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Her ties with music began early, as she would work together on song compositions with her brother, a practice that would itself be incorporated into a film in which Manning appeared. In 1999, she was featured in an independent film called Speedway Junkies, which gave rise to later roles on television. Besides appearances in episodes of the TV series The Practice, NYPD Blue, and Boston Public, Manning had a starring role on the series Get Real in 1999.
Television stardom led to roles in major motion pictures, and she made her film debut with a part in Crazy/Beautiful starring Kirsten Dunst in 2001. A romantic teen drama dealing with racial issues, Crazy/Beautiful gave Manning a chance to make a statement as a hardcore partier named Maddy. In 2002, she played the role of Britney Spears' spunky and adventurous friend Mimi, in romantic road-trip story Crossroads, also starring Anson Mount and Zoe Saldana.
Continuing her connection with pop music, she appeared in 8 Mile, a loosely biographical drama starring rap star Eminem. Rounding out her experience for the year within the realm of teen drama, she also appeared in Peter Kosminksy's White Oleander, the story of a teenager's struggle with a parent being sentenced to prison, based on a novel of the same name.
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