Amybeth McNulty (born 7 November 2001) is an Irish actress.[1] She is known for her starring role as Anne Shirley in the CBC/Netflix drama series Anne with an E (2017–2019), based on the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery.[1][2] She has also played loquacious teenager Vickie in the Netflix science fiction horror series Stranger Things (2022–present).

Amybeth McNulty
Born (2001-11-07) 7 November 2001 (age 23)
OccupationActress
Years active2014–present

Early life

edit

Amybeth McNulty was born on 7 November 2001 in Milford, County Donegal, Ireland, the only daughter of an Irish father and a Canadian mother.[3][4][5] She also has Scottish heritage.[6] She was homeschooled.[7] She was a member of An Grianán's "Youth Theatre", where she trained in acting and ballet.[8]

Career

edit

McNulty's stage experience began with ballet and amateur performances at An Grianán's "Youth Theatre", which was facilitated by Nora Kavanagh, as well as musicals by the writer and composer Paul Boyd.[7] In 2014, McNulty co-starred in the RTÉ One series Clean Break as inquisitive child Jenny Rane.[9] In 2015, McNulty appeared in Agatha Raisin as the younger version of the titular character and guest-starred in CBBC's The Sparticle Mystery.[10] McNulty made her film debut in sci-fi thriller Morgan, portraying the 10-year-old iteration of the titular character.[10] The film received mixed reviews.[11]

From 2017 to 2019, she starred as Anne Shirley-Cuthbert in the CBC and Netflix drama series Anne with an E, an adaptation of the 1908 novel series Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. McNulty was cast from a selection of 1800 girls for her ability to deliver dialogue which is "incredibly thick and dynamic and beautiful"; "her audition consisted of talking to trees, chatting with flowers and building thrones out of twigs."[12][13] McNulty received critical acclaim for her portrayal; Gwen Inhat of The A.V. Club lauded her "absolute possession" of Anne as well as her ability to make "fanciful language sing",[14] while Neil Genzlinger from The New York Times wrote McNulty's performance was "wonderfully ebullient and eminently likable".[15] Her portrayal earned her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Actress and the ACTRA Award for Best Performance – Female.[16][17]

McNulty portrayed the lead role in the 2024 indie thriller She Came Back (pre-release title Maternal), the feature directorial debut of actress Megan Follows, which was filmed in early 2020.[18] She also starred in Black Medicine (2020), in which she portrays an alcoholic and drug-addicted Irish teenager.[19] In December 2020, McNulty was cast in director Michael McGowan's film adaptation of All My Puny Sorrows, a novel by Canadian author Miriam Toews.[20] In June 2021, McNulty was cast in season four of the Netflix drama Stranger Things, portraying Vickie, a "cool, fast-talking band nerd".[21]

Personal life

edit

At 19, McNulty moved out from her family home in rural Donegal to London.[22] In June 2020, she came out as bisexual.[23] McNulty is a vegetarian.[24][25][26]

Filmography

edit
Film roles
Year Title Role Note(s)
2014 A Risky Undertaking Ariadne Pleasant
2016 Morgan Morgan (aged 10)
2021 Black Medicine Áine [27]
All My Puny Sorrows Nora Von Riesen [28]
2024 She Came Back (formerly 'Maternal') Charlie McLeod [29]
Television roles
Year Title Role Note(s)
2014 Agatha Raisin Young Agatha 1 episode
2015 Clean Break Jenny Rane 4 episodes
The Sparticle Mystery Sputnik 2 episodes
2017–2019 Anne with an E Anne Shirley-Cuthbert Main role[30]
2022–present Stranger Things Vickie Recurring role (season 4); main (season 5)[31]

Awards and nominations

edit
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
2018 Canadian Screen Awards Best Lead Actress, Drama Series Anne with an E Nominated [32]
2019 Canadian Screen Awards Best Lead Actress, Drama Series Anne with an E Won [33][34]
ACTRA Toronto Awards Outstanding Performance – Female Anne with an E Won [17]
2020 Canadian Screen Awards Best Lead Actress, Drama Series Anne with an E Nominated [35]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Sumanac-Johnson, Deana (21 October 2016). "Meet Amybeth McNulty, star of new Anne of Green Gables series for CBC, Netflix". CBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  2. ^ Calautti, Katie (10 May 2017). "The Sisterhood of Anne of Green Gables Is Ready for Anne's Next Chapter". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  3. ^ "AB on Instagram: "18!! Thank you for all the lovely birthday messages, they are absolutely making my day"". Instagram. Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Young Irish star Amybeth McNulty reveals that her great-grandmother inspired her to play role in acclaimed Netflix hit". Irish Mirror. July 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Anne of Green Gables Amybeth McNulty loves County Donegal so much". Irish Central. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. ^ Amybeth McNulty. "Rest well my wee Scottish warrior. I love you". Archived from the original on 24 December 2021. Retrieved 25 November 2021 – via Instagram.
  7. ^ a b Falvey, Deirdre. "Amybeth McNulty: the Donegal teenager who stars in 'Anne with an E'". The Irish Times.
  8. ^ "Donegal actor cast in Netflix show". An Grianán Theatre. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
  9. ^ "RTE drama Clean Break concludes with dramatic and unsettling scenes tonight". Independent. 18 October 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  10. ^ a b "New 'Anne' cast announced, retelling 'Anne of Green Gables' story". The Guardian. 23 October 2016. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Morgan (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
  12. ^ Ahearn, Victoria (16 March 2017). "CBC's Anne shows darker past of 'accidental feminist' from Green Gables". Montreal Gazette. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  13. ^ Bley Griffiths, Eleanor (13 July 2018). "Anne with an E star Amybeth McNulty: "She's a good character to have a voice for"". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  14. ^ Inhat, Gwen (12 May 2017). "Anne With An E offers a winning, darker take on a familiar tale". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  15. ^ Neil Genzlinger (11 May 2017). "Review: 'Anne With an E' Is a Rewarding Return to Green Gables". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  16. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards 2019: Amybeth McNulty acceptance speech". CBC. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Winners: The 17th Annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto | ACTRA Toronto". Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  18. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (19 December 2019). "'Anne with an E's Amybeth McNulty & 'V-Wars' Actress Laura Vandervoort Topline Indie Thriller 'Maternal'". Deadline. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  19. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (10 December 2019). "Antonia Campbell-Hughes Leads Cast In Thriller 'Black Medicine' From 'The Survivalist' & 'The Fall' Backer Northern Ireland Screen". Deadline. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  20. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (2 December 2020). "'All My Puny Sorrows': Alison Pill, Sarah Gadon, Amybeth McNulty & Mare Winningham Lead Canadian Drama, Voltage Boards Sales". Deadline. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  21. ^ "'Stranger Things' Season 4 Cast Additions: Amybeth McNulty, Myles Truitt, Regina Ting Chen & Grace Van Dien". Deadline. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  22. ^ Barter, Pavel (10 July 2021). "Amybeth McNulty on how Stranger Things is turning her life upside down". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.(subscription required)
  23. ^ M, Smith (18 June 2020). "Anne with an E's Amybeth McNulty says she 'accidentally' came out as bisexual, fans rejoice during Pride Month". MEAWW. Archived from the original on 17 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  24. ^ Instagram livestream, Nov 13 2019
  25. ^ McNulty, Amybeth (17 November 2019). "Q&A 2019". Retrieved 5 April 2021 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Instagram livestream, Nov 27, 2019
  27. ^ McGoran, Peter (27 June 2021). "Black Medicine: The NI thriller set for release in July and here's why it's a must-watch". Belfast Live. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  28. ^ "All My Puny Sorrows". Toronto International Film Festival. 5 September 2021. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  29. ^ "She Came Back". IMDB. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  30. ^ Falvey, Deirdre (4 July 2018). "Amybeth McNulty: the Donegal teenager who stars in 'Anne with an E'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  31. ^ Mantock, Rachel (25 May 2022). "Who Plays Vickie In 'Stranger Things'? Amybeth McNulty Played The Lead In 'Anne With An E'". Bustle. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  32. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards 2018: Anne has leading 13 nominations". CBC. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  33. ^ "'Anne with an E,' 'Schitt's Creek' win big at Canadian Screen Awards". Hello!. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  34. ^ "Canadian Screen Awards, CA (2018)". IMDb. Retrieved 3 March 2019. [unreliable source?]
  35. ^ "Schitt's Creek leads nominees for 2020 Canadian Screen Awards". CBC. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
edit