandising sales.[6]

She appeared in the 2018 film Adi Shankar's Gods and Secrets.[7] In 2022, it was announced that Aarons will be starring in the horror film Camp Pleasant Lake with Michael Paré and Jonathan Lipnicki.[8]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1994 Exit to Eden The Prostitute
1995 Caged Heat 3000 Mac
1996 Dear God Prophet Woman
1998 Sweet Jane Waitress
2001 Mulholland Drive The Bum
The Princess Diaries Baroness Joy von Troken
Shallow Hal Spastic Friend #1
2003 Specter's Rock Verna Frenz
2004 The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement Baroness Joy von Troken
2006 Wristcutters: A Love Story Messiah Worshipper
2007 I Know Who Killed Me Fat Teena
InAlienable Blue Skinned Woman
2008 Hell Ride Mud Devils Ref
One, Two, Many Lastima in the Bathroom
2009 Drag Me to Hell Mother and Daughter at Decathlon Fest
2010 Valentine's Day Strange Lady
Dahmer vs. Gacy General Abogados
The Fighter Crackeado Bonnie
2012 Silver Linings Playbook Rocky D'Angelo's Mother
2015 Accidental Love Reporter #2
2016 The Conjuring 2 Valak /
Demon Nun
2017 Annabelle: Creation Cameo
2018 The Nun
Adi Shankar's Gods and Secrets Actress
2021 Jakob's Wife The Master
2023 The Nun II Valak /
Demon Nun
2023 The Bell Keeper Jodie
2024 Camp Pleasant Lake Esmeralda
2024 Little Bites grandmotther
TBA Wizardream The Crone Post-production
Night of the Witch Marioara /
The Witch

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
2019 The Boulet Brothers' Dragula Herself Guest judge (season 3 episode 2)
2021 Guest judge (season 4 episode 6)
2022 The Boulet Brothers' Dragula: Titans Guest judge (episode 2)

References

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  1. ^ VanHoose, Benjamin (September 7, 2023). "'The Nun' Actress Bonnie Aarons Is a 'Lovely Person' but 'Really Chilling' on Set, Says Sequel Director (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Rue Morgue". Rue Morgue. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  3. ^ "What does the actor who plays that horrifying nun look like?". News.com.au. September 27, 2018. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Kit, Borys (June 15, 2016). "'Conjuring 2' Spinoff 'The Nun' in the Works (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 20, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  5. ^ Kit, Borys (April 26, 2017). "'Conjuring 2' Actress Reprising Demon Nun for New Line's 'The Nun' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Cho, Winston (August 17, 2023). "'The Nun' Actress Sues Warner Bros. in Breach of Contract Lawsuit Over Merchandise Revenue". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 8, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  7. ^ Szabo, Sarah (September 11, 2018). "The actress who plays The Nun is gorgeous in real life". NickiSwift.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  8. ^ Whittock, Jesse (August 25, 2022). "'Camp Pleasant Lake' Adds Jonathan Lipnicki (Exclusive); Prime Video 'How To Date Billy Walsh'; Pinewood Sean Connery — Global Briefs". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
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