The child star who played the creepy girl in Orphan is now all grown up and looks unrecognisable from her terrifying character.

Isabelle Furhman was dubbed a "horror icon" after leaving fans suffering from nightmares with her performance as Esther in the hit 2009 film. The actress was just 10 years old when she played the psychopathic orphan who torments her adoptive family with increasingly disturbing outbursts.

She was applauded by critics for her remarkable ability to seamlessly transform from an innocent-appearing girl to a deranged killer so it comes as no surprise the child star went on to have a successful acting career. After getting her big break, Isabelle, who's now 26, was "terrified" of being typecast in horror roles.

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She told People last year: "I was terrified everyone was going to only see me in one way, that I was going to get typecast and I wouldn't have any sort of career." But Isabelle didn't need to worry as she's since gone on to have a varied career, starring in films including The Hunger Games, Hellbent, The Novice and most recently the action comedy Sheroes, released earlier this year.

She's also set to star in the upcoming thriller Unit 234, the sci-fi mystery Littlemouth, the drama Face and the Western Horizon: An American Saga. Nowadays, the star looks miles away from the eerie pig-tailed character she's known for playing.

In Instagram posts, Isabelle has shown off her naturally freckled complexation and highlighted long hair - which she usually lets down. In one recent post the actress beamed as she shared a snap of her enjoying Oktoberfest in Germany while donning a blue and white beer maid costume

Fans were quick to compliment how "beautiful" she looked. One person commented: "You look beautiful and pretty!" A second added: "Your smile is literally perfect." A third wrote: "That outfit really suits you."

While Isabelle no longer looks like Esther in her real life, she's not left the character behind. Last year she returned to reprise the role for the prequel Orphan: First Kill.

The 2022 film tells the story of how Esther escapes from a psychiatric facility in Estonia before travelling to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Isabelle confessed she didn't think she'd "ever be wearing those pigtails again" but revealed she was more than happy to return to the role as she told People: "I had so much excitement and love for Esther that coming back to this weirdly felt like going home.

She added: "It was the first movie I'd ever done, so it felt like this chapter in my life, and I got to revisit who I was when I was 10 years old playing this role." The reminiscing continued when the actress even opted to dress as the iconic character for Halloween as she donned her dark pigtails yet again.