Abigail Breslin and Evan Ellingson played siblings in the Jodi Picoult movie adaptation of My Sister’s Keeper. Breslin stepped in after Dakota and Elle Fanning dropped out playing Anna who, along with her brother, experiences the tough situation of watching their other sibling tackle cancer. Last Sunday Ellingson passed away at the age of 35, and his on-screen sister has paid tribute to her co-star in the wake of his death.
On Sunday morning, Evan Ellingson passed away at the age of 35 in his bedroom at his home in Fontana, California. He was known for his role as Jesse in My Sister’s Keeper, was part of 24’s sixth season playing Jack Bauer’s nephew, and played the son of Lt. Horatio Caine in CSI: Miami. The late actor was honored by his My Sister’s Keeper costar Abigail Breslin on Instagram, who spoke about what kind of person Ellingson was and their time working on the movie. Take a look at the heartwarming tribute below:
What a beautiful tribute the Oscar nominee gave. It’s been over ten years since My Sister’s Keeper came out, but it looks like Abigail Breslin still has fresh memories of her late co-star that have stood out to her the most. She spoke about what a talented performance he gave for their drama film together, and his funny personality on set as he soaked up that Red Bull-- to Breslin’s chagrin. While she said the two didn’t keep in touch after the movie finished, the Zombieland actor still felt lucky to have known him. That last line of her tribute hit me hard when she said, “maybe one day, I’ll meet you in Montana.” This was a throwback to the Nick Cassavetes movie, as the siblings at the end met in Montana to honor the sister they lost.
Evan Ellingson really did give such a memorable performance playing Jesse Fitzgerald in My Sister’s Keeper. His part was trimmed down a lot compared to the Jodi Picoult novel, but I think he still knocked it out of the park. While Abigail Breslin’s role involved being spare parts for her cancer-stricken sister Kate, Ellingson played a member of the Fitzgerald family who proved himself to be a talented artist. But facing neglect by his family, Jesse would take secret late-night trips to the city. Ellingson showed the complexity of Jesse wanting the attention of his family even if he meant scolding him for sneaking only for Kate to still be prioritized. The Bones actor’s standout moment was the courtroom scene when the character confronted his family on the reality of why Anna doesn’t want to give her kidney to her sister. It was the scene that tied everything together and really showed Ellingson’s acting chops.
After My Sister’s Keeper, Abigail Breslin grew up on the big screen starring in Zombieland, one of the best movies of 2009, and reprising the role of Little Rock in Zombieland: Double Tap. She also tackled emotionally heavy scenes with Matt Damon in Stillwater and told the story of the origins of the Miranda warning in Miranda’s Victim. The Little Miss Sunshine actress is now all grown up and recently married her longtime boyfriend Ira Kunyansky in January. Breslin has one upcoming movie called Classified with the action thriller currently in post-production co-starring Aaron Eckhart and Tim Roth.
Evan Ellingson’s life may have been cut tragically short, but he’s clearly made a strong impact on the people grateful to have known him like Abigail Breslin. Take a look at our 2024 movie releases just in case her latest films show up there.
