Girl With Down Syndrome Left By Parents At Birth Becomes An Actress & Will Star In New ‘Hunger Games’ Film

Dec 12, 2022

Teenager Sofia Sanchez is changing the world with her beauty and determined spirit. As a child with Down syndrome who is pursuing acting and modeling, she is giving a voice to those who share her condition in the most uplifting and glamorous way.

Down syndrome is a chromosomal illness that results in delayed development and growth. Many people mistakenly believe that Down syndrome completely hinders a person’s ability to live a fulfilling, functional life. However, amazing people like little Sofia are proving this myth wrong.

In 2017, Sofia went viral for all the right reasons with a video highlighting how “Down syndrome isn’t scary.” In the clip, her boundlessly joyful energy was on full display as her mother, Jennifer Sanchez, asked her questions about her condition, which she easily answered. Among her beautiful statements were that Down syndrome was “no big deal” and that life was “good.” The video showed the world just how endearing Sofia was, and her positive message was spread across the world.

While Sofia is living her best life as a teenager in the United States now, she has quite an interesting past. According to her website’s biography, Sofia was born in Ukraine but had been abandoned as a baby. She spent 14 months in an orphanage in a small Ukrainian town before her new forever parents found her through Reese’s Rainbow, an adoption agency. In the spring of 2010, her adoptive parents traveled to Ukraine to pick her up and bring her to her new home.

Sofia has come a long way since and now counts herself as an actress, model, self-advocate and influencer.

Upon arriving in the United States and living with her adoptive family, Sofia began to do very well. She is enrolled at the Sunset Ranch school, where she partakes in many of the school’s activities and is a keen athlete. Her website bio reads that she loves “all sports including dance and cheer, Spanish class and anything music or theater related! I love food and trying anything and everything.”

Not only is Sofia active in school, but she’s also made her mark in the acting and modeling world. The bright-eyed youngster has graced the pages of various catalogs and modeling campaigns, as well as starred in commercials for brands such as Target and Hallmark. She made her acting debut in 2015 in the TV series “Switched at Birth.” Her first movie role was in the short film “For Paloma,” which was released in 2022. Screens weren’t the only place you could find Sofia as her adoption story was detailed in two books, “You Are Enough” and “You Are Loved,” both about advocating inclusion and celebrating differences. Now, the busy teen has hit the big time with a role in an installment of a major film series.

In the summer of 2022, Sofia took to TikTok to post a video showing her excitement at being cast in the prequel of the “The Hunger Games” series of films, called “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” In the clip, she proudly stated, “I’m an actress in ‘The Hunger Games!’” In the film, she will take on the role of Wovey alongside renowned actors and actresses such as Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis and Hunter Schafer. Audiences can watch Sofia on the big screen when the film premieres in November 2023.

We foresee only bigger and better things for this bright young girl!

Don’t you just love Sofia Sanchez’s infectious optimism? Are you excited to watch her in the new “Hunger Games” film? Let us know, and don’t forget to pass this along to your friends and family, too.