AllMovie

Raven-haired performer Najarra Townsend was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA, and entered showbusiness as a toddler via extensive child modeling; soon after, she appeared in a lengthy succession of stage productions. Townsend made her feature film debut at the age of 10 in director Amir Mann's horror shocker Menace (2001). Meanwhile, she also studied at the Musicians' Institute (where she performed with the L.A. Hip Kids and with her own group, Flavor) and enrolled at the prestigious and exclusive L.A. Talent Academy. Townsend achieved something of a career breakthrough by accepting a small supporting role in director Miranda July's acclaimed debut indie feature Me and You and Everyone We Know (2004), and followed this up several years later with a turn as the teenage daughter of two lesbians who finds herself caught up in the throes of a friendship with a closeted gay teen in the drama Tru Loved (2007).