How Actress Kathryn Newton Became The Newest Scream Queen

Forbes

There’s no escaping this scream queen. Katheryn Newton’s starring roles in Freaky (2020), Abigail (2023) and Lisa Frankenstein (2024) have cemented her as one of Gen Z’s leading horror stars—bringing in an estimated $2 million in earnings between acting gigs and brand partnerships this year. Her breakout role was as a 15-year-old star in Paranormal Activity 4, which she says set the trajectory of her career: “I find horror is somewhere I keep returning to because the roles allow me to go places that are really risky,” she says. Outside the realm of the supernatural, Newton has also booked roles in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023) and TV shows The Society and Big Little Lies alongside Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep. Off-screen, Newton is an avid golfer, boasting a better-than-scratch handicap. “I’ve never been told that you can’t do more than one thing to be super successful,” she says. Now she’s turning her golf prowess into business opportunities: She has partnered with Ralph Lauren as the face of its women’s golf category and is an ambassador for youth golf non-profit First Tee and the R&A, the sole organizer of the British Open.  0:00 Introducing Katheryn Newton 2:12 Breaking Into The Horror Genre 3:17 Newton's Acting—And Golfing—Background 6:36 Her Audition Mentality 7:46 The Power Of Hollywood Networking 9:44 How Newton Scored A Part In Gerwig's Ladybird 11:10 Character Advice From Meryl Streep 12:20 How To Choose The Right Role 13:30 On Navigating The Industry 17:25 Predictions For The Future Of Hollywood And AI 18:52 The Biggest Difference Between Acting And Producing 21:17 The Acting Lesson She Learned From Vince Vaughn 22:49 On Her Legacy In Hollywood  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Sometimes things are scary, like Lisa Frankenstein, it was really hard for me to think I could do it.

00:06But you know it's right for you because I realized that no one else can do this role but me.

00:16Kathryn Newton, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm super excited to talk about all

00:20you're building in the Hollywood space, in the golf world, all you're working on,

00:23so thanks so much for being here. Thank you. Thank you, Forbes. I've always wanted to be

00:27Forbes 30 under 30. Love it, well we're glad to have you here. So let's start, for people who

00:32you're just meeting and people maybe who have not heard your name before, give me a 30-second pitch

00:37to who Kathryn Newton is. Wow, okay. My name is Kathryn Newton and I'm an actress and I play golf

00:44and that's it. Okay, love it. That's shorter than 30 seconds, so we'll take it. How did you first

00:50get your foot in the door of the acting world? That's a great question. I was in New York City

00:55at a really young age and this casting director saw me after I had been going to see Gypsy with

01:01Bernadette Peters. Back in the day it was like $20 for a ticket, so I would go every night and

01:06I fell in love with Bernadette Peters and I wanted to be Gypsy Rose so bad and I would sing it on the

01:10street corners. I wasn't like good or anything and then I'd like get the coins and like give it to

01:16the church on the corner and a casting director said to my mom like she's really cute, she should

01:22audition for something and she didn't even know I could read and I went on a few auditions and I

01:26booked it. I booked all my children and I was on it for five years. Yeah. So I just kind of kept doing

01:31it and I never thought of it as anything except fun. I was a very shy kid, like point up at the

01:37sky shy, like teachers calling home being like, Kathryn's not talking to anybody, what's up? My

01:42parents got the same call, so. Really? Yes, yes. So I feel like my parents just tried to introduce me to

01:47everything. That's how golf came about, but it wasn't just golf and acting. It was ballet,

01:51it was tennis, it was swim, it was basketball and those were the two things that I think I

01:56thrived in and as you know, being on a set is a really cool place because everyone wants you to

02:03do a really good job. So growing up I was exposed to people who just wanted to bring the best out

02:08of me and had really terrific experiences that I'm just trying to recreate. You have been a part of

02:14multiple different genres of the world, but you are really focused on the horror genre. Can you

02:19walk me through kind of what that was like to stumble upon that sort of space in your career?

02:23That is a great question because you know it's not something like you do on purpose. Yeah. I was 14

02:29years old when I did my first horror film. It was called Paranormal Activity 4. It was a paramount

02:33movie and I was the lead of a paramount movie. It was just a great role and I had no idea that it

02:38would change my life because I learned how to improvise. That whole movie was improv. I was

02:42basically the only one in the movie. Talk about learning how to be an actor. Now years later I

02:48found horror somewhere I just keep returning to because the roles allow me to go places that are

02:54really risky and just a departure from reality. I think horror touches people beyond a rom-com does

03:01or an action film does or a fantasy film because horror is real and you don't have to be beautiful

03:06and you don't have to be in love to be afraid and people all know what it's like to be in the dark

03:11and get scared and I think that's why people like them so much. Yeah. It's too relatable

03:16unfortunately. Yeah, totally. As you mentioned you started acting when you were super young

03:21and kind of got into this space a little bit later in your life. What was your education in acting?

03:26What did your prep look like throughout the years? How did you learn to become an actor?

03:31That's a great question. You've done this before. Well the truth is that I learned on the job.

03:38I think you want to be like the people you're around and I got lucky to work with people

03:43who gave me good examples and that's the truth. I would watch movies. I would see movies I liked

03:49and be like why do I like this actor? I remember I saw Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man. I'm not

03:53kidding and I had been working up until that time as an actor and I saw him in Iron Man and I was

03:58like that's a movie star. I got to be in a Marvel film to be a movie star and I told myself by the

04:03time I'm 25 if you didn't do it go back to college because I was very good at school. I was

04:08top of my class like did the commencement speech and all that and like ran for class president.

04:13Nobody cared. Golf captain you know and it was just it was a hard choice to not go to school

04:19because I was working. So it's just like you got to have goals and you got to keep moving forward

04:24but that's how I learned was just kind of faking it like acting like I knew what I was doing and

04:30I didn't ask questions. I just pretended like I knew and and no one ever told me I was wrong and

04:36then if you if you're the director and you're telling me what to do you're just trying to help

04:40me. Everyone was just trying to help me do my best. Yeah if you had not gone the acting route

04:45what would you be doing right now? I would probably be a professional golfer. Okay. I think

04:52I would have given it a shot. I would have gone to USC and played in college and maybe studied

04:57psychology. I like people and I think that's what I would have studied literature and then I would

05:04have tried to go pro because I'm an athlete like I love being athletic. I don't know that I would

05:08have been winning everything or anything but I'll never know. Yeah does that athletic side of you

05:13I'm sure it makes you a little bit competitive you know it makes you want to win like being in

05:17these different environments sports wise how does that impact your role as an actor? That's a good

05:24okay I'm competitive but not without reason like I don't walk in a room and be like I'm gonna think

05:33I'm better than anybody because the truth is is I have a lot of second place trophies and when you

05:38are an athlete in my experience sometimes you win and then next week we go back out and we have to

05:44start all over again and we're exactly the same. Acting is not a sport it's subjective and sometimes

05:51a job is meant for you and I don't know why and then sometimes I get a job and I realize why

05:55later so I'm not that competitive I'm really good at losing though I tell you what I am a good loser

06:01and that's a problem I should be a little more like cutthroat and think more but I'm not I'm

06:07not that competitive people think I am because I like to talk like I'm a big talk yeah what is

06:14that called like smack talk yeah yeah big huge smack talk okay can't take it don't give it back

06:19to me but I can be quick I'm very quick all right well I'll be ready for that yes just don't say it

06:24back to me until we're done filming okay all right I'll keep it quiet in the acting space you know

06:29going through many different audition processes I'm sure throughout your whole life kind of you

06:33know this is a very competitive industry what have you found to be like the secret sauce to when you

06:38are booking these deals or when these jobs are made for you I wish I knew I think the most the

06:43secret is to always feel like you've already won you know you don't need anything and auditions

06:48are really fun you know I just you know I still don't know how to audition I don't think you ever

06:53really figure it out because my process is constantly changing from role to role to character

06:58to character so for me now it's about uh just learning about myself each time and uh the real

07:06secret is just having fun which is really easy to do it's not hard to have a good time

07:12auditioning and trying for things I mean going back to golf they say practice makes perfect and

07:18it's because you walk into good luck you have to keep trying and eventually you just get lucky

07:23the things that don't work out there's a reason so I just trust that and um I've had a lot of

07:30auditions that you didn't get and you see why and then I don't know why I get the ones I get

07:34but you feel it somehow after where you were like oh I knew it I knew that whole time but you really

07:39I don't think you really ever know why you get a job so do you think that the success that you've

07:43had has been primarily skill primarily luck like what is the kind of combination that has led you

07:49into the place that you are today at this point it's relationships and good experiences I've been

07:55lucky to have repeat business with people I've worked with in the past who asked me to work

08:00together again and that's the biggest win beyond like just being working as a win to if you and I

08:06do a movie together and you're like hey Catherine would you do this with me that is such a big win

08:11because it means like we have a good relationship and we've done something good together and we want

08:15to do it again so at this point in my career that's all I want to do is work with people I

08:19already have a trust with because that's what you have to have like I said earlier when you're on a

08:25set people want the best from you and you only know people so much but when you're on a movie set

08:33it's just a different level of intimacy and you have to be open I have no choice but to trust you

08:38and all these people here because I what else am I going to do hold back totally I'll just waste

08:43everybody's time yeah so my goal right now and the reason I've had success at this moment is

08:48repeating business working with people who I already love and trust has there been someone

08:53in your life and your career that you feel like has really made a difference like without them

08:56you would not be where you are today there's so many I could talk about them forever I mean

09:03everybody I've worked with anyone I've worked with I feel confident enough to call and say hey could

09:07you help me or I have a question but the the number one that comes to mind right now is uh

09:14Chris Lannan and Jason Blum Chris Lannan and Jason Blum did Paranormal Activity 4 and then they called

09:20me and put me in Freaky and now Jason is doing something else with me so that is has shown me

09:26the truth you grow up thinking you do a movie you're never gonna see anybody again and now I

09:31know it's actually not true it's what you do with the people that you it's like having any friend

09:35how do you take care of those relationships so um those are big impacts but I mean if you know

09:41I've worked with some really amazing actors and actresses so speaking of these impactful people

09:46that you've been able to work with I read that you were a huge fan of Frances Ha and really wanted to

09:50work with Greta Gerwig and you know asked her can I be a part of this movie yes can you walk me

09:55through that experience a little bit what was that like there's some things that you just really want

10:00and Frances Ha was a movie that changed my life like I just I went to see it twice by myself I

10:06dragged my best friend to go see it then I fell in love with Greta Gerwig and I started to get

10:11really into mumblecore I made mumblecore short films that no one will ever see it inspired me

10:17and when they had the auditions for Lady Bird I had to audition for a different role that I knew

10:21wasn't right and uh I just like wrote Greta and I wanted to be in the movie and they found a really

10:29small role that she didn't think was really right but it didn't matter because I really believe as

10:36an actor it's so silly but there's really no small roles it's all the same to me like every role I

10:43have the opportunity to do it's the same process for me and I had so much fun the little backpack

10:48the rolling backpack the way I just fell into it and I wanted to make sure Sharonan and Beanie

10:52Falstein like I wanted to impress them and I didn't I just wanted to be around them you just

10:56want to be surrounded by people better than you and I was just like very wide-eyed and open and

11:03you know they're really lovely so you can if you're out there and you want to work with

11:07Greta Gerwig I guess it can happen to you because it happened to me what is your process once you

11:12land the role to really like get into that character what yeah what do you do to do that

11:17I freak out for a little while okay I have no idea and then eventually I think I procrastinate

11:23I'm also the kind of actor that like has feels really excited under the gun when they're like

11:29action I'll do it I won't hold back but it's very hard to know what to do up until then

11:34and I like to talk to other artists I love to talk to the director and the other actors about

11:39the sense of the world and then I like to build the character from the outside and start with

11:44her vanity I get really into the vanity of a character I learned that from Meryl Streep on

11:49They Little Lies because she said something about my hair she was like I love that the long hair

11:53Abigail has the vanity of your character is so important and I was like yeah I made that choice

11:59didn't know that I made a choice but she was like that's how you build a character so for me it's

12:05I found that I really love the wardrobe the hair and the makeup all of that changes how you stand

12:11have you ever put on a dress and like stand up straighter you wear heels and you change the way

12:15you walk you put on sneakers and sweatpants just like so I love to start there yeah how do you know

12:21when a role is right for you you know you mentioned that some of these like you knew it wasn't maybe

12:24the right fit or something you really did know what do you gravitate what do you gravitate towards

12:29I think and you know deep down when something's right for you because it's not hard

12:34sometimes things are scary and that makes it hard like Lisa Frankenstein it was really hard for me

12:40when I finally got it to like think I could do it but that was a good kind of hard because it was

12:47so fun but um you know it's right for you because I realized that no one else can do this role but

12:53me like no one if I I know I can make the movie better sometimes you're trying to do something

13:00and you're like I don't know if I can make this the best thing ever so you kind of have to just

13:04accept that but some roles pass you and you're like well I would be really good in it I know

13:10everyone's like a really big deal in it but I think I could be great in this role and those are

13:14the ones that you really usually pull in what do you think sets you apart as we were you know kind

13:19of speaking about as an actor like you are your own brand you are your own business you have to

13:24bring something to the table that in a saturated and very competitive industry other people are

13:29trying to do the same thing so what sets you apart what do you bring to the table on these sets and

13:33in these different rooms probably nothing but I really don't know I think that I've been doing

13:40this a long time and I have a lot of respect for the people that are trying to do the same thing

13:47and I think I'm a team player at the end of the day acting is sharing and listening and I think

13:52that there's a time to be the center and then there's a time to help someone else shine and I

13:57really want to be the kind of actor who isn't just funny but can make you funny very generous

14:04so that's kind of what I'm working on I think that setting standing apart from other people

14:09is simply by just being cool with yourself so I'm doing that I play a lot of golf I keep it real

14:17I'll tell you when I think I'm doing a good job and if I'm not I'll be humble about it but that's

14:22the thing is I don't think I'm any different than anybody else I think I'm no better than anyone

14:26so maybe that's it what's been the biggest challenge or hurdle that you've had to overcome

14:31whether that's like a specific role or just like life in the Hollywood industry the biggest

14:36challenge in the industry I don't think it's that hard I think that's the challenge is people always

14:41telling you how hard it is and like thinking the industry is a tough business it's an art

14:45it's fun I don't think it's that hard and people people that I say that lightly because I think

14:52acting is a work it's a project it takes discipline but the challenge has always been to

14:58just stay connected to me and my inner child and like the purity of this fun thing I get to do

15:06that's all it is it's play it's all it doesn't have to be like heavy and hard trying to get

15:13things it's not fun it's like playing dress up in your living room yeah is that hard

15:17no probably not so no I think the hardest thing is sticking around and just staying who you are

15:25how about like breaking into the industry though because so many people want to be in a spot where

15:29you're at so how what's your advice for people who are maybe that's the hurdle that they are

15:32coming upon right now today I think it's make your own projects I think everyone has the ability

15:38you don't need a million dollars apparently you just need an iPhone I think we all have one of

15:43those now I'm kind of exploring that right now developing your own things and creating your own

15:50movies I don't think you have to wait for anybody I don't think you ever had to wait for anybody

15:54and now we're just kind of realizing it and I do I often think about people trying to break out

16:00who just graduated from college I don't think I have no idea it's not even the same thing anymore

16:08but I will argue there's a lot of projects so there might be more opportunity I think that

16:13there might be more opportunity but that's what I would say if you want to be an actor and you

16:17don't know where to start I would be like make your own movie yeah because I it's really not

16:22that different what is the biggest difference though from starting when you were four years old

16:26you know 20 years ago to now so much has changed in the industry what's been the biggest change

16:31in your eyes probably how much the narrative shifts not just from your projects but from like

16:37who you are I really love old movies and old movie stars probably because I don't know anything

16:43about them and now I think the industry's changed where people do know me they know who I am or at

16:48least they think they know who I am and I'm trying to show them who I am through my films through

16:53what I post on social media what I wear on a red carpet and that is also really it opens you up

17:01so I think the industry has opened up a lot more to where it's not just about your movies anymore

17:06it's everything so it's like what story do you want to tell and I'm figuring that out and I'm

17:11writing it every day and I think that's the biggest change it's like it's not just about

17:16your movie anymore it's who are you people want to know who you are and I think that's scary yeah

17:21I want to talk about the future of the entertainment space right now with things like AI coming into

17:26play how is that impacting you and your career and your thoughts about like what is going to be

17:31able to be created whether that's going to have any restrictions moving forward well I already

17:36thought anything was possible and now I guess now it really is like now really anything is possible

17:44but I've done Marvel films where they do the body scan and like you can do amazing things with it

17:49so it's a tool and I think as long as the right people are using it maybe it'll be all right

17:54that's my hope right along with AI are there any other trends that you think are coming up in the

17:59industry that you expect to really change the way that things are created or what people are

18:03interested in watching and being entertained by in the future yes I think that the big one is

18:09content I think people can get content wherever they want I think YouTube is huge it might be the

18:14future movies are always to have a test of time I think but I think it's what I said earlier that

18:20you're going to see a lot more people making movies myself included with their own companies

18:26and then getting them out there putting them in theaters I was blown away by Taylor Swift

18:31how she put them her movie in AMC herself she distributed it herself I think that's pretty

18:38crazy yeah I think it's going to happen she can't be the only one who's that smart right

18:43yeah I think that's the future I think people are going to make their own things and do it

18:47themselves so I'm hoping to be a part of that future you talk about these other opportunities

18:54for people to create for themselves for you know as you're kind of trying to do that as well venturing

18:59into these other forms of media do you ever see yourself going the like directing producing route

19:04more so or equally to as much as you're acting today I feel like that is something happening

19:11happening naturally where I'm on a movie and the producers are talking to me and they're talking to

19:17me about this project and then when you do the movie now the director is talking to you about

19:22who they should cast and you are doing things producers do simply because you're having

19:26conversations with people who want to hear what you have to say the biggest challenge for me is

19:30realizing a producer has to say no and I'm not very good at saying no I'm like yeah that's great

19:36yeah we'll do that because as an actor like you just kind of say yeah okay jump how high I'll do

19:42it I'll do the best you've ever seen watch and the producer's really more you can't do that as a

19:48producer you have to like really know what you want because it's very hard to get a movie made

19:51you really only got one shot to do it right so I'm learning that what's been the biggest lesson as

19:56you've been talking with these producers having these conversations with them what's been the

19:59biggest lesson that you've learned that's helped you in your career everybody says yes okay you

20:04know what I mean there's like yeah we'll do that that's a great idea let's do it yes let's do it

20:09in two weeks I'm like what everyone acts like it's so hard that's the biggest thing people are always

20:14like say no your power is in your nose which I believe in a lot of ways but then the secret I

20:20think is saying yes and making it good that's how I've gotten where I've gotten I've said yes to

20:26everything yeah and then I've gotten on a set and I was where I really wanted to be and I did my best

20:33to have fun and kill it yeah and then you get lucky and it's good has there been a decision

20:38you made or a role that you took and you said yes to that you feel like has been really surprisingly

20:43either successful or surprisingly something that you just have loved to do it was definitely like

20:50like it would be I think the first one that I ever like it kind of changed my life was Freaky

20:57that was an amazing offer from Chris wanting to work with me again and I think that's the

21:02reason I got Ant-Man so that one Chris said it to me too he's like I think this is the first movie

21:07where I really think you're a movie star and I think he did that for me and it opened up a lot

21:12of doors so that one that one caught people and that's special of all these legends that you've

21:18worked with are there any lessons or moments in your time with them that you think about time and

21:24time again as you're returning to set as something that you want to yet is trying to bring into the

21:28different characters one of the biggest things I learned was from Vince Vaughn on Freaky because we

21:33didn't have that many scenes together we had this one scene and it was a couple weeks in and I wish

21:38it was at the beginning because I saw him trying so many things and improvising so many things to

21:44just see what's what's going to work and I saw him doing it and I was like well I gotta help

21:49him out because nobody else was doing it so immediately I started trying things and I don't

21:54remember what made it in the movie maybe none of it made it in the movie but now on every job I do

21:59again a lesson from Reese Witherspoon on Big Little Lies she was like we always do it as

22:04written first you always do one as written at least once maybe twice but then you can play

22:10so I've always done that where I do it as written get into that and then I try to change I don't

22:17know just to see what I can come up with it's pretty important to keep it and sometimes you

22:22get directors like on Abigail who never told me no and you get opportunities that are this small

22:28and because they say yes Catherine we like it they become giant dance sequences that are three minutes

22:34long that were not supposed to be in the movie and that's all you can ask for is that create

22:39that kind of creativity and again it's about giving other actors something to work with

22:44when I saw Vince doing that I just wanted to give him something to work with it's very important

22:49for you know the future the next couple of years as you're kind of thinking about all these things

22:53that are changing and different routes that you might want to go down what is your vision for

22:58the future of Kathryn Newton is it more horror is it other you know avenues other genres what's your

23:04what's your picture my biggest goal right now is to make some fans really happy they're really

23:12important to me and I see what they're reacting to I just want to entertain so that's my goal

23:19right now get something that's going to entertain some people going to bring people to the movies

23:23get people either dressed up make it fun that's my goal right now and I really hope other people

23:30have that goal because that's all I want for everyone definitely my last question for you is

23:35what is the legacy that you want to leave on the Hollywood industry oh the legacy I hope to leave

23:41is that when I said I was going to do something I did it and I and I did it that's all I want to do

23:48it now while I'm alive you know hopefully after I'm gone it worked out and people remember the

23:54things I did but really I just want to be able to do what I want right now it's very hard to get

23:58what you want so I'm hoping I keep getting things to want you know how hard it is to dream after you

24:05feel like you've dreamt and had it you got to come up with new goals do you have any new goals that

24:10are emerging not really no I'm it's it's a problem you need goals big goals dreams that

24:17you think it'll never happen it keeps you grounded it keeps you focused so I gotta go go to the movies

24:24start dreaming yeah thank you so much for joining me today it was so great to hear about all that

24:28you're working on and building thank you for interviewing me that was really you're really

24:33great thanks for

24:58you

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