Willa Fitzgerald | |
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![]() Fitzgerald in 2024 | |
Born | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | January 17, 1991
Education | Yale University (BA) |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2008–present |
Willa Fitzgerald (born January 17, 1991) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Emma Duval in MTV's Scream . She has played cheer coach Colette French in the USA Network's television drama series Dare Me and officer Roscoe Conklin in the Amazon Prime Video television series Reacher . Her other notable roles include Amazon Studios' television series Alpha House , the USA Network's drama series Royal Pains , Netflix's horror miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher , and the lead role in the thriller film Strange Darling .
Willa Fitzgerald was born on January 17, 1991, [1] in Nashville, Tennessee, [2] the only child of musician parents [3] who were in a band together for two decades prior to her birth. [4]
After first studying psychology for three years, Fitzgerald earned her bachelor's degree in theater studies from Yale University. [5]
Between 2013 and 2014, Fitzgerald played the role of Lola Laffer in the Amazon Studios political web television series Alpha House . The series lasted two seasons before being cancelled. [6] On April 23, 2014, it was reported that Fitzgerald obtained a recurring role in USA Network's drama series Royal Pains as Emma Miller. [7] Between 2014 and 2015, she also obtained guest-starring roles in various television series such as Blue Bloods , The Following and Gotham . [8]
On August 5, 2014, she was cast in MTV's Scream . [9] [10] [11] On July 29, 2015, the series was renewed for a second season that premiered on May 30, 2016. [12] [13] On April 26, 2017, MTV announced that Scream would undergo a reboot featuring a new cast. [14] [15]
Fitzgerald's credits in theater include works such as Couple in the Kitchen, The Private Sector, Cow Play and The Cat and the Canary . [16] [17] [18] In August 2016, she joined the cast of the film Misfortune, [19] directed by Lucky McKee and released in October 2017 under the title Blood Money. [20]
In January 2016, she was cast in the go90 web series Relationship Status. She portrayed the role of Beth in a two-episode arc. [21]
In March 2017, Fitzgerald was cast in a starring role in the Fox television pilot Behind Enemy Lines , playing Navy pilot Roxanne Daly, [22] though Fox passed on the pilot in May 2017. [23] In July 2017, Fitzgerald was cast to play Meg in the BBC miniseries Little Women based on Louisa May Alcott's novel of the same name. It premiered on Boxing Day, 2017. [24] [25] [26]
In November 2017, she was cast as the lead of E! 's pilot #Fashionvictim as Anya St. Clair. [27] In March 2018, the pilot was not commissioned to go forward with E!. [28] In December 2017, she was cast to play Kitsey Barbour in The Goldfinch based on Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name, [29] which was released on September 13, 2019. [30]
In July 2018, Fitzgerald was cast as one of the lead roles in the USA Network drama pilot Dare Me , which was picked up to series in January 2019. [30] On April 30, 2020, the series was canceled after one season. [31] In December 2018, Fitzgerald was cast in an episode of the Netflix anthology drama series, Heartstrings . [32] The series premiered on November 22, 2019. [33] In April 2019, it was announced that Fitzgerald would guest star in the sixth season of the TV Land comedy-drama series Younger . [34]
In March 2021, she was cast as officer Roscoe Conklin in the first season of the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher , [35] which premiered in February 2022. In June 2022, she was announced to star in Steven Brand's noir thriller Joe Baby. [36]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2008 | For the Love of a Dog | Vivian | |
2017 | Freak Show | Tiffany | |
Blood Money | Lynn | originally titled Misfortune [19] | |
Beach House | Emma | ||
2019 | The Goldfinch | Kitsey Barbour | |
2021 | 18½ | Connie | [37] |
2022 | Savage Salvation | Ruby Red | [38] |
2023 | Desperation Road | Maben | [39] |
Strange Darling | the Lady | [40] | |
Wildcat | Elizabeth Hardwick [41] | [42] | |
2024 | Relay | Rosetti | [43] |
Joe Baby | Heather Stanton | [36] | |
2025 | Alarum | Agent Laura |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013–2014 | Alpha House | Lola Laffer | Recurring role, 12 episodes |
2014 | The Novice | Lucy Griego | Unsold television pilot |
Blue Bloods | Lacey Sutherland | Episode: "The Bogeyman" | |
The Following | Jenny | Episode: "Betrayal" | |
Royal Pains | Emma Miller | Recurring role (season 6) | |
Untitled Wall Street Project | Tara Conklin | Unsold television pilot | |
2015 | Gotham | Grace Fairchild | Episode: "Beasts of Prey" |
2015–2016 | Scream | Emma Duval | Lead role (seasons 1–2) Nominated – Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer TV Star: Female (2015) |
2017 | Bull | Susan Bryant | Episode: "Teacher's Pet" |
Behind Enemy Lines | Roxanne Daly | Unsold television pilot | |
Little Women | Meg March | Main role | |
2018 | #Fashionvictim | Anya St. Clair | Unsold television pilot |
House of Cards | Twenty-Year-Old Claire | Episodes: "Chapter 72", "Chapter 73" | |
2019 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Ava Parcell | Episode: "Plastic" |
Younger | Audrey Colbert | Episodes: "The Unusual Suspect", "Merger, She Wrote" | |
Heartstrings | Maddie Hawkins | Episode: "J.J. Sneed" [32] | |
2019–2020 | Dare Me | Colette French | Main role |
2020 | Billions | Jill | Episode: "The Limitless Sh*t" |
2022 | Reacher | Roscoe Conklin | Season 1; Main role [44] |
2023 | The Fall of the House of Usher | Young Madeline Usher | Miniseries |
2025-Present | Pulse | Dr. Danny Simms | Season 1; Main role [45] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Relationship Status | Beth | Episodes: "The Friends", "The Good Guy" |
2016 | Scream: If I Die | Emma Duval | Episode: "One Surprise Left" [46] |
2020 | Acting for a Cause | Hamlet | Episode: "Hamlet" |
2020 | Day by Day | Narrator | Voice role; episode: "Closed Germ Loop" |
My parents were musicians when I was growing up—they were in a band for 20 years even before I was even a thought. They are both creative people and I think as a kid, it's a natural thing to rebel against what your parents are like. So for a long time, I said I wasn't going to be like that, and I went hard into just being a nerd, learning as much as I possibly could, and being good at school.