Mckenna Grace
Mckenna Grace (born June 25, 2006) is an American actress and singer. Born in Grapevine, Texas, she began acting professionally at age five and relocated to Los Angeles, California, as a child. Her earliest roles included Jasmine Bernstein in the Disney XD sitcom Crash & Bernstein (2012–2014) and Faith Newman in the soap opera The Young and the Restless (2013–2015). After several small roles, she starred as a child prodigy in Gifted (2017), a breakthrough for which she received a nomination for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.
Mckenna Grace
Grace subsequently appeared in the films I, Tonya (2017), Troop Zero (2019), and Captain Marvel (2019). During this time, she appeared in several horror projects, including The Bad Seed (2018), The Haunting of Hill House (2018), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). For playing an abused teenager in The Handmaid's Tale (2021–2022), Grace was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first child recognized for a guest acting Emmy. She appeared in the supernatural comedy films Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), receiving critical praise and a Critics' Choice Super Award nomination. In 2022, Grace wrote, executive produced, and starred in The Bad Seed Returns, and portrayed Jan Broberg in A Friend of the Family.
After signing with Photo Finish Records in 2020, Grace released her debut single, "Haunted House", in 2021, as part of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife soundtrack. She released two extended plays in 2023: Bittersweet 16 and Autumn Leaves, which explored pop rock and folk sounds, respectively.
Early life[edit]
Grace was born on June 25, 2006,[1] in Grapevine, Texas, United States.[2] She is the only child of Ross Burge, an orthopedic surgeon, and Crystal Grace, a medical sales representative.[3][4][5] As a young child, she lived in Dallas-Fort Worth.[5] She trained in cheerleading, gymnastics, tap, and ballet. She participated in beauty pageants, where she was crowned "Tiny Miss Texas".[2] Grace has never gone to a regular school; she has been home-schooled and had on-set tutors.[5] In 2017, Grace stated she was attending a creative writing workshop with other home-schooled students once a week.[3] She took a college course on media aesthetics in 2021, in which she had to repeatedly write about The Handmaid's Tale without mentioning her own work on the show.[6]
Grace first expressed interest in acting at age four, after she received a collection of DVD films starring Shirley Temple from her great-grandmother. Grace's acting teacher, who was Morgan Fairchild's sister, advised that she should sign with an agent.[5] Grace secured her first part in a commercial at five years old.[7] Her agent later recommended traveling to Los Angeles, California, to see if she might land roles in films and television shows. After Grace secured parts in Crash & Bernstein (2012–2014) and Goodbye World (2013), her family moved to the city, with her father having a residency in Ventura.[5]
Acting career[edit]
2012–2017: Early roles and breakthrough[edit]
Grace made her acting debut in Disney XD's Crash & Bernstein, recurring as Jasmine Bernstein.[8][9] She reprised her role in the show's second season,[10] playing the role until 2014.[11] During this time, she made a guest appearance on the Fox sitcom The Goodwin Games.[12] In 2013, she made her film debut in Goodbye World,[13] a comedy-drama that disappointed critics.[14] Between 2013 and 2015, she had a recurring role as Faith Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless.[15] In 2015, Grace portrayed young Caroline Forbes in The Vampire Diaries.[16] TVLine included her appearance in a list of the best flashback castings on television: "It's one thing to look like the younger version of a character, but Grace even cried like Caroline".[17] Grace appeared in three films released in 2016—Mr. Church,[18] The Angry Birds Movie,[19] and Independence Day: Resurgence[9]—all of which received negative reviews.[20][21][22]
Reception and artistry[edit]
Grace is known for portraying younger versions of lead characters.[123] In 2018, IndieWire cited Grace as one of the best child television actors at the time;[124] she was included in similar lists compiled by Comic Book Resources and MovieWeb.[125][126] The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the top 30 stars under age 18 in 2018 and 2019.[127][128] The following year, the Hollywood Critics Association included Grace in a list of the "Next Generation of Hollywood".[129] In 2022, Yahoo! Entertainment called her "one of the most successful and prolific child actors of her generation".[130] Following several roles in horror projects, including The Haunting of Hill House and Annabelle Comes Home, journalists from Comic Book Resources and MovieWeb dubbed her a scream queen.[131][132] According to The Independent, Grace has "become a staple of the modern horror genre".[133]
Commenting on Grace's performance in Gifted, Bill Goodykoontz of USA Today described her as "the rare child actor who doesn't seem like she's trying to hit emotional marks".[134] Marc Webb, who directed Grace in Gifted, praised her comedic timing, which he described as "a different kind of sophistication that is very deep and very pure and really sincere".[135] Grace stated that when acting in more dramatic and intense scenes, she "tricks" herself into feeling emotions, and "then you have to figure out how to disassociate it from your real emotions".[136] She described acting intense feelings, such as fury and hatred, as "just something that happens" and a mix of research and intuition. To connect to characters and give them more depth, Grace composes music and creates playlists that she listens to while on set.[137] Of her role choices, Grace commented that she aims to act in projects in which she can tell "important stories" that have genuine meaning to her.[7][101]
Music career[edit]
Grace signed with Photo Finish Records in 2020 and released her debut single, "Haunted House", alongside a music video in November 2021. She co-wrote the song alongside Lily Kincade, with Nathaniel Motte as producer. Grace explained that the song was written during a rough period of her life in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that one "could take it as a breakup song, but it could also be about a friend or a family member or any kind of relationship that's ended".[138] Collider deemed it "a considered and mature artistic statement from Grace, who demonstrates some terrific musical chops",[139] while NPR wrote that the song "has some surprising twists and turns and spells out the beginnings of an exciting new career for Mckenna Grace".[140] While not originally written for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the song was eventually added to the film's soundtrack and used for the closing credits.[138]
Grace released her second and third singles, "Do All My Friends Hate Me?" and "You Ruined Nirvana", in 2022.[141][125][142] On November 18, 2022, she released "Self Dysmorphia", which was inspired by her struggles with scoliosis.[7] On putting out the single, Grace said: "it's a little bit weird to put these deeply personal thoughts and struggles out into the world. But, hopefully, ... people who are going through the same thing will feel less alone."[136] She also performed the song on The Today Show in December 2022.[143] Preceded by the songs "Post Party Trauma",[144] "Ugly Crier",[145] and "Checkered Vans",[146] Grace's debut extended play (EP), titled Bittersweet 16, was released on March 3, 2023.[147] She wanted to write a full-length album, but Photo Finish suggested she begin with an EP.[7] Her second EP, Autumn Leaves, was released on October 13, 2023.[148] According to Billboard, its single "Catch Me" showcases Grace's skills in storytelling and "woozy, richly textured pop" music.[149]
Personal life[edit]
Grace prefers to maintain a more private personal life to ensure she "can have a childhood and figure [herself] out as a teenager";[136] her mother described their home life as "extremely normal".[5] Grace said she separates herself from her characters by spending time with her family and dog.[136] She is active on the social networking services Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Grace's mother manages accounts on the former two and approves Grace's posts on TikTok. According to Variety, Grace's carefully monitored social media has an additional layer of self-protection since it lacks the "everyday, confessional transparency" that is the standard for her generation. Grace has stated that, as a young female in the film industry, there will inevitably be "very disturbing and gross" remarks directed towards her.[5] As of 2021, she was vegetarian.[153]
Grace was diagnosed with scoliosis at age 12.[154] While filming Ghostbusters: Afterlife, she wore a back brace to correct her spine, but found it uncomfortable and "ended up not wearing it as much as [she] should have"[7]—due to her shooting schedule, she was only able to wear it for the night instead of the intended 22 hours a day.[80] After her spinal curvature surpassed the 45-degree mark, she was required to have surgery to prevent it from impacting her internal organs.[155] In October 2022, she underwent spinal surgery, which reduced her curvature to six degrees.[136]
