Rise to Fame
A 13-year-old showing up to an open call for the Coen Brothers in a homemade 1800s costume was a gamble. It worked. She reportedly beat out over 15,000 actors for the lead in True Grit and earned an Oscar nomination at 14, making her one of the youngest nominees in that category. The performance made her the real discovery of 2010. The music career followed a few years later, when a singing role in Pitch Perfect 2 landed her a Republic Records deal. The debut single hit #30 on the Hot 100 before anyone had a chance to dismiss her as just another actress-turned-singer.
In the Spotlight
Kevin Feige cast her as Kate Bishop in Hawkeye without an audition, which should tell you something about her standing in Hollywood by 2021. She's held a multi-project MCU deal since, voiced characters in both Spider-Verse and Arcane, and kept the music career alive on the side. The 2025-2026 period added another layer: she married Bills quarterback Josh Allen in May, announced a pregnancy in December, and had to skip the 2026 Oscars while Sinners (which she appeared in) won four awards that night. Michael B. Jordan acknowledged her absence from the stage.
Side Notes
That True Grit audition wasn't luck, it was tactics. She'd figured out early how to find ways into rooms without doors. Years later, instead of announcing her pregnancy on Instagram, she dropped it through her personal newsletter, Beau Society, a format she controls completely. She's been in the business since childhood but never went through the typical child star breakdown. The closest she's come to tabloid drama is marrying a reigning NFL MVP.