# Emilia McCarthy

Emilia McCarthy (born August 28, 1997) is a Canadian actress, dancer and writer. She plays the role of Abby Ackerman on Max & Shred, her first main role in a television series. It is produced by YTV and also aired on Nickelodeon. 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 Movie Zapped. In 2018, she portrayed the role of Lacey in the Disney Channel Original Movie Zombies and reprised the role in Zombies 2 and Zombies 3.
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.

## 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.
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's photo 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.
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.

## Personal life

In 2014, McCarthy graduated from Westdale Secondary School. In 2015, she began attending Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in parallel with her acting career, majoring in film studies and minoring in psychology.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Maps to the Stars | Kayla | |
| 2016 | Jane | N/A | Cinematographer and editor |
| 2016 | Wilt | N/A | Director |
| 2016 | Sadie's Last Days on Earth | Robin | |
| 2017 | Love Coinky Dink | Sharon Phelp | Short film |
| 2019 | Dance Together | Tia | |
| 2020 | Retrograde | N/A | Producer |
| 2021 | Honey! | Melissa | Short film |
| 2021 | Kaira | N/A | Producer |
| 2022 | Zombies 3 | Lacey | |
| 2023 | Founders Day | Lilly Gladwell | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Booky and the Secret Santa | Laura Westover | Television film |
| 2009 | Booky's Crush | Laura Westover | Television film |
| 2012 | Beauty and the Beast | Cena | Episode: "All In" |
| 2013–2016 | Wild Kratts | Yi / Nina / Patricia | 3 episodes |
| 2013 | Hemlock Grove | Alyssa Sworn | Recurring role, 9 episodes |
| 2013 | Bunks | Lauren | Television film |
| 2014 | Zapped | Taylor Dean | Television film |
| 2014–2016 | Max & Shred | Abby Ackerman | Main role |
| 2017 | Dark Haven High | N/A | Main role |
| 2018 | Zombies | Lacey | Television film |
| 2018 | Let's Go Luna! | Silvia (voice) | Episode: "The Big Dig/Amazing Man" |
| 2020 | October Faction | Heather | Recurring role |
| 2020 | Zombies 2 | Lacey | Television film |
| 2022–2025 | SkyMed | Madison Van Camp | Main role |

### Web

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Kid's Town | Beth Pilly | Main role |
| 2013 | Unlikely Heroes | Cheryllyn | Main role |