Why Lila From Netflix's Texas Chainsaw Massacre Looks So Familiar
Netflix's new "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film breathes new life into the iconic slasher franchise by creating a direct sequel to the original 1974 film by Tobe Hooper. In the new movie, a group of young adults and teenagers travel to Harlow, Texas, with a plan to build a new community in the small, scarcely populated town. Unfortunately for them, they instead stumble upon Leatherface, who is still kicking around decades after his original murder spree. They also meet Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré), the only survivor from the original film, who seems ready for a rematch with the cannibalistic killer (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The new "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" movie includes a cast of up-and-coming actors, including "Happy Death Day 2U" actress Sarah Yarkin and Jacob Latimore from "The Maze Runner" series. Little-known actor Mark Burnham also takes up the role of Leatherface. The film largely focuses on Yarkin's character, Melody, and her younger sister Lila, who begrudgingly follows her to Texas. Fans of recent A24 movies may recognize Lila from an important middle-school dramedy in 2018.
Elsie Fisher got her start with television guest appearances
Elsie Fisher's very first on-screen role was at just six years old, when she made a guest appearance on a 2009 episode of NBC's "Medium" (via IMDb). Fisher portrayed a younger version of Allison DuBois' (Patricia Arquette) daughter, Brigitte. Similar guest appearances followed on a 2011 episode of the CBS sitcom "Mike and Molly" and two episodes of the Fox sitcom "Raising Hope" in 2013. In film appearances, the now 18-year-old actress had roles in movies like "Vertical," "McFarland, USA," "The Axe Murders of Villisca," and "Scales: Mermaids Are Real."
In the Disney film "McFarland, USA," Fisher portrays one of cross country coach Jim White's (Kevin Costner) children. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie grossed $45 million during its theatrical run.
"He was one of the best people ever. He was really nice, and he was a great actor," Fisher said about meeting and working with Costner at the "McFarland, USA" world premiere (via YouTube).
Elsie Fisher broke out with a starring role in Eighth Grade
Elsie Fisher reached popular and critical acclaim when she starred in the instant A24 classic "Eighth Grade," written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham (via IMDb).
In "Eighth Grade," Fisher plays Kayla Day, a shy eighth grade student who struggles to make friends at school, relies on social media for self-confidence, and struggles to connect with her father Mark (Josh Hamilton) as middle school winds down and high school approaches. Fisher was 14 when she filmed "Eighth Grade," which helped her genuinely capture the film's authenticity — something she told the Associated Press she was looking for when she discovered Burnham's script.
Burnham rained down praise on Fisher's performance in "Eighth Grade" throughout press tours, constantly saying she was the perfect choice for the part. According to The Independent, Burnham noted that the movie's depiction of social media usage changed from Facebook to Instagram after Fisher told him "no one uses Facebook anymore."
"Every other kid felt like a confident kid pretending to be shy," Burnham said about Fisher's audition process (via the AP). "[Elsie] felt like a shy kid pretending to be confident. That's the whole magic of it."
Fisher received widespread critical acclaim for her acting in "Eighth Grade," including a Golden Globe nomination (via the LA Times).
Elsie Fisher played Annie Wilkes' daughter in Castle Rock
Since "Eighth Grade," Elsie Fisher's best-known role came in Season 2 of "Castle Rock" on Hulu. In "Castle Rock," which is loosely based on Stephen King's connected literary universe, Fisher portrays Joy Wilkes, the daughter of infamous nurse antagonist Annie Wilkes from "Misery." Fisher's plot line in the anthology season follows her and Annie's sudden arrival in Castle Rock and Joy's gradual realization that she is not Annie's real daughter; she's actually Annie's half-sister, but Annie killed her father in a fit of rage and kidnapped his younger, infant daughter (via the Stephen King Wiki).
Fisher spoke fondly about her experience working on a Stephen King project in a 2019 interview with Collider, and said she was drawn to the project since her father read her stories like "The Mist" and "The Langoliers" before going to bed growing up. At the time, she expressed some uncertainty about her acting future — in 2019, she was still only 16 years old, and told Collider she didn't feel an incredible need to find a new role immediately just to keep working.
"It's so hard looking for a project, after the one that you've finished because you feel such a connection to them and you feel like they can never be topped," she said.