Jenna Kanell
Jenna Kanell | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 12, 1991 Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2010–present |
Jenna Kanell (born November 12, 1991) is an American actress, director, writer and stunt performer. She gained recognition for her portrayals of Tara Heyes in Terrifier (2016) and Kim Hansen in The Bye Bye Man (2017)—both horror films in which she performed her own stunt work. Her film career has since expanded to a variety of genres such as the political drama The Front Runner (2018), the horror-comedy Renfield (2023), and the action comedy Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024).
On television, Kanell has made appearances on shows such as the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision (2021) and the Showtime anthology series The First Lady (2022).
Early life[edit]
Kanell was born on November 12, 1991 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Career[edit]
Jenna Kanell delivered a TEDx Talk on the experience of writing, directing, and producing the short film “Bumblebees” alongside her disabled younger brother Vance Kanell.[1] The project went on to screen at over forty film festivals and events around the world, winning numerous awards and bringing the siblings to speak at institutions such as Harvard Medical School.[2][3][4][5][6]
Kanell gained recognition for her portrayal of Tara Heyes in Damien Leone's slasher film Terrifier (2016)—which obtained a cult following after its Netflix debut. Kanell later had a supporting role as Kim Hansen in Stacy Title's horror film The Bye Bye Man (2017), which received negative reviews. However, her performance was well-received; Variety wrote, "...the one who, all too briefly, steals the movie: Jenna Kanell."[7] Both performances garnered comparisons to Neve Campbell's portrayals in The Craft (1996) and Scream (1996).[8][9]
She has since starred in several significant short films, including "Max & the Monster", a dark comedy short film she wrote, directed, and produced which premiered on the opening night of the 2018 Austin Film Festival,[10][11] and Ben Joyner’s sci-fi short film “Abducted”, which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival.[12] A Voice for the Innocent, a resource for survivors of abuse, incorporated the former film into their training at the time of release.[13]
After her appearance in Marvel’s WandaVision in 2021, Looper spotlighted her in an article titled “Why The Med Tech In WandaVision Looks So Familiar”, calling her an “up-and-coming triple-threat...and general cinematic jack of all trades.”[14]
Personal life[edit]
Jenna Kanell is a third generation American of Ashkenazi descent, with roots tracing back through Eastern Europe.
She openly identifies as a queer, gender non-conforming female,[15] and uses she/her and they/them pronouns.[16] She has expressed socialist political views and has said that her moral compass is guided by ecofeminism. She’s practiced strict veganism for years, citing environmental racism, animal welfare, and bodily health as the prime motivators.[17][18][19][20]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sassy Pants | Anna | |
| 2016 | Terrifier | Tara Heyes, stunt performer | |
| 2017 | The Bye Bye Man | Kim, stunt performer | |
| 2018 | The Front Runner | Ginny Terzano | |
| 2022 | Faceless After Dark | Bowie, writer, producer | |
| 2022 | Terrifier 2 | Tara Heyes[a] | Cameo |
| 2023 | Renfield | Carol, stunt performer | |
| 2024 | Red One | TBA | |
| 2024 | Bad Boys: Ride or Die | Nicole |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Episode(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Drop Dead Diva | Nina Dunn | season 3, episode 5 |
| 2014 | The Vampire Diaries | Jessie | season 6, episode 1 |
| 2017 | Shots Fired | Cara | season 1, episode 3 |
| 2017 | NCIS: New Orleans | Laura Dawson | season 4, episode 5 |
| 2019 | Step Up: High Water | Director | season 2, episode 3 |
| 2019 | Hot Date | Erin | season 2, episode 3 |
| 2020 | The Resident | Safety Coordinator | season 3, episode 11 |
| 2020 | Your Worst Nightmare | Joi Partain | season 6, episode 2 |
| 2021 | WandaVision | Med Tech | season 1, episode 5 |
| 2022 | Queens | Patti | season 1, episode 3 |
| 2022 | The First Lady | Activist | season 1, episode 6 |
| 2022 | Young Rock | Jamie | season 2, episodes 4 and 11 |
| 2022 | Tales | Rebecca, stunt performer | season 3, episode 9 |
Music videos[edit]
- "This Is Our Life" by Des Rocs
- "These Days" by Highly Suspect.
Works cited[edit]
- Hafdahl, Meg (February 8, 2020). The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films. Skyhorse. ISBN 978-1510751-76-7.
Notes[edit]
- ^ Kanell is credited in this film as "Tara" although she only makes a cameo appearance through a photograph.
References[edit]
- ^ Greenleaf, Vicki (April 5, 2018). "Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Asks the Entertainment Industry to Help Change the Way We Define & View Disability". PR Newswire. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Jenna Kanell". Alliance of Women Directors. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ "Easterseals' Disability Film Challenge Aims to Help an Overlooked Industry Group". 21 April 2017.
- ^ "Kanell, Jenna | International Early Childhood Inclusion Institute".
- ^ "Winners of the Disability Film Challenge, Jenna Kanell and Katy Tulka – Welcome to World Woman Foundation".
- ^ "Jenna Kanell's schedule for STEMIEFest2020".
- ^ Glelberman, Owen (January 12, 2017). "Film Review: 'The Bye Bye Man'". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Jeffrey. "Film Review:Terrifier Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Jeffrey (January 20, 2017). "'Bye Bye Man' is spooky but fun". GoErie.com. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "'The Front Runner' Set as Austin Film Festival's Closing-Night Film". 12 September 2018.
- ^ "2018 Austin Film Festival: Jenna Kanell | MAX & THE MONSTER". YouTube.
- ^ "Abducted | 2021 Tribeca Festival".
- ^ "Discussing Max & the Monster". Spotify. 15 May 2020.
- ^ "Why the Med Tech in WandaVision Looks So Familiar". 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview w/ Actress Jenna Kanell | Terrifier by the Silver Screen Scream Show".
- ^ "Jenna Kanell(@squidthusiast) • Instagram photos and videos". November 19, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
- ^ "Jenna Kanell talks Horror Movies, Quarantine, Writing & Directing, Fan Tattoos". YouTube.
- ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know about Jenna Kanell". 10 February 2021.
- ^ "Meet Jenna Kanell | Actor, Stunt Performer, & Filmmaker". 22 April 2021.
- ^ "Flick Connection Podcast #24 w/ Jenna Kanell (Actress & filmmaker)". YouTube.
External links[edit]
- Jenna Kanell at IMDb