Mckenna Grace's Musical Debut Was Thanks To Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Mckenna Grace's career in the entertainment field is more wide and varied than most adults' careers. The actress has seen appearances in major movies and TV shows for a decade now, including starring as the younger versions of characters from "I, Tonya," "Captain Marvel," "Scoob!" and "Malignant." But she has also carved out her own stardom, taking on major roles in productions such as "Gifted," "Annabelle Come Home," "The Young and the Restless," and "The Haunting of Hill House." She even made history as the first child actor to receive an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actress appearance in "The Handmaid's Tale." And even that barely scratches the surface of the many recognizable projects that Grace has been (via IMDb).
One of her biggest roles yet, however, came in 2021 with the release of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." In the film, which acts as a direct follow-up to 1989's "Ghostbusters II," Grace plays Phoebe Spengler, the granddaughter of late Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis). The romp proved to be a positive experience for Grace, an admitted "Ghostbusters" fan (via Variety), not only because of her opportunity to play with a proton pack but also because the film allowed the actress to branch out to a new creative endeavor.
Grace's personal struggles influenced the song Haunted House
Mckenna Grace truly gave it her all in the lead role of the awkward yet lovable Phoebe Spengler in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." And even after such an exuberant performance, the actress still had more to offer.
The end credits of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" features the song "Haunted House" which was written and performed by Grace in her debut single. She also released the official music video for the song on November 18, 2021, to coincide with the release of "Afterlife" that same weekend. The passionate pop tune was created by Grace to express the difficult feelings she was experiencing in her life up to that point, and she told ET Online, "Over the pandemic I went through a rough time in my personal life, and I wanted to write a song about how even after someone's not in your life anymore, their memory never really leaves you ... You could take it as a breakup song, but it could also be about a friend or a family member or any kind of relationship that's ended." While the song wasn't initially written for the film, upon hearing it, director Jason Reitman pushed to have it featured in the closing credits.
Reitman, who took the franchise reigns from his late father Ivan Reitman, had nothing but great things to say about working with Grace, describing her in a behind-the-scenes featurette as " ... exceptionally smart and very thoughtful and very funny. Perfect for Phoebe."