Danielle Macdonald | Rotten Tomatoes (2024)

Actress Danielle Macdonald rose from obscurity to film industry "It Girl" on the strength of magnetic performances in the independent features "Every Secret Thing" (2014) and "Patti Cake$" (2017). The Australian native came to the United States in 2010, where she made her screen acting debut opposite fellow Antipodean actor Joel Edgerton in a short, "The Thief" (2010), directed by actress Rachel Weisz for Glamour magazine. Guest and supporting roles on series like "Glee" (Fox, 2009-2015) led to her casting on the ABC Family comedy "Huge" (2010). Problems with her visa kept her from taking the role, but she quickly rebounded with roles in several prominent independent films, including Amy Berg's "Every Secret Thing" (2014), an adaptation of the Laura Lippman novel about a pair of teenagers (Macdonald and Dakota Fanning), arrested as children for the kidnapping and murder of a child, who are again suspects in a second abduction. Macdonald's turn as a vindictive young woman with a tragic secret won critical praise, and led to roles on television series in Australia and America, most notably the sixth season of "American Horror Story" (FX, 2011- ). Her true breakout role came the following year as the lead in "Patti Cake$" (2017). The independent drama, about a New Jersey teenager (Macdonald) who aspires to fame as a hip-hop artist, received a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival that year, while critics and attendees alike hailed Macdonald's performance was hailed as a breakout.