name : julia sayre-sullivan gender & pronouns : cis woman, she/her age & date of birth : forty-three, born on october 10th, 1979 zodiac : libra sun, cancer moon, leo rising, libra venus. occupation : actress. sexuality : pansexual. parents : charlotte sayre and albie sullivan husband : daniel riley other relatives : screen legends odette hughes and jack sayre, director john sayre, actress kitty sayre, jazz musician artie sullivan faceclaim : jessica chastain
the story.
the sayre family legacy stretches back to the early days of hollywood, when odette hughes was a darling of the silver screen during the silent era who would up marrying director john sayre; their son, jack sayre, would dominate hollywood throughout the 1930s and 40s as an impassioned filmmaker and sometimes-rival of orson welles, and his youngest daughter, katherine ‘kitty’ sayre, would carry the legacy as the ultimate fiery onscreen seductress throughout the 1950s and early 1960s with her flaming red hair and beguiling charm — kitty took a step back from her career in 1963 when her daughter charlotte was born, and at age 18, the spirited charlotte wound up eloping with albie sullivan, the son of famed jazz musician artie sullivan, in a laughable union that was short-lived and resulted in one saving grace: the birth of julia sayre-sullivan.
charlotte had taken impish delight in revolting against expectations by sidestepping the actress route and finding much better success as a screenwriter, and after the tempestuous upbringing she had endured in the sayre family, always encouraged julia to develop an identity outside of rigorous legacy. charlotte and albie had divorced just as quickly as they married, but remained close friends and cultivated a creative, loving household for young julia. the vibrant little girl cycled through countless fanciful dreams in her youth — at seven, she wanted to be a ballerina; at nine, she wanted to be a veterinarian; at twelve, she considered painting. but an adolescence spent on film sets and surrounded by industry giants had guided julia to the inevitable: she wanted to act.
thankfully for julia, she was not only remarkably talented in her own right, but had some of the greatest living actors in the business as her mentors. kitty sayre remained an unyielding beauty as the years progressed, and she had encouraged julia to always keep her heart open to any opportunity that floated her way. charlotte had impressed upon her daughter a fervent sense of independence and a wry, observant nature. and even albie, now married to his new partner david, would teach his daughter to never lose her sense of curiosity in the world. while julia understood the immense luxury she had been given as an offspring of the sayre family, but she took great care to ensure that her career would never be a frivolous one.
that would remain true for julia’s career, yes, but her personal life had never truly felt like her own — she partied as a teenager and in her early twenties, though she never allowed it to affect her professional pursuits. she also married for the first time at twenty-five to a producer ten years her senior, but much like the union between her own parents, this marriage would disappear in the blink of an eye. she got married again four years later to a baseball player, divorced one year later, and married again by thirty-three to an entertainment lawyer… that she had met via her last split. that marriage fell through swiftly, and then there was the drunken vegas elopement between julia and her longtime friend that was quickly annulled — if you ask julia herself, that one doesn’t count.
her most recent husband, daniel riley, also proved to have the most maddening, indelible effect on her. they had met when she was cast in his project kenmare, though julia’s mother had been quite taken with daniel after a writers on writers panel and had slyly been plotting to get them together. though julia had sworn off marriage, daniel was different — a funny, handsome, salt-of-the-earth irishman who seemed untouched by glitz and glamor of the industry. their connection blossomed during filming, and by the time they had wrapped in late 2016, it was an open secret on set that the two had fallen for each other. awards season rolled out in early 2017, earning nominations and accolades for daniel and julia. the smitten redhead slipped and offered a long, loving thank you to daniel in her awards speech, sending the rumor mill abuzz until photos of their wedding surfaced to the press and soon, confirmation came by way of publicly referring to each other as husband and wife in assorted interviews. it was, in fact, the most grounded, sincere, loving connection that julia had ever experienced - which, of course, perpetually left her on edge. why wasn’t he like the others? when was the other shoe going to drop?
five years of marriage, her longest yet, and julia was finally allowing herself to sink into the belief that this could very well be the one. she was even considering formally changing her name to julia riley, much to her publicist’s chagrin, until there was a sudden, disappointing shift. daniel got wrapped up in his work, julia got pulled into filming, and suddenly, their date nights went ignored, comfortable nights together became scarce, and julia, so terrified of allowing her heart to be broken, began to distance herself. she had been in this position before, sure, but not with somebody she had actually felt wholly and deeply in love with. the notion that daniel could leave her like the others stirred a chilling fear in the actress. he felt so far away, and if she allowed herself to acknowledge just how badly it would pain her to lose him, she’d crumble immediately. so after months of unease and discontent, she went abroad to film. a few weeks after that, she served divorce papers. maybe she hoped he’d come and change her mind. maybe she just wanted a response.
throughout those years, though, she’s earned several oscar nominations and won two, along with a tony award and a BAFTA and a few golden globes she’s tucked away in a closet. her career has been illustrious, though she’s felt stuck over the last few years. unfortunately for her agent, julia refuses to fall victim to hollywood’s refusal to allow older actresses their time to shine and has recently taken an interest in producing films that don’t pigeon-hole any actress over thirty-five.
she’s currently back in hollywood after almost a year in rome, where she had disappeared to recoup and re-evaluate her goals after filming. she’s also trying to get her divorce finalized, while balancing the impulsive mistake of a recent engagement that’s felt ill-fated from the start, while focusing more on developing her own production company as julia continues to cement herself as an indelible hollywood icon.
personality.
julia inherited her grandmother’s sultry charm and her mother’s wry sense of humor — she’s almost brutally self aware of her position in the world, but she’s always surrounded herself with friends and loved ones to keep her grounded. despite being on her fifth marriage, she’s an unabashed romantic, though her affections can be fleeting. she’s a jovial friend, always happy to host dinner parties and plan surprises for her loved ones. she doesn’t necessarily allow too many people to get very close, but the ones who do manage to sink themselves into her heart are cherished early.
tl;dr -
julia sayre-sullivan is the product of an acting dynasty that stretches back into the silent era of hollywood. she’s an oscar-winning actress on her fifth marriage that is working feverishly to overcome the industry’s tendency to discard any actress over thirty-five. charming, gregarious, and passionate, she’s your favorite glamorous auntie who showers you with love, presents, and first class tickets. wry, alluring, mischevious, and engaging. big katharine hepburn energy.
noted filmography
rose in titanic (1997), penny lane in almost famous (2001), andie in how to lose a guy in 10 days (2003), katharine hepburn in the aviator (2004), clementine in eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (2004), carol in carol (2014), sally bowles in cabaret on london’s west end, eve in kenmare (2017),
