Jessica Lee Rose (born April 26, 1987) is an American-New Zealand actress who first gained popularity after playing the role of lonelygirl15, a fictional teenage homeschooled character named Bree who appeared in YouTube video blogs, beginning in June 2006.
[1] In September 2006, the Los Angeles Times outed the character, destroying any mystery surrounding the possible fictionality of lonelygirl15, which thrust Rose into the mainstream spotlight while also increasing the viewership of the series.
[6] In her search for acting jobs, she found a listing for an independent film project, titled The Children of Anchor Cove, on Craigslist.
Rose signed a non-disclosure agreement and was told that the project would consist of a series of videos released to the World Wide Web over the Internet.
The videos, which seemed genuine and presented lonelygirl15 as an actual person, initially dealt with typical teenage angst issues but soon after introduced a bizarre narrative surrounding secret occult practices within her family.
The series was an immediate hit and became the most subscribed channel on YouTube[9] but suspicions arose as to whether the videos were genuine or some sort of a promotional gimmick.
[11] A firestorm ensued in the news media through September 2006, during which Rose and the creators of lonelygirl15 gained international attention and were interviewed by various magazines and television shows.
[2] In October 2006, the United Nations chose Rose, via her character Bree, to participate in an ad campaign to promote the UN's antipoverty cause.
[16][17][18] After her departure from lonelygirl15, Rose was signed by United Talent Agency,[1] and was cast in the ABC Family series Greek in the role of "Jen K", and in the 2007 Chris Sivertson film I Know Who Killed Me, which starred Lindsay Lohan.