Simmonds is a native of the US state of Utah. She lives in Bountiful, Utah. She has four siblings; two older and two younger than her. At twelve months old, Simmonds lost her hearing due to a medication overdose. Her mother learned American Sign Language and taught the family so they could communicate with her. Simmonds's mother also encouraged her to read books extensively. When Simmonds was three years old, she started attending the Jean Massieu School of the Deaf, where she participated in its drama club. Her first play was in A Midsummer Night's Dream as Puck. After completing sixth grade, she mainstreamed at the Mueller Park Junior High School in the fall of 2015. She has performed at the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City, Utah, and her primary film experience before Wonderstruck was a deaf student's short, "Color the World". Simmonds has a cochlear implant. With it, she listens to Father John Misty and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Her favorite film to date is The Truman Show (1998).
By Posted on