Summary
Brigette Lundy-Paineappeared in the 2024 psychological horrorI Saw the TV Glow, showcasing a level of acting talent they’ve been steadily building since 2015. Born on August 24, 2025, Lundy-Paine, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, was 21 when they first appeared in a professional production,Irrational Man, playing a student who didn’t know what Russian Roulette was.It was in 2017 that Lundy-Paine made their Hollywood presence felt in a big waywith three major films and a starring role inAtypical, a Netflix comedy-drama series.
Since then, the young actor has slowly been building up their resume, with each year bringing a more significant role in bigger and more notable productions in both television and film. Lundy-Paine has even thrown their hat into the ring ofthe top modern “scream queens”, considering she’s played leading women in some indie horrors as well as one surreal, surprise hit. Their career is only just beginning, but their choices so far and their willingness to perform in a variety of genres suggest a fascinating and celebrated career ahead.
I Saw The TV Glow Cast & Character Guide
The A24 psychological horror film I Saw the TV Glow revolves around two friends who spiral when their favorite show is canceled – who is in the cast?
Bombshell
Cast
Bombshell is a drama film released in 2019 that delves into the events at Fox News leading to the downfall of its CEO, Roger Ailes. The film stars Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie, portraying the women who challenged the powerful media empire’s workplace misconduct.
The 2019 biopicBombshelldepicts the accounts of three women at Fox News who set out to expose Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), the CEO of Fox News at the time, of sexual harassment. Charlize Theron plays Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson, while Margot Robbie is a fictional character, Kayla Pospisil, a composite of the various women who came forth with allegations against Ailes. Brigette Lundy-Paine has a small role as an assistant, Julia Clarke.
Julia is one of the many young female faces who populate the Fox newsroom and, though their role is small, it’s a critical one. Lundy-Paine’s character is an authentic-looking, young professional woman, the exact kind who would be working in those news offices, and perhaps the wide-eyed employee Ailes would have targeted. When Kelly talks to her team about Ailes,Julia is there as if Kelly is speaking to a younger version of herself.
9The Wilde Wedding (2017)
Lara
The Wilde Weddingis a romantic comedy film from Damian Harris that stars Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Patrick Stewart. Eve Wilde (Close) is a famed actress who is preparing for her fourth wedding, this time to Harold (Stewart). Laurence (Malkovich), Eve’s first husband, is also in attendance with his children and grandchildren, as is Harold’s extended family, leading to romance, tension, and drama between the two families, including Lara (Brigette Lundy-Paine).
It’s an ensemble film with a lot of talented actors involved, including Minnie Driver, Jack Davenport, and Noah Emmerich, andLundy-Paine manages to stand out among themas an intelligent and somewhat trouble-making granddaughter. While the film has some glaring problems with its structure, that isn’t the cast’s fault, and they makeThe Wilde Weddinga fun, if light, destinationwedding movie that is worth the time.
8Margot Vs. Lily (2016)
Margot (8 Episodes, 2016)
In either a brilliant act of native marketing or an incredibly cynical corporate incursion into art, Nike produced the eight-episode miniseriesMargot vs. Lilyin 2016, with all episodes available on YouTube.The show was an attempt by Nike to increase sales to womenand to do so, the series pits Margot (Brigette Lundy-Paine) against her step-sister Lily (Samantha Marie Ware). Party girl Margot bets she can get 1000 followers on a fitness web show faster than the introverted and health-oriented Lily can make three friends in real life.
Nike went all out with production andMargot vs. Lilylooks as good as any Netflix or network TV show of the 2010s.
Nike went all out with production andMargot vs. Lilylooks as good as any Netflix or network TV show of the 2010s.Ware and Lundy-Paine are also excellent together, with a camaraderie that makes them feel like real sisters. Lundy-Paine shows off her millennial blog poster chops during her fitness routines, which are as fun to watch as they are legitimately informative.
7Bite Size Halloween (2020-Present)
Jenny (1 Episode, 2022)
Bite Size Halloweenis a Hulu horror anthology that first premiered in 2020 and is still going strong as an annual program released around Halloween. Brigette Lundy-Paine stars in season 3, episode 2, “Ticks”. In the episode, Jenny (Lundy-Paine) is camping with their abusive partner, Hal, (Erin Markey) when a demonic presence turns Hal into a bloodthirsty monster. Jenny escapes only to find themself face-to-face with the creature, who turns Jenny into a blood-sucking monster as well.
The episode was written by non-binary writer Sam Max, who used an all-non-binary cast to play all non-binary characters in the episode.
It’s a violent and sexual episode with some deep themes about relationships and the blood-sucking nature of toxic partnerships underneath the gore and hookups.Lundy-Paine proves themself a capable horror protagonistin the episode, playing shocked, angry, and betrayed all at once. They also have two romantic scenes and Lundy-Paine’s on-screen charisma is on display in both of those sequences.
6Action Point (2018)
Four Finger Annie
Johnny Knoxville movies tend to be variationsof the slapstick, painful stunt style of filmmaking that he made famous withJackass.Action Pointis of that same flavor, a fictional film that follows D.C.’s (Knoxville) attempts to make his dangerously low-rent and out-of-control amusement park, “Action Point”, legitimate before it’s foreclosed. Brigette Lundy-Paine plays Four Finger Annie, a tough-talking, whip-smart employee at the park who’s not afraid of anything — hence the four fingers.
Action Point is based on the real-life Action Park, a real-life theme park in New Jersey that was famous for its dangerous rides and employing underaged kids.
LikeBad Grandpabefore it,Action Pointis filled withJackass-style stunts connected by a narrative. While Lundy-Paine doesn’t participate in any of the dangerous stunts, which Knoxville said caused him more injury than any film (viaVanity Fair), she still fits in very well with the tone and aesthetic of the movie. She has the look of a young adult faking it through a summer job, andshe nails the sarcasm and bubbling anger of young carnival employees.
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle is a dramatic film adaptation of Jeannette Walls' memoir, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. Released in 2017, it chronicles the unconventional upbringing of Jeannette Walls, played by Brie Larson, in a dysfunctional but vibrant family led by her charismatic yet flawed father, portrayed by Woody Harrelson. The film explores themes of poverty, family bonds, and the pursuit of stability amidst chaos.
Based on a memoir,The Glass Castleby Jeannette Walls, the same-titled film traces Jeannette’s (Brie Larson) life from childhood to adulthood. Jeannette’s parents, Rex (Woody Harrelson) and Rose (Naomi Watts) are loving but wayward guardians who take their family of four children across America, living in poverty and putting them in danger as they refuse to settle down. Brigette Lundy-Paine plays the youngest child, Maureen, in her teenage years.
While all the siblings manage to escape the squalor of their childhood, Maureen stays with their parents, even when they are living as squatters and jumping into dumpsters for food. It’s not a large part of the film, butit’s an emotional and powerful performance by Lundy-Paine. All the siblings tried to look out for one another but, as the youngest, Maureen was left behind. She is bitter and haunted, showing the lasting damage the Walls parents caused her.
Amelia’s Children
Amelia’s Children is a horror-thriller film directed by Gabriel Abrantes and released in 2024. Edward finally locates his biological mother and twin brother in the mountains of Portugal, prompting a trip there with his girlfriend, Ryley. However, the truth behind his family and why they were separated in the first place is far more sinister than either of them could have imagined.
InAmelia’s Children, a 2023 Portuguese horror comedy, Ed (Carloto Cotta) takes his wife Riley (Brigette Lundy-Paine) on an ill-advised visit to meet his biological mother, Amelia (Anabela Moreira), and Ed’s twin, Manuel (also Cotta). A pulpy and cheeky film that doesn’t always expertly balance the comedy and horror, it’s weird and unusual enough that it works. Lundy-Paine proved that they can be a fantastic horror lead whom audiences want to root for.
With Ed enamored by his newfound family, it’s only Riley who can see just how weird of a situation she and her husband have found themselves in, in the decrepit and unnerving home of Ed’s mother. Lundy-Paine balances the frights and the jokes in equal measure, better than the film itself does. Their performance isn’t groundbreaking, butit holds up an odd and twisted haunted house story mixed with a creepy family drama.
Bill and Ted Face the Music
Two would-be rockers from San Dimas, California, were once told they’d save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, but find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny. This is the third installment of theBill & Tedseries, which began withBill & Ted’s Excellent Adventurein 1989. The film lingered in development for a number of years, with the script initially being worked on in 2010. The project didn’t really start to gain steam until 2018 when stars Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter were confirmed to reprise their iconic characters.
Thethird film in the cult favoriteBill and Tedtrilogy,Bill and Ted Face the Musicfinds the eponymous pair, played by Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves respectively, once again tasked with saving the world. They are this time joined by Bill’s daughter, Thea (Samara Weaving), and Ted’s daughter, Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine). Together, the quartet must make the most amazing song ever to stop reality from collapsing in on itself.
Lundy-Paine is the perfect casting choice for Ted’s daughter, not least of which is because they happen to look a lot like a younger Reeves.
Lundy-Paine is the perfect casting choice for Ted’s daughter, not least of which is because they happen to look a lot like a younger Reeves. They are totally at home in the quirky, sarcastic universe ofBill and Ted, but Billie does not feel like a karaoke version of Ted. She’s her own character and an enjoyable addition to the cast.It’s not easy to break into a cult film with so many expectations, but Lundy-Paine makes it clear they were meant to be a part of the franchise.
Atypical
Atypical is a Netflix comedy-drama that premiered in 2017. The series centers on Sam (Keir Gilchrist), a teenager on the autism spectrum that is trying to get a girlfriend. Realizing that her son is growing more independent, Sam’s mom, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, goes on a life-changing journey of her own.
Atypicalwas Brigette Lundy-Paine’s first major acting performance. Beginning in 2017, they appeared as Casey Gardener,one of the best characters inAtypical. Casey is Sam’s (Keir Gilchrist) younger sister. She’s determined, strong-willed, and deeply protective over her autistic older brother. Casey is also a consummate athlete and very competitive, which can cause her as much grief as it does joy.
While the first season ofAtypicalwas criticized for its depictions of autism, seasons 2-4 fixed the problems, turning the series into one of the best shows that accurately and respectfully consider autism.Lundy-Paine is acting beyond their years in the show,playing both a headstrong young high school student and an exhausted and beleaguered sisterwho has to pretend she’s older than she is to protect her brother. At the same time, Casey and Sam run into all the same conflicts any pair of siblings do, leading to a complex and real characterization.
I Saw the TV Glow
I Saw the TV Glow follows teenager Owen, who navigates suburban life until introduced by classmate Maddy to a mysterious late-night TV show.
I Saw the TV Glow, by director Jane Schoenbrun, is a psychological horror-thriller that follows Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Lundy-Paine), two outcast high school students who realize they’re connected by their favorite TV show. However, this same TV show begins to take over their lives and makes them question their identities and reality itself. An ode to ’90s pop culture as much as it is a deep look at trans identity,I Saw the TV Glowhas become a surprise hit since its release at Sundance in 2024.
It’s an outstanding and star-making performance by Lundy-Paineas the cynical Maddy who is already wise to the ideas and horrors that have come out of watching her favorite TV show. They present Maddy as a powerful and brave figure, but her averted gaze suggests the pain underneath. Lundy-Paine plays off Smith in a way that isn’t romantic but still makes it clear how strong their connection is. It’s a tricky role to nail, butBrigette Lundy-Painemakes it look easy.
