Jess McLeod
Jess McLeod | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 January 1997 |
| Occupations | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Television | One of Us Is Lying |
Jess McLeod (born 25 January 1997) is a Canadian actor and writer who played Janae Mathews on both series of Netflix teen television drama One of Us Is Lying and Bernie Simon in the 2023 Christmas slasher film It's a Wonderful Knife. McLeod was credited as Jessica McLeod in earlier roles, including the 2014 film Preggoland, where they played the character Liz.[1] McLeod now uses Jess as their professional name and uses they/them pronouns, having transitioned from using their earlier name Jessica in screen credits.[2]
Early life
McLeod is from Victoria, British Columbia. They attended Claremont Secondary School. At school they were a part of Claremont Musical Theatre and starred as Elle Woods in its production of the musical Legally Blonde.[3]
Career
Mcleod started as a child actor, appearing in 2006 comedy Scary Movie 4 as a schoolgirl reading My Pet Duck to Leslie Nielsen as the American president.[3] Their later acting credits include roles in Eve of Destruction, Shall We Play?, and the Van Helsing TV series. They had a role in Canadian comedy drama series You Me Her.[4]
In 2019, McLeod was cast in Peacock teen television drama One of Us Is Lying.[5] McLeod played Janae Mathews on both series of the show.[6][7]
McLeod could be seen alongside Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis in the 2021 film The Unforgivable.[8] They appeared as Bernie Simon in the 2023 film It's a Wonderful Knife.[9][10] In November 2023, they won the ACTRA Award for best performance in a short film for their role in A Little Vacation, the script for which they also co-wrote.[11][12]
Personal life
McLeod is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.[13] They are based in Vancouver.[14]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Little girl |
| 2009 | Mr. Troop Mom | Paulina |
| 2014 | Preggoland | Liz |
| 2021 | The Unforgivable | Hannah Whelan |
| 2023 | A Little Vacation | Jess |
| 2023 | It's a Wonderful Knife | Bernie Simon |
| 2025 | Normal | Alex Gunderson |
| 2025 | Akashi | Shelby |
| 2026 | Our Effed Up World | Finn |
| 2026 | Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma | Tracy |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Eve of Destruction | Ruby | Miniseries |
| 2018–2019 | You Me Her | Sasha | 12 episodes |
| 2019 | Van Helsing | Shelley | TV series |
| 2020 | Shall We Play? | Jess | TV series |
| 2021–2022 | One of Us Is Lying | Janae Matthews | 16 episodes; Peacock teen drama; both seasons |
| 2025 | The Irrational | Olivia Ellison | 1 episode |
| 2026 | The Audacity | Harper | Recurring season 1, Main season 2 |
Writing credits
| Year | Title | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | A Little Vacation | Short film | Co-wrote script |
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | UBCP/ACTRA Awards | Best Performance in a Short Film | A Little Vacation | Won |
References
- ↑ "Jess McLeod". TV Guide. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- ↑ "Jess McLeod". TV Guide. Retrieved June 20, 2026.
- 1 2 Reid, Michael D. (April 18, 2015). "Claremont grad is famous — almost". Times Colonist. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ Patterson, Denny (November 19, 2021). "'One of Us Is Lying' Star Jessica McLeod". Out Front Magazine. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ Petski, Denise (October 30, 2019). "'One Of Us Is Lying': Peacock's YA Mystery Drama Pilot Based On Book Sets Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ "One of Us Is Lying Season 2 First Look". eonline.com. September 27, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ McDaniel, Caitlynn (October 21, 2022). "S2". Gayety. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ Abdulbaki, Mae (November 10, 2021). "The Unforgivable: Cast & Character Guide". Screen Rant.
- ↑ White, James (April 27, 2023). "Freaky Writer's Next Slasher Mash-Up Is It's A Wonderful Knife". Empire. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ Karim, Anhar (November 18, 2023). "'It's A Wonderful Knife' Has Some Fun With Holiday Movie Expectations". Forbes. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ Gee, Dana (November 25, 2023). "B.C. actors celebrated at 12th annual UBCP/ACTRA Awards". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ Alexandra, Kristi (November 28, 2023). "UBCP/ACTRA names 2023 awards recipients". Playbackonline.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ↑ Bloom, Allison (October 31, 2022). ""One of Us Is Lying" Star Jess McLeod on the Queer Parallels Between Themself and Character Janae; Hopes for Another Season". glaad.org. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ↑ "One of Us is Lying's Annalisa Cochrane, Chibuikem Uche and Jess McLeod". Brief Take. October 20, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
External links
- Jess McLeod at IMDb