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Mckenna Grace has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most versatile young talents, building a résumé that spans film, television, and music. From memorable roles in The Handmaid’s Tale, I, Tonya, and Young Sheldon to leading Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the 19-year-old continues to demonstrate just how wide her range truly is.
Most recently, she took on the emotional role of Clara Grant in Colleen Hoover’s Regretting You adaptation, earning praise for her performance. She’s also stepping into the world of Panem as Maysilee Donner in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, further solidifying her place as one of the industry’s most in-demand young stars.
With her star continuing to rise, HollywoodLife has rounded up five things to know about Mckenna Grace, from her early breakout roles to what’s next in her already extraordinary career.
Mckenna Was a Child Actor
The young actress — at 7 years old — made her acting debut in 2013 when she starred in the television pilot Joe, Joe & Jane. She quickly went on to recur on the Disney XD series Crash & Bernstein. She played Faith Newman on The Young and the Restless from 2013 to 2015.
McKenna’s First Lead Role Was in ‘Gifted’
Mckenna was just 10 years old when she played Mary Adler, an intellectually gifted 7-year-old who gets caught in a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother, in the 2017 film Gifted. Chris Evans played Mckenna’s uncle in the film. Mckenna was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. Her next major role is in Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
Mckenna Has Appeared in Several Hit TV Shows
She’s just 19 years old, but Mckenna is already a Hollywood veteran. She played Penny Kirkman on Designated Survivor and Rose Harbenberger on Fuller House. She notably starred as young Theo on The Haunting of Hill House. Mckenna also played Paige in a series of episodes of Young Sheldon.
McKenna Played the Younger Versions of Famous Actresses
Mckenna played a young Tonya Harding in the 2017 film I, Tonya. Margot Robbie played the adult version. She also played a young Carol Danvers in the 2019 film Captain Marvel. Brie Larson played the adult version. On top of that, Mckenna appeared on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as a younger version of Kiernan Shipka’s Sabrina Spellman.
McKenna Is a Vegetarian
Mckenna explained why she’s a vegetarian in an interview with PETA in 2016. “I became a vegetarian because I felt really bad for the animals,” the young actress said. “[They] are very sweet, and I don’t think that they deserve to be tortured. If you have a dog at home or a cat, they’re your friends, they aren’t your food.”
