In July 2008 , Wasikowska was cast as the eponymous heroine in Tim Burton 's version of '' Alice in Wonderland '' , alongside Johnny Depp , Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway . She sent a videotaped audition to casting directors in London , and her first live reading in Los Angeles occurred on the same day as her '' Evening Sun '' audition . After three more auditions in London , she was awarded the role . Burton cited Wasikowska 's " old-soul quality " as a catalyst in casting her : " Because you ’re witnessing this whole thing through her eyes , it needed somebody who can subtly portray that . " Wasikowska portrayed a nineteen-year-old Alice returning to Wonderland for the first time in over a decade after fleeing from an unwanted marriage proposal . Her affinity for the character played a part in her desire for the role , as she had read the Lewis Carroll books as a child and was a fan of Jan Švankmajer 's 1988 stop-motion film '' Alice '' . She considered Burton 's film as a chance to explore a deeper characterisation of Alice , to whom she felt young women her age could relate , saying : " Alice has a certain discomfort within herself , within society and among her peers ; I ... have definitely felt similarly about all of those things , so I could really understand her not fitting in . Alice also is an observer who is thinking a lot , and that 's similar to how I am . " For Lisa Cholodenko 's indie comedy '' The Kids Are All Right '' , Wasikowska was cast as Joni , the bookish daughter of a lesbian couple ( Annette Bening and Julianne Moore ) who was conceived via artificial insemination . At her younger brother 's ( Josh Hutcherson ) request , she seeks out their biological father ( Mark Ruffalo ) . During shooting , she successfully campaigned to have Joni wear pajamas in several home scenes . She explained to '' Orlando Sentinel '' film critic Roger Moore , " Joni 's very comfortable in her place , with who she is . So I pushed to have her , whenever she was at home , in her pajamas . That ’s comfortable ! And that ’s something I do . " On 25 October , Wasikowska was honored with the Hollywood Awards ' Breakthrough Actress Award , which was presented to her by Bryce Dallas Howard , and she won the Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress on 12 December for her performance in '' Alice in Wonderland '' . According to '' Forbes '' , '' Alice in Wonderland '' was amongst the highest-grossing films of 2010 with $ 1.025 billion . As of June 2018 , it is the 31st-highest-grossing film of all time
Hollywood Awards
Hollywood Film Festival
Mia Wasikowska