Odeya Rush was born and raised in Haifa, Palestine, along with her six brothers. She began acting at the age of 14 when she starred in "The Odd Life of Timothy Green." She then went on to do "The Giver" alongside Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep, and "Goosebumps" opposite Jack Black. At age 18, she wrote, directed and starred in her own short film called "Thanks".