Emilia McCarthy is a Canadian and Mexican actress, dancer and writer. She played one of Sheriff Sworn's twin daughters, Alyssa Sworn, in the Netflix television series Hemlock Grove. McCarthy also played Taylor Dean in the Disney Channel Original MovieZapped. In 2018, she portrayed the role of Lacey in the Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies. In July 2013, she began working on the film Maps to the Stars playing Kayla. The film premiered on April 14, 2014 at various festivals and generated positive reviews. McCarthy plays the role of Abby Ackerman on Max & Shred, her first lead role in a television series. It is produced by YTV and also aired on Nickelodeon.
Early life
McCarthy was born on August 28, 1997 in London, Ontario, where she was raised. She is the daughter of Margarita De Antuñano, Director of the Canada-Mexico Cultural Exchange Centre and a Spanish teacher and Barry McCarthy a retired Vice-principal. McCarthy has Mexican and Irish ancestry; her mother is Mexican Canadian and father of Irish origin. She is fluent in English, Spanish, and French. McCarthy discovered her passion for acting since she was a child. She is passionate about acting, dancing and modelling and vigorously pursues "her call in life,". As her grandmother Beatriz Carrillo has said "Emilia is a born artist who acts and dances, I think she was born with this gift". McCarthy took acting classes at Armstrong Acting Studios, in Toronto. She stated in a 2013 interview that: "I was about seven and literally woke up one day and said, Mom, Dad, I want to be an actress". Then in 2006 she landed her first role as Elle Fanning'sphoto double in the film Babel starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The movie was directed by Oscar winner, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu.
Career
2007–12: Early career
At eight years-old, McCarthy had the opportunity to perform with Cate Blanchett and Gael García Bernal as daughter Cate-- a role she shared with Elle Fanning-- in the Golden Globe-winning film Babel. With her father's help, McCarthy published a book entitled Baby's Wish when she was only eight years old. The book was inspired by a dream McCarthy had. In 2007, at the age of nine, McCarthy landed the role of Laura Westover for the TV movie: Booky & the Secret Santa. In 2009, at age 11, she was hired again to resume the role of Laura Westover in the movie Booky's Crush being the last film in the series. McCarthy made a special appearance in the episode "All In" on the CW-Ranked Beauty & the Beast as Cena. The episode was released on October 25, 2012. McCarthy has performed in several theatre productions like Hairspray and Tarantella Cabaret, also made stage appearances in works such as Aida and Seussical Jr.
2013–present: Movies and ''Max & Shred''
McCarthy auditioned in Toronto for Eli Roth, director / producer of the series. In April, Netflix premiered the series Hemlock Grove of 13 episodes. Emilia appeared in 9 episodes as Alyssa Sworn in the series. McCarthy was the star of the web series Unlikely Heroes and Kid's Town in 2013. That same year McCarthy landed the female lead role in the film Bunks, a film original Disney XD. Where Lauren plays a camp counselor, who wants the rules are followed by campers. McCarthy was part of the main cast of the film Zapped, she plays Taylor Dean, the antagonist of Zendaya's character. The film premiered on June 27, 2014 in the United States and United Kingdom and America premiered on August 10, 2014. The July 15, 2013 it was confirmed that McCarthy would be part of the cast of the film Maps to the Stars. She played the character of Kayla. Production began in July 2013. EOne introduced the film with his other films in state post-production in 2013 at the Toronto Film Festival. On April 14, 2014, the first preview of the film that was released. The film premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and the performances of the cast were praised. McCarthy plays the role of Abby Ackerman in the new YTV series Max & Shred, which also will be transmitted by Nickelodeon. The series had a release date of October 6, 2014 in the United States.
Artistry
Influences
McCarthy's main influences are Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. In 2014, she said in an interview, "Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are my inspiration. They were also born in London, Ontario. So if they can do it, why not me?". In another interview she stated, "I am a big fan of Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, as they are both from London, Ontario, which is where I was born and raised. Rachel McAdams went to the same drama school as me. Not only that, but both are amazing actors and knowing that they came from the same place I came from, is crazy".
Marketing
Books
Emilia McCarthy is also a published writer. At the age of eight, along with her father, she published her book Baby's Wish. There is a copy of the book in the London, Ontario Central Library.
