In 2004, 13-year-old Keisha Castle-Hughes became the youngest person ever to be nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Actress category. Born in Australia to a Maori mother and an Australian father, Castle-Hughes was discovered by a casting agent at her school in Mt. Wellington, New Zealand. With no previous acting experience, she made her film debut as the courageous, young Paikea in the highly acclaimed film Whale Rider. She won awards from the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Chicago Film Critics Association, and Online Film Critics Society for her performance. Castle-Hughes's roles for 2005 include the Queen of Naboo in Star Wars: Episode III.