The star, known for juggling franchises, also talks her work in the upcoming 'Hunger Games' and Scooby-Doo' entries.
Mckenna Grace attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount Pictures"Scream 7" at Paramount Pictures Studios on February 25, 2026 in Hollywood, California. The Texas native collects coveted roles and franchise parts like Thanos amasses Infinity Stones or Tom Hanks stockpiles vintage typewriters.
Depending on your criteria, the 19-year-old actor has starred in or appeared in as many as 14 projects involving established IP. Of course, it’s a sign of the branded entertainment era that Grace grew up in, but that doesn’t change the fact that she betters whatever story she’s telling, whether it’s as the central hero of Jason Reitman’s newBox Office: 'Scream 7' Scares Up Record $64M U.S. Opening, $97M Globally for a Victorious Paramountfranchise until shortly before filming started. She originally auditioned for another character — one can surmise it was Tatum Evans, Sidney Evans’ daughter — but being such a fan of the Wes Craven and Williamson-created series, she wanted in no matter what. After all, her fandom once inspired her to photobomb Neve Campbell and the originalcast at a convention years ago. Grace ultimately plays Hannah Thurman, Tatum’s friend and castmate in the Pine Grove High School musical that would lead to the end of her short life. “I auditioned for another character, and they were like, ‘We think you’d really fit this one.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, great!’ But then I never got to know who that character was,” Grace tellsSunrise on the Reaping“I’m just so grateful for work. Am I going to turn down the chance of being in my favorite franchises? No. If I’m going to be there for five minutes, why not? That’s so fun,” Grace says. “If I ever lose that feeling, then I’m either doing something wrong, or I’m not in the industry for the right reasons. I want to take good care of the characters, and even if I’m there for a second, hopefully the fans of the franchise will feel a little bit more at ease knowing that somebody on the screen is also such a huge fan and is being thoughtful about it.”on the big screen, Grace hasn’t heard any recent updates about a potential trilogy capper for Phoebe Spengler. “I think there’s always hope. Personally, I haven’t heard anything lately. I’d be more secretive if I had,” Grace admits. “I would always be honored to play Phoebe again, and whether it would be next year, I feel like I would have heard about it by now if I was. So my fingers are always crossed. As of right now, I have no clue, but I definitely think that it could be a possibility someday in the future.”blew up because she became charmingly embarrassed in response to Josh Hutcherson learning about the extent of her admiration for hisresurfaced because the interviewer wrongly assumed nine-year-old Grace was the daughter of one of the movie’s actors, and not an actor herself. As funny as these moments can be, Grace gets candid about the downside of virality after being an actor for nearly 15 years. premiere, and I was a nervous wreck. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I probably said the wrong thing,’” Grace shares. “It’s a really strange thing, truthfully. Every other week, the internet either loves you or hates you. One week, you’re their darling, and they’re obsessed with you. And then the next week, they literally hate you. I never know if something is going to be viral because everybody thinks it’s funny or because everybody hates me this week. So it’s a terrifying thing that can also be cool.” Grace adds: “Some people are like, ‘Just stay offline’ But the internet nowadays is such a big part of what we do, unfortunately, that I can’t really stay out of what people are saying about me.”.) Honestly, with my track record recently, that’d be a really funny bit if I come into every franchise for a second just to die.Yeah, it’s fifty-fifty. You never know what you’re going to get when you watch a film with me.I remember grilling them on this question. I think it was Ethan Embry’s character. That’s what I heard, and that’s what I’m going to stick with because I’m a fan of his.Oh my gosh, it was so nasty. I was wearing this fairy princess costume that was a corset, and I was wearing a stunt harness under the corset. Then I had this whole contraption that was strapped to my stomach, and it was basically a fake stomach with all these guts hanging out. It was so nasty but so fun. To carry my guts, they gave me this big orange Home Depot bucket that I had to walk around with on the day.My sister had the same back surgery as you, so I’m always extra sensitive when I watch you do action on screen. Thus, how much wire work were you allowed to do? I basically did all of it. They did do some stunt passes, but everything that did, I think I did as well, except the huge swing up and drop down. That was probably for legal reasons, but I’m always down to do everything, and I did do most everything on wires. I had to come in a month before shooting and do a week or two of rehearsals for all that. Then I was on wires doing the death portion of the scene for maybe three or four days. My back is not “normal,” but it’s a new normal now. I’m able to do stunts with it, but truthfully, it can be weird, sometimes. I’ll get in a random position, and a sensation will just shoot down my leg. It’s just the strangest thing, and you can never really tell. I’ll be fine getting thrown around and into walls, and getting cut open all day. But then they’ll put me in this one harness where my legs are also strapped up, and all of a sudden, I’m like,. So it’s the most random thing, but my back is strong now. I’ve got the metal rods and screws to back me up, and it’s capable of doing stunts. It’s truly a new normal. I know the behind-the-scenes mechanics can sometimes ruin the illusion for you, but did you still get a rush seeing Ghostface on set for the first time? Did you see the initial fan theory that Hannah was the killer because her plaid skirt was somewhat similar to plaid shirts worn by other killers in the franchise? I did see that theory! It’s just because I’m blonde, but there was another theory that I could be Stu’s daughter. I saw so many different theories, and I thought they were all very fun and creative. Whenever you’re doing something new with a franchise that is a large IP or has a large following, it’s always exciting to see what theories the fans come up with. They know their favorite franchises so well that they’ll invent these really cool, smart theories, and you’re like, “Shoot, why didn’t I think that?”Possibly so. I tried on a lot of different outfits. To be honest, I did not know who I was playing prior to arriving on set. When I got to my fitting, everybody was saying, “Oh my gosh, your big scene is so cool.” And I was like, “My big scene? Do I die? What do I do? ” So I had no clue about my death or who I was playing. They had all these itty-bitty mini skirts and crop tops at the fitting, and I was like, “Oh gosh, I’m playing.) I definitely think that they wanted her to be reminiscent of Tatum, who had a very similar personality to Hannah. I think that they just wanted to pay homage to the first couple of films and those earlier characters. Well, I auditioned for another character, and they were like, “We think you’d really fit this one.” And I was like, “Okay, great!” But then I never got to know who that character was. Whenever you’re a part of a film like this, they areI could barely access my sides for my scene in the morning because they were so locked down with the script. Nowadays, it really does suck because there’s leaks ofscript, and I didn’t know who I was playing. All I knew was that I was getting to do something dramatic. But I was like, “What could that mean? Do I die? Do I have a chase scene? I’m not Ghostface. I feel like I’d know that.” So I got to the fitting I mentioned, and I picked up crumbs that I possibly have a big death scene. Then I finally sat down with Kevin, and he was like, “I’m so excited that you’re playing Hannah.” And I was like, “Yes, Hannah! So I’m playing a girl named Hannah.” And he was like, “Oh my God, you don’t know what you’re doing?” Then he walked me through everything over lunch. So I was over-the-moon ecstatic that I got to have such a cool, memorable scene. Neve Campbell, as Sidney, showed up at the tail end of Hannah’s death scene, so did you get to meet her then? I actually met her a few years ago at a convention. I’m at a convention right now in fact. I work a lot of Comic-Cons because the films that I’ve done have big fan bases, likeBut I met Neve a few years ago because we were working at the same convention, and I snuck into thecast photo op because I’m such a big fan of these movies. So I took a picture with the whole cast, and now I’m like, “Oh God, I hope they don’t recognize me as the fangirl who snuck into their photo op.” When I got to Atlanta for pre-production and stunt training and whatnot, I got invited to a dinner that she and Kevin and some of the producers had. It was very fun, and they’d do little things like that. So I spent a good time getting to know Neve, and I’m pretty sure that we all went to seeto support Mason . So I got to hang out with her and get to know her a little bit. She’s one of the coolest women I’ve ever met. Honestly, I would not be able to tell you. I never really had an age cap on horror movies. My parents were very young whenever they had me. I think my dad was 19 whenever my mom was pregnant. For the rest of my life, I’m never going to hear the end of these fan edits. It’s the funniest thing. I was this awkward little teenager hiding out in the corners of sets, making fan edits of movies, specifically. And so to get to be a part of that was very mind-blowing. It’s been a really, really crazy year of my life. It’s always hard because I never want to come off as disingenuous whenever I say, “This is my dream job,” but I’ve now said it about seven different things. I have truly gotten to be a part of things that I’ve been a fan of for years and years and years. was never my dream job because I didn’t even think that it was in the cards for me. I didn’t even think that there would be anothermovie that I could be a part of, but it has still been an obsession of mine for years. So to get to be a part of it in such a big way was so exciting and so cool and also so nerve-wracking. It’s been scary being a part of these franchises with big followings for such a long time. I always try to do my research because I am a part of these fan bases, and I know they are very intense. They want it to be done right, and I completely understand that. So I always get very nervous and try to do my research so I can perform to the best of my abilities without getting in my head about it.. I’ve never done anything like it, and I highly doubt I will have an experience this crazy again. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life, and I definitely made lifelong friends on it. All year, my coworkers and I have been texting, “I cannot wait for press to start.” We can’t wait to all be together again and get to actually tell our stupid stories from running around Spain or Germany. We did so many stupid things on that set and so many wild stunts. So we’re all very excited to finally get to talk about it.Like I said earlier, everything gets leaked nowadays. It’s really, really crazy. I’m sure you’ve seen this as well, but having been in the industry for a long while now, I’ve never seen things get leaked as much as this day and age. It’s like nobody wants anything to be a surprise anymore. It’s hilarious. With, and then the minute I got it, the press release dropped the next day. I was like, “Oh my God, I guess I got it. They really are tied to hiring me. It’s out there now.” , oh my God, I am so excited to talk about it finally. I have been after this project for so, so long. I am such a hugefan. I dressed up as Daphne multiple times for Halloween, and anybody who knows me knows that “jeepers” has been my expletive of choice since I played Young Daphne . I’ll open my phone and see a new clip of me that’s like circulating the internet, and I’m like, “Why do people even care about this or care about who I am?” So it’s really funny having 15 years of me growing up in the form of random clips and hundreds of hours of footage on the internet. Some random video of me at nine years old goes viral, and I’m like, “What!?” So it’s funny, but terrifying at the same time. I never know if something is going to be viral because everybody thinks it’s funny or because everybody hates me this week. So it’s a terrifying thing that can also be cool. I’m honored and grateful to be at the point in my career where people are even aware of who I am, and it’s still hard for me to comprehend. I have such conflicting feelings about it. But I do always laugh whenever my friend’s parents send me videos of nine-year-old me saying some stupid stuff on the carpet. I’ll be like, “Oh God, why is this making the rounds?”Freddy’s 2 . You’re a lead actor, and you could hold out for lead roles if you really wanted to. Are you not precious about the size of a role as long as it sounds fun and cool? Not really. I mean, I don’t even see myself that way. I don’t even think that I could. I’m just so grateful for work. Am I going to turn down? Am I going to turn down the chance of being in my favorite franchises? No. If I’m going to be there for five minutes, why not? That’s so fun. I shot like five or six films last year, and while it was honestly the most insane year of my life, it was so fun. All I’ve ever wanted is to work. I’ve been doing it since I was five. Working and being an actor is my favorite thing in the world, and it’s what I’ve dedicated my life to. All I’ve ever wanted is to get to the point in my career where I can work all the time, and I’m so happy with that. Hopping from project to project — and getting to do things that I’m a fan of, whether I’m there for five minutes or the whole movie — I’m just so excited to be there. If I ever lose that feeling, then I’m either doing something wrong, or I’m not in the industry for the right reasons. I just want to do work that I can be proud of. And at the end of the day, I know that I put my all into it. I want to be a fan of the things that I’m in, otherwise, what’s the point? I want to take good care of the characters, and even if I’m there for a second, hopefully the fans of the franchise will feel a little bit more at ease knowing that somebody on the screen is also such a huge fan and is being thoughtful about it. So, no, I really don’t think about the size of the role whenever I’m signing onto these films. It’s more,since I was a little girl. Over the years, every single time I’d take a meeting at Blumhouse or I’d go to Blumhouse to say hi to people, I’d ask about, and Emma Tammi, our director. I was just like, “Hey, you probably don’t know who I am, but I’m Mckenna Grace. I just wanted to send you guys a video. If y’all have a character you want me to audition for, I will literally play a pair of shoes in the background of a scene. I would be so honored to be a part of this in any way. I would even be your shadow on set.” So I’m just a fan.Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the GoogleThe Hollywood Reporter is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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