Publications
Introduced to audiences as Charlotte in Still the King, Madison Iseman (24) has avoided what many young stars dread – being typecast as the girl with a rebellious streak who is coming of age.
Instead, the petite actress from South Carolina has slowly been making a name for herself in Tinseltown with well-chosen roles in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Annabelle Comes Home and now, Prime Video’s I Know What You Did Last Summer.
The latter is an adaptation of the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan and the 1997 film of the same name, about four teens whose high school graduation partying takes a deadly turn when they kill someone in a car crash.
The victim is one of twin sisters, Allison and Lennon, who are both portrayed by Madison.
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Playing twins is something Madison has always wanted to do but it wasn’t an easy job.
“It was just a very drawn-out process because you have to switch and change hair and makeup halfway through the day. But as far as making them their own separate people, that’s always been my favourite part of the job in making backgrounds and histories for these characters and living through them.”
The road to stardom hasn’t been easy for Madison who moved to Los Angeles at 16 to become an actress.
She landed a few guest appearances on hit shows like Modern Family before landing the role of Bethany Walker in Jumani: Welcome to the Jungle, which she credits with changing her life and starting a trend of her being part of projects that are fresh takes on stories told before.
Remaking beloved films like I Know What You Did Last Summer doesn’t intimidate Madison who describes the new series as a fresh take.
“I was a big fan of the original movie from the 90s . . . our story is very character driven. I loved how layered and complex all the characters were, and really, it’s more than just a bunch of teens running away from a killer. Everyone has a secret, everyone’s guilty, and no one’s really innocent.”
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The actress is delighted to be living her childhood dream of acting in horror films.
“Since I was a young girl, I’ve always kind of been fascinated by it. My friends and I, when we were younger, would make little, short films around the neighbourhood, and they were always scary.
“I think I’ve just always loved the fact that horror movies don’t have any boundaries. There are no rules; you can do whatever you want. And I love movie magic, so maybe that’s why I like them so much.”
Madison, who has avoided becoming tabloid fodder, is also a talented musician who regularly posted covers of her favourite songs on her YouTube channel when she was growing up.
However, while her star is rising she has no plans to leave acting and follow her musician boyfriend, Spencer Sutherland, and record an album. They have dated since 2015 and she regularly posts loved-up pics of them on Instagram.
The publicity-shy star, who describes herself as a fitness-junkie, says her mother is her biggest inspiration.
When she’s not on the big screen, Madison works with charities and aid organisations.
“I try to stay involved as much as I possibly can, especially with things that are super-current, like everything that was happening with Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma.
“One of the charities I've worked with since I was 15 is a smaller charity called Start With One in Kenya. I have travelled with them to Africa before I moved to LA, when I was in South Carolina I went with my church.
“They’re just a great organisation. They install water filters into people's campsites and homes so they can have access to clean water. I’ve stayed in touch with them throughout the years and try to help out as much as I can.”
Sources: newindiaexpress.com, stylecaster.com, eonline.com, comingsoon.net, ibtimes.co.in, collider.com, variety.com, crookesmagazine.com, dailymail.co.uk, tvovermind.com, glittermagazine.co, lucamagazine.com, deadline.com, rue-morgue.com
