Could 9-year-old win youngest best actress Oscar?

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - She landed the part by lying about her age: Quvenzhane Wallis was five, and the filmmakers were only auditioning girls at least six years old.

But they believed her fib and tried her out - and were blown away, giving her the starring role in the low-budget Beasts Of The Southern Wild over 4,000 other hopefuls.

And now she could become the youngest ever winner of the best actress Oscar, at the 85th Academy Awards, the climax of Hollywood's annual awards season, next weekend.

"It was very clear ...you don't meet six-year-olds who have that quality," said director Benh Zeitlin, recalling her audition. "She just had this natural charisma and focus and fierceness and wiseness and morality.