With Her Emmy Nomination, Mckenna Grace Is Set for Stardom (2024)

“There’s not one bad actor in this series; everything just seems so real,” says Mckenna Grace, who joined the season four cast of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” “And I just didn’t want to be the one to break that streak.”

In the end, Grace had nothing to fear. On Tuesday, the teen actress — she just turned 15 — picked up an Emmy nomination for best guest actress (as did series costar Alexis Bledel). The show received 21 nominations across all categories.

Sharing the news with her 1.5 million Instagram followers shortly after the nomination was revealed, Grace wrote: “I spent an hour this morning crying and just feeling the most insane amount of happiness and joy. Today was genuinely one of the coolest days of my life.”

“I feel honored to have been a part of the show,” says Grace by phone, shortly after the show’s season four finale in June. “One minute, Ms. Elizabeth Moss would be chatting with you, then they would yell ‘action’ and she’d immediately switch into this serious, sad demeanor, and it’s wild to see how quickly she changed,” says Grace. “I learned a lot from being on that set just from watching how everyone got into character, how they acted. It was a really great learning experience for me.”

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(The opportunity almost passed her by: “The pandemic happened and production got shut down,” she says. “I was so lucky that I didn’t grow or anything over those couple of months.”)

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Despite all of the show’s accolades, Grace hadn’t seen it before being cast; the mature content meant that she wasn’t allowed to watch. “After I booked the role, however, I was able to watch it and I binged the series while shooting,” she says. “I became a really big fan.”

Grace is introduced as Esther, the child bride of a commander in Gilead, who opens her house to the resistance effort of the handmaids. By the end of the dystopian series, Esther ends up somewhere quite different than where she started.

“I researched child marriage, because it’s a lot more prominent than you think,” says Grace. “It’s a lot quieter than Gilead or some crazy ceremony. I watched interviews with women who have been through what Esther has gone through, and wanted to make sure that I accurately represented people.”

Esther represents the sort of role that Grace hopes to continue growing into: one that drives conversation. “Esther has a horrible backstory and it makes people uncomfortable and upset,” she says. “So hopefully it will make people uncomfortable and upset for the girls who have actually gone through what she has gone through.”

Grace isn’t sure (or isn’t able to share) whether she’ll be returning for the show’s next season.

“I didn’t even know what was happening this season whenever I was shooting, because I couldn’t read the scripts,” she says. “So I only knew what I was doing. And then whenever we jumped ahead and I was a handmaid and I was reading the script, I was like — wait, wait, wait, where is June?”

This year is shaping up to be an impressive one for the young actress. In addition to “Handmaid’s,” Grace is starring as the child lead of the more family-friendly “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” The theatrical release has been postponed several times due to the pandemic, but is slated for a November premiere.

With Her Emmy Nomination, Mckenna Grace Is Set for Stardom (5)

“I am still reeling that I’m able to be in a Ghostbusters film because I have always been a huge fan of Ghostbusters. I have photos of me and Ghostbusters toys, and me dressed up as a Ghostbuster for Halloween four years ago,” she says. “I didn’t grow up whenever it came out, but it’s still a childhood classic for me.”

Unlike the reboot of several years ago, “Afterlife” is a sequel and exists in the same universe as the original film. It taps into nostalgic appeal, while introducing a new generation to the franchise. “It’s going to bring back a bunch of memories for a lot of people and I’m so stoked,” Grace adds.

In a similar vein of nostalgia, Grace also stars in the Disney+ series “Just Beyond,” based on the graphic novel by “Fear Street” creator R.L. Stine. The series is slated for a fall release. For now, Grace is in Alabama shooting another project for Disney+, the film “Crater.” “It takes place on the moon,” says Grace. “It’s a ‘Stand by Me’ type of a film, which is going to be really, really fun.”

It’s also a come-full-circle moment for Grace, whose first film role was in “Goodbye World” 10 years ago; she was four years old. Her costar in that film, Kid Cudi, also stars in “Crater.” “I just saw him for the first time in 10 years yesterday, which was absolutely crazy. Isn’t that just such a small world?” she says. “The Hollywood industry and the acting industry is so big, but at the same time, so little.”

With Her Emmy Nomination, Mckenna Grace Is Set for Stardom (6)

With Her Emmy Nomination, Mckenna Grace Is Set for Stardom (2024)

FAQs

What Emmy was Mckenna Grace nominated for? ›

Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series - 2021.

What is McKenna Grace most famous for? ›

Mckenna Grace is an American actress and singer from Grapevine, Texas who is known for playing Phoebe Spengler from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jasmine from Crash & Bernstein, Faith Newman from The Young and the Restless and Mary Adler from Gifted.

How many awards has McKenna Grace won? ›

Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategory
2017Women Film Critics CircleBest Young Actress
2018Critics' Choice Movie AwardsBest Young Actor/Actress
2020Hollywood Critics Association Film AwardsNext Generation of Hollywood
2021Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
4 more rows

How many things has McKenna Grace been in? ›

Mckenna Grace is an American actress who has appeared in films, television series, video games, and narrative podcasts. A 2022 Yahoo! Entertainment article referred to her as "one of the most successful and prolific child actors of her generation", with over 70 credits by that point.

What is the Emmy nomination record? ›

FX set a new record with its highest total nominations in a single year, receiving 93 nods and surpassing its previous record of 57 in 2016. In addition to breaking the TV Academy's record for most Comedy Series nominations, "The Bear" swept its categories with 23 nominations.

What happened to McKenna Grace? ›

opens up about spinal surgery to fix her scoliosis #... mckenna grace scoliosis | TikTok. It was, like, probably one of the hard. Like, it was the hardest thing I've ever gone through.

How many Emmys did Will and Grace win? ›

Major awards

The Primetime Emmy Award is an American award bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. Will & Grace has received 18 awards from 96 nominations, including an award for each main cast member.

How much does McKenna Grace make? ›

McKenna Grace has a net worth of $2 million, which she earned from her roles in movies and TV shows.

How many awards does Beyonce have in general? ›

List of awards and nominations received by Beyoncé
Awards and nominations
Billboard1459
Brit410
Grammy3288
MTV VMA2993
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Is McKenna Grace a vegan? ›

Her zodiac sign is cancer. She was a vegetarian up until 2022, she gave up being a vegetarian due to bad cholesterol. She is an animal rights activist.

Was McKenna Grace in the hospital? ›

'The Handmaid's Tale' Star Mckenna Grace Reveals Real-Life Hospital Stay Coincided With Season 5 Storyline. Mckenna Grace has revealed she recently underwent spinal surgery, a situation which coincided with a hospital stay her The Handmaid's Tale character Esther experienced in Season 5.

Who did McKenna Grace play in Once Upon a Time? ›

"Once Upon a Time" Nimue (TV Episode 2015) - Mckenna Grace as Young Emma Swan - IMDb.

How many Emmys was Cheers nominated for? ›

Cheers received 117 Emmy Award nominations over its eleven seasons.

Which actress was nominated for an Emmy 10 times over an 11 year period? ›

More about Rhea Perlman at:

Over the course of 11 seasons, Perlman was nominated for ten Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress – winning four times – and was nominated for a record seven Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series. Rhea Perlman is an American actress.

Who is the youngest actor to be nominated for an Emmy? ›

Earlier this year, Woodard became a fan favorite on The Last of Us, starring as deaf apocalypse survivor Sam. Now, the 10-year-old actor is earning accolades for his heartbreaking performance, scoring an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

What did Sophia Grace get an Emmy for? ›

Daytime Emmy Awards

For playing: "Kristy Thomas".

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