Lauren LaVera
Lauren LaVera | |
|---|---|
 LaVera in 2022 | |
| Born | |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2016–present |
| Website | laurenlavera |
Lauren LaVera (born June 14[1]) is an American actress, stunt performer and martial artist. She is primarily known for being the leading actress in several horror films, which has led to her being called a "scream queen" by both critics and audiences. LaVera has received accolades for her performances, such as a Fangoria Chainsaw Award.
One of LaVera's first film projects was being Anya Taylor-Joy's stunt double in the psychological thriller Split (2016). She followed this with small acting parts in television series including Netflix's Iron Fist (2017) and various short films before her breakthrough role as the resourceful heroine Sienna Shaw in Damien Leone's slasher films Terrifier 2 (2022) and the upcoming Terrifier 3 (2024)—both installments in the Terrifier franchise.
Early life[edit]
LaVera was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At some point, she studied in Italy and became fluent in Italian.[2]
Career[edit]
LaVera started her career as an actress and stuntwoman as a double or in bit parts with appearances in Split (2016), Wetlands (2017), and Iron Fist (2017).
LaVera's first leading role was as Sienna Shaw, a teenage girl that battles the supernatural serial killer Art the Clown in the 2022 slasher film Terrifier 2, alongside David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullnam, Sarah Voight, Kailey Hyman, Casey Hartnett, and Samantha Scaffidi.[3] The film was well-received by critics, with praise directed at LaVera's performance. IGN's review said that LaVera "rules as Sienna in her angel-winged fantasy armor as a final girl fighting for family, facing her demons, and screaming bloody war cries in Art's mocking face,"[4] while Matthew Jackson of Paste wrote that "LaVera, tasked with injecting humanity into the sequel, lives up to this task with pure star power."[5] LaVera will reprise her role as Sienna in Terrifier 3.[6][7][8]
LaVera appeared in the mob film Not for Nothing, released in October 2022.[9] In December 2022, LaVera was cast as Alessa, a pregnant woman whose antagonizing father disapproves of her relationship with her husband, in Joe Lam's 2023 horror film The Fetus, opposite Julian Curtis and Bill Moseley.[10][11]
In February 2023, Bloody Disgusting reported that LaVera would star as Lisa Gray in the supernatural thriller film The Well, directed by Federico Zampaglione.[12] She presented the film at its U.K. premiere at FrightFest in 2024.[13]
In 2023, LaVera appeared as a guest judge on the fifth season of Shudder's reality competition series The Boulet Brothers' Dragula.[14]
In 2024, LaVera appeared in a guest starring role in two season 4 episodes of Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Personal life[edit]
LaVera married her husband in 2014.[15] They met while she was travelling in Europe.[13]
LaVera is proficient in Taekwondo, Kun Khmer and Wushu.[16]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Split | Casey Cooke | Anya Taylor-Joy stunt double[17][13] |
| 2017 | Wetlands | "Buttercup" / Pusher | |
| 2019 | Clinton Road | Kayla | |
| 2022 | Terrifier 2 | Sienna Shaw | |
| Not For Nothing | Kelly | ||
| 2024 | The Fetus | Alessa | |
| The Well | Lisa Gray | [12] | |
| Terrifier 3 | Sienna Shaw | [18] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Iron Fist | Ciara | Episode: "Black Tiger Steals Heart" |
| 2020 | MacGyver | Player | Episode: "Soccer + Desi + Merchant + Titan" |
| Dispatches from Elsewhere | Barista | Episodes: "Peter", "The Boy" | |
| A Taste of Christmas | Ariella Cancio | Television film | |
| 2024 | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Heidi Morris | Episodes: "Beyond the Sea", "Original Sin" |
Accolades[edit]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | The Editor's Eyeball Award | Terrifier 2 | Won | [19] |
References[edit]
- ^ "Lauren LaVera". Twitter. Archived from the original on June 14, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
- ^ "Home". Lauren LaVera. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (June 30, 2022). "Genre Streamer Screambox & Bloody Disgusting Acquire "Ultra Gory" Slasher Movie 'Terrifier 2'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 30, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ Donato, Matt (September 23, 2022). "Terrifier 2". IGN. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Jackson, Matthew (October 4, 2022). "Terrifier 2 Review". Paste. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Jacobs, Eammon (February 2, 2023). "'Terrifier' director Damien Leone teases 'Terrifier 3' and a potential 4th film, and says he's met with 'Evil Dead' director Sam Raimi about a new project". Insider. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (May 31, 2023). "'Terrifier 3': Details Revealed For Bigger Budget Threequel After Second Film's Box Office Breakout". Deadline. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Miska, Brad (May 31, 2023). "'Terrifier 3' Is Officially Happening and Will Continue to Push Boundaries!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Bolton, Cameron (October 24, 2022). "Not for Nothing Tells a South Philly Story With Authentic Characters and Locations". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Dan (October 25, 2022). "Jeremy Rudd Joins Horror Film The Fetus as Associate Producer and Cast Member". E!. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
- ^ "Lauren LaVera, Bill Moseley, Julian Curtis and Jeremy Rudd in New Horror movie 'The Fetus'". The Hollywood Reporter. December 1, 2022. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Miska, Brad (February 16, 2023). "'Terrifier 2' Star Lauren LaVera Paints 'The Well' [Exclusive]". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c Didcock, Barry (February 28, 2024). "'I love Fleabag. The main character is hilarious but also flawed yet redeemable'". The Herald. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ Brothers, Boulet (December 4, 2023). "A new episode of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula airs tonight with superstar guest judges David Dastmalchian and Terrifier star @_LaurenLaVera_ - tune in at 9PM PST / 12AM ET on Shudder and AMC+!". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ^ LaVera, Lauren [@_LaurenLaVera_] (June 22, 2023). "For 9.5 years now. ❤️ We got married very young. Didn't even have a ceremony because we couldn't afford it. We got our marriage license at city hall. I was wearing sweatpants. We celebrated at starbucks. 🥰" (Tweet). Retrieved May 23, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Spelling, Ian (November 3, 2022). "Terrifier 2 is the unrated horror hit that's shocking audiences". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on November 8, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- ^ Lauren LaVera [@_LaurenLaVera_] (February 16, 2023). "Posted this TBT back on Feb 16th 2017 of when I doubled Anya Taylor-Joy in Split. This was before I even started acting but was my first onset experience & to get this reminder today after announcing my 2nd leading role in a feature film… idk ya'll I'm so grateful I could cry 🥹" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Squires, John (November 2, 2023). "'Terrifier 3' Will Slay Christmas in Theaters on October 25, 2024!". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ Gilchrist, Todd (January 27, 2023). "Jordan Peele's 'Nope,' Ti West's 'Pearl' Lead Fangoria's Chainsaw Award Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2023.