Sierra McCormick

Sierra McCormick (born October 28, 1997 She has a younger sister. She moved to Los Angeles, California, in 2006, after expressing an interest in acting.

Career

2007–2014: Child acting and breakthrough McCormick first began acting in 2007 at the age of nine, making an uncredited cameo on the television series 'Til Death. In 2007, she was cast in the second season of the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? as one of the students. Following a guest appearance on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana in 2008, In 2010, McCormick starred in the comedy film Ramona and Beezus as Susan Kushner, the rival of the title character, Ramona Quimby. The film was received positively, with the acting ensemble being praised for their performances. In the same year, she was cast as Scout Thomas, the daughter of Rebecca Thomas, in the comedy television series Romantically Challenged, which was cancelled after a season.

In 2011, she appeared in the television film A Nanny for Christmas. In the same year, she voiced Alice in the Disney direct-to-video film Spooky Buddies. McCormick, along with the cast of the film, won a Young Artist Award for their performances. She was chosen after an audition where she continuously spoke about tigers. Dan Signer stated: "And as I heard her continually talking about tigers, I thought, 'That's just how Olive would sound.' Which is how Sierra got that part." According to an interview with McCormick, getting the role was easy because she and McClain were already friends from their previous work experience. From 2011 to 2014, McCormick had a recurring role on the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie as Connie, a girl obsessed with one of the main characters, Luke.

2015–present: Transition to mainstream roles In 2015, McCormick starred in the horror film Some Kind of Hate as Moira. She had been hired by director Adam Egypt Mortimer to appeal to her then younger fanbase, stating that the film would be "the first intense horror movie experience that some of these kids will ever have". Although the film received mixed reviews, McCormick's performance, along with the rest of her cast members was received positively, with Bloody Disgusting writing "The acting is largely well done, and the script by Mortimer and DeLeeuw definitely attempt to give the characters more dimension than what you'd normally expect from a film like this." McCormick earned a Fright Meter Award nomination for the role.

From 2016 to 2018, McCormick worked in a series of short films and television films; these include her roles as Sarah in the 2016 Lifetime television film Sorority Nightmare, and as Kara Gentry in the 2017 film Christmas in the Heartland, which was originally made for television, but was later released direct-to-video.

In 2019, McCormick co-starred with Jake Horowitz in the science fiction film The Vast of Night, based on the Kecksburg UFO incident and the Foss Lake Disappearances. She starred as Fay Crocker, a young switchboard operator in high school in the fictional town of Cayuga, New Mexico. McCormick said that she was convinced to play the role after reading the script, where she then met with the film's director Andrew Patterson and auditioned. To prepare for the role, she had to learn how to use a switchboard, which she practiced in her hotel room. The film and McCormick's performance were acclaimed, with critics particularly praising her consistency in long single takes. Paste included her among the "10 Breakout Film Performances of the Year", additionally writing that "Sierra McCormick does some work in The Vast of Night that's competitive with the best acting of the year." For her role, she received a special mention from the Jury Awards at the Hamptons International Film Festival, as well as a nomination for Best Actress in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Movie at the Critics' Choice Super Awards. She commented on her experience with the role, stating "I was really excited to do something different. People got to see me being really crass and bloody and kicking some ass..."

In October 2020, it was announced McCormick would star alongside Vinessa Shaw in the upcoming thriller film We Need to Do Something; She stated that "I felt really antsy being cooped up in my apartment, and I'm sure everyone can relate to that feeling ... when I read the script, I was struck by the nihilistic tone the movie takes, and I'm a big fan of that." The film was theatrically released in September 2021, and earned generally positive reviews from critics. McCormick's performance was lauded, with Chicago Reader describing her as "captivating". IGN wrote that "Sierra McCormick brings wide eyes and a sulking snarl to teen daughter Melissa, whose internal drama is signaled by a goth wardrobe topped by a bubblegum pink wig." From July to August 2021, McCormick appeared in three episodes of American Horror Stories on FX on Hulu. Her role as Scarlett was praised; CBR described her as having a "captivating screen presence", and went on to state that she made "a strong debut ... it'd be seriously surprising if she doesn't eventually get cast in some of Murphy's other projects. She's set to be a star."

In 2023, McCormick starred as Sybil in the acclaimed crime thriller film The Last Stop in Yuma County, directed by Francis Gallupi. She will next headline the coming-of-age drama film Sour Milk.

Filmography Film

Television Year Title Role Notes 2007 'Til Death Kid Episode: "Summer of Love" 2007–2008 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Herself 5th grade classmate (season 2) 2007–2009 Curb Your Enthusiasm Emma Episodes: "The Bat Mitzvah", "The Reunion", "The Table Read" 2008 Boston Legal Daniella Episode: "Dances with Wolves" 2008 Supernatural Lilith Episodes: "No Rest for the Wicked", "Yellow Fever" 2009 Jack and Janet Save the Planet Molly Unsold TV pilot 2009 Criminal Minds Lynn Robillard Episode: "Bloodline" 2009 Hannah Montana Gillian Episode: "Welcome to the Bungle" 2009 Monk Anne Marie Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Dog" 2009 The Dog Who Saved Christmas Kara Bannister Television film 2010 Medium Allison (Young) Episode: "There Will Be Blood... Type A" 2010 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Gracie Layman Episode: "Irradiator" 2010 Romantically Challenged Scout Thomas Main role 2011–2014 A.N.T. Farm Olive Doyle Main role 2011–2014 Jessie Connie 3 episodes 2013 The Breakdown Little Girl Television film 2016 Sorority Nightmare Sarah Television film; originally titled Twisted Sisters 2017 Christmas in the Heartland Kara Gentry Television film 2019 Who Stole My Daughter?Katie SullivanTelevision film 2021 American Horror Stories Scarlett Winslow 3 episodes

Music videos "Dynamite" (2011), by China Anne McClain

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Work Result Ref 2012 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a DVD Film – Young Ensemble Cast Spooky Buddies 2015 Fright Meter Awards Best Supporting Actress Some Kind of Hate