Biography
Date of Birth
8 December 1997, Orlando, Florida, USA
Birth Name
Kathryn Love Newton
Nickname
Kat
Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)
Mini Biography
Newton has worked opposite Golden Globe and Academy Award winning actresses Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, as Witherspoon's rebellious teenage daughter Abigail in HBO's Golden Globe and Emmy Award winning drama, Big Little Lies. In 2019, she played the female lead in Legendary's Pokemon film, Detective Pikachu, based on the titular character. Ryan Reynolds voiced the animated Pokémon, Pikachu and Netflix's The Get Down star, Justice Smith was her co-star. In 2020, Kathryn had another lead role, as a teenage girl who switches bodies with a serial killer (Vince Vaughn) in the critically praised, comedic, slasher film Freaky (2020).
Newton also starred in the BBC/PBS miniseries Little Women (2017) as the iconic character "Amy March", opposite Emily Watson and Angela Lansbury, which premiered December 2017. Newton then worked alongside Academy Award winning actress Julia Roberts and Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges in Ben Is Back (2018). The drama follow a charming, yet troubled Ben Burns (Hedges) who returns home to his unsuspecting family one fateful Christmas Eve. Newton played Ivy Burns, the 17-year-old sister, described as a beautiful singer, who loves her brother, but does not trust that he can be better. She also played Hedges' character's sister in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).
She has also played a starring role in Point Grey Pictures/Universal's comedy, Blockers, which revolves around three parents who discover their daughters' pact to lose their virginity at prom. From first-time director, Kay Cannon, the pic stars Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz and John Cena as parents who launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. In 2017, Newton could be seen in two critically acclaimed films, the Golden Globe nominated comedy Lady Bird, opposite Golden Globe nominated actress Greta Gerwig, and the Golden Globe nominated crime drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri opposite Golden Globe nominated and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand.
Previous credits for Newton include CW's Supernatural, AMC's Mad Men, AMC's Halt and Catch Fire and CBS's Bad Teacher. Other credits include CBS's Gary Unmarried and Paramount's Paranormal Activity 4 for which she won Young Artist Awards in both for her roles as daughter "Louise Brooks" and teen "Alex Nelson" respectively.
Born in South Florida, Newton began her acting career at the age of four. Newton is also an avid golfer and was recently featured in Golf Digest, which recognized her as "The Best Golfer in Hollywood."
Trivia
People's Choice Award for Gary Unmarried (2008), Best New Comedy.
Avid golf player.
She had her first role on TV's All My Children (1970), at age four.
In 2013, she played Mandy in an episode of Mad Men (2007).
She played one of Cameron Diaz's students in Bad Teacher (2011).
Graduated from Notre Dame High School in Los Angeles, California.
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Martial Arts Kid" at the WorldFest-Houston Intl. Film Festival. [2015]
Quotes
I have two poodles - I'm a poodle person.
'Supernatural' fans are amazing. The people I've met from being on that show - I think those interactions have changed my life.
I don't know if I have good style; I just know what I like.
If you have something to say, a movie is a really great medium to say it. It doesn't matter what the message is.
I've never really been a rebellious teen.
I just love to watch people get scared. It's like, 'Yes, I accomplished my goal!'
As an actor, you audition a lot for 'the girlfriend' or the 'hot girl.'
I love putting. I love to practice my short game.
You have so much freedom as an actor in your character's choices, and I really learned to take advantage of that.
I'm just so comfortable with my hard work that I'm not worried about if I didn't get a job, or I didn't get that movie, or they didn't like me. It's like, 'It's OK. I can go play golf now. Have a great day.'
I don't know whether to call myself a golfer who acts or an actor who plays golf.
I loved 'Paranormal Activity.' It was one of my favorites before. It was a tradition; my friends and I went every year.
When I got the audition for 'Big Little Lies,' I knew this project was going to be different than anything I'd ever done. That didn't change the way I approached the role.
I've never looked at acting like a job. It's never been like that.
I'm really close to my parents.
I'd say 230 yards off the tee is my average. Short game is a strength. I don't three-putt often. Actually, I'd say my mental game is probably the best. I'm very good at staying positive and focused on my game.
My generation is so motivated to tell their own stories because we have so many that need to be heard.
I wanted to be a Broadway star.
I'm a huge fan of Greta Gerwig, and working with her was also a dream come true. She was one of those directors who, when people asked me, 'Who do you wanna work with one day?' I'd say Greta Gerwig. I've always been a fan of mumblecore and her films, and so to work with her was just so much fun.
I've been really lucky that I've kind of gotten to flow from project to project, because I find it's very important that when you're on a project, you are so invested in it.
Golf is such a big commitment, and so is acting. Sometimes you have to give up something to do something else, although, when I'm working on location, I always take my clubs.
I've gone to real school my whole life.
I find that I relate to most of the characters that I play on a really personal level, just because we're the same age, we're girls, and we're growing. I can find myself in those roles, so it makes it easy to connect to. But all of them are their own person - they're all hard to understand and hard to figure out, just like I am.
I remember the first time I saw 'Frances Ha' and was like, 'This is what I want to do.'
I was on a sitcom called 'Gary Unmarried' for 37 episodes, and then I was in 'Bad Teacher' with Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake.
I play golf with my dad all the time.
Reese Witherspoon made me better. Just working with her, being with her, I learned so much. I want to be like her.
The thing I love about golf is that it's all on me. I can't blame another player, the wind, or even blame a bad round on one chunked shot. It's not subjective at all. Meanwhile, acting is very subjective. I can be the best actor and not get the job.
