Bria Vinaite

Bria Vinaite (/vɪˈnaɪtjə/; born Barbora Bulvinaitė on June 10, 1993) is a Lithuanian-born American actress, known for her role as Halley in Sean Baker's 2017 film The Florida Project, which was her first acting role. She received critical acclaim for her performance. Vinaite was born in Alytus, Lithuania and moved to Brooklyn, New York City at age 6. The Florida Project was Vinaite's acting debut, where she played the lead role of Halley, a former stripper and single mother living at a budget motel close to Walt Disney World. Baker contacted Vinaite after seeing her in an Instagram post, where she documented her life so she could stay in contact with friends in New York City while living in Miami. Vinaite had three weeks of acting classes from acting teacher Samantha Quan before filming began. Production wrapped in September 2016.