Mckenna Grace is well known for her almost lifelong acting career, but her angelic voice is just one other trait that desires attention. Just like herself, the songs she has released are candid, relatable and heartfelt. Mxdwn had the absolute honor of interviewing Grace, full of life and laughs, a multitalented beacon of light. She has acted alongside some of the most renowned people in the industry and now has been able to portray her own stories through music. At the young age of 16, she hopes Bad Seed Returns is just the starting point for her writing and producing career. There is surely so much more Mckenna Grace the world will get to experience and however that ends up playing out will be wondrous.

mxdwn: Hi, my name is Eve Pierpont and I’m a writer and editor for mixdown’s music feature section. I’m here today with the incredibly talented actor and musician, Mckenna Grace. Hi Mckenna.

Mckenna Grace: Hello!

mxdwn: With acting, you are portraying someone else’s story, but with music you are portraying your own. How does that feel? What kind of experiences do you draw from when writing lyrics?

MG: It’s scary and fun. It’s very therapeutic, but it’s interesting to put my little stories and parts of myself out there versus these parts of other people’s stories, because it’s so beautiful to be able to tell someone else’s story, but it’s kind of crazy, like putting my own out. {laughs}

mxdwn: Definitely, I’m sure. So, “Haunted House” was not originally written for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, correct? But it is used for the closing credits. Were you expecting that song to be incorporated into the movie at all?

MG: Oh, no. I had written it like a year before the film came out and I wrote it based off of some events that had happened in my life. You know, it’s fun because it sounds like a breakup song, but it’s not like a romantic breakup for me. So, it’s nice to be able to write something that can be interpreted so many different ways. It was weird because it ended up working perfectly with Ghostbusters, right? With the plot and everything. I was like, well, Jason, would you like to direct this music video—Jason Reitman our director of Ghostbusters. I was like, do you want to direct my music video? And he was like, oh, I’m insanely busy. I would love to, but, I can’t. I was like, oh, that’s all good. You know, you’re Jason Reitman, thank you for listening to my song. Then he comes back and he is like, this is really cool. Can I put it maybe—you know, if you’re fine with it—can I put it in the credits of the film? And I was like, yeah I think maybe I’d be fine with it. It’s like, yeah, I guess. Yeah, totally. {laughs}

mxdwn: That’s awesome. Yeah, it definitely worked well. Sometimes we forget that even with a remarkable career like yours that people in the public eye go through the same things the general public does. What do you have to say to your fans who relate to “do all my friends hate me?”

MG: All your friends probably don’t hate you {laughs}. It’s just, you know, we all have that insecurity. Well, is it normal? I don’t know. I think it’s pretty normal, but I don’t know. You’re loved, you’re loved, I’m sorry that you feel that way. It’s a really, really crappy feeling and I hate feeling it, but I hope that maybe my song helps you a little bit. I hope that you have a little ounce of hope that you make it out the other side.

mxdwn: That’s awesome. Yes, great advice. Can you give me an insight into the story behind “Post Party Trauma” and when the breaking point came that the song portrays?

MG: Well, the funny thing is, I’m gonna tell you a little secret, is that I’ve never actually been to a party party. I’ve never been invited to a high school party or house party or anything like that. For me, it’s more of just going to events for acting or music things. And I had gone to a bunch of those in one week, I went to about three of them which is crazy for me. I’m like, whoa, McKenna’s party life is kind of going up {laughs}. So, I was just really nervous because usually I’m one of the younger people there, and there’s just all of these crazy cool, beautiful people, all these musicians and actors. And I’m like, oh my God, I just don’t belong here. I don’t know why I’m in a room full of super cool people, because I just, I’m not that {laughs}, I’m just not that. So, I just got super freaked out and I cried every night and I was like, I just don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t belong here. I just felt like the biggest loser ever. So I was like, well, you know, I’m going to write a song about it because songwriting is my therapy {laughs}. I figured a lot of people could relate with that. So, I decided to write a song about it.

mxdwn: Definitely. Yes. That’s a great song and you’re definitely not a loser. Do you write all your music yourself, or do you work with songwriters and producers? And if so, who have you collaborated with?

MG: I write all my music myself, but with other people because I find that, I write a lot by myself, but it’s nice to have someone else there to tell you that idea is eeeh or that idea is really good. Or maybe we could add this in here. So, it’s just a really nice collaborative process. But “Post Party Trauma” was, oh my gosh, it’s so bad because I don’t know their last names, but I was working with Lowell, that’s what she goes by is Lowell, Elizabeth Boland. She’s such a talented writer. Then Hrag, what’s his last name? I don’t even know, but I work with both of them like 24/7. And then there are also other wonderful writers, Rachel Kanner and Cody Tarpley that I work with a lot for “do all my friends hate me?” and “You Ruined Nirvana.” I worked with Lowell and Hgar a lot and then Lily Kincade, a beautiful writer and a wonderful musician. She has a Spotify thing, so people should listen to Lily Kincade, and Nathaniel Motte. I’m trying to rack my brain for all the people that I’ve worked with so far that I’ve released music with, because they’re just all so talented, but those are like my main people who I love so much.

mxdwn: Awe. That’s awesome. Then speaking of “You Ruined Nirvana,” have you always been a Nirvana fan?

MG: Yeah, I’m a really big music person. I think that music is just such a big part of my life and just every part of it, even with acting, I always listen to music to get into character. So, I just listen to a ton of different types of music, but Nirvana’s always had a little place in my heart because my dad, just the other night I’m working on a film right now and just the other night I was riding home with the director and the producer of our film, and we all started talking about Nirvana and then we turned on, I don’t even know what it’s called, it’s like “In The Pines” or something. I think that that’s them covering that song, I have no clue, but I just know that song. I started getting teary because my dad used to play that on the guitar for me whenever I was little. So, it’s just special to me. I don’t know. My dad would always play Nirvana on the guitar. So, sometimes I hear little songs and I’m like, oh, my dad used to play this for me. But yeah, I’m a big Nirvana fan.

mxdwn: Awesome. What’s your favorite song by Nirvana?

MG: I don’t know. You know, like I said the little “In The Pines” thing held a little special place in my heart. I think I really like “All Apologies” right now. “All Apologies” is really good. I really like, um, I’m having to rack my brain right now because I’m having total brain farts because I’ve been on a total different side of music recently. I’ve been listening to a lot of TV Girl and Big Thief, so I’m on a total different place. I really like “All Apologies,” “Heart Shaped Box” is a classic, you know, I’ve gotta reference it. And “In The Pines,” that holds a little special place in my heart. I don’t know why I’m having a total brain fart thinking of any song names right now. I feel like such a poser {laughs}. I’m like, I listen to Nirvana all the time, but I can’t think of any of my favorite songs {laughs}. I’m just like, where am I?

mxdwn: Do not worry. It happens to all of us. {laughs}

MG: What’s going on? {laughs}

mxdwn: So, a sequel was announced for Ghostbusters: Afterlife. What adventures will Phoebe and her friends take on next?

MG: I have no clue. I’m constantly drilling Mr. Jason. I’m like, so when am I gonna get a script? I haven’t gotten a script yet, I have no inkling of the story. All I know is I’m trying to beg Mr. Jason not to make me cut my hair up to here again. I’m like, please look, it’s so long, but I genuinely have no clue. It’s not even one of those little actor things where it’s like, oh my God, I can’t tell you, it’s just such a little secret. But it’s like, no, no idea. I wish I knew. I’m constantly messaging him, so hopefully I’ll know soon.

mxdwn: Yes, hopefully. As someone working in Hollywood for the past 10 years, how does it feel to work side-by-side with titans of the industry like Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray and Chris Evans. What have you learned from them?

MG: It’s really crazy. It’s like I said, I feel like the biggest loser and like I’m not a cool person. So, I’m standing next to these people and I’m like, how am I here in this room right now? How did I end up here? It’s just, I don’t know. I have such a passion for what I do and I really, really love acting and music. So, it’s just so weird to be able to stand next to these incredible icons that I’ve been watching or listening to for my entire life. It’s so strange, especially to just have a conversation with these people and be like, Hey, I don’t know if you know, but I’ve only been on this world for like 16 years, but I have literally been watching you every year of those. It’s just so weird. Just being able to watch them act and interact with directors, or just do anything is such a learning process because I’m just standing there watching and I’m like, whoa, they’re so cool. Look at them act, how quickly they get into character. Look at that joker improv that they just did, that’s just so natural. It’s really cool to watch people be in their natural element like that.

mxdwn: Oh, I’m sure it’s very surreal. You have a filmography that rivals a lot of other actors, even at the age of 16. What was it like having your childhood take place on film and television sets? Were there things you appreciated about it? Things you didn’t?

MG: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, there’s a give and take with everything. I personally, I always wanted to do acting and my parents, I’m lucky to be one of the child actors that really chose this path, and my parents are always saying, like every other week, if you don’t want to be doing this, you don’t have to, we can just stop. You can take a break and I’m like, I’m not having this conversation. I’m fine. I don’t wanna stop. I love being here. This is everything I’ve ever wanted. Honestly, I feel bad. I feel like my mom always comes with me to every set and I’m like, oh geez, she needs a break because I love to go, go, go constantly and then I burn out and then I take a week or two and then I’m like, okay, when are we doing the next thing? {laughs}.

I just, I love to constantly be going, but I think it’s a beautiful and a weird thing. For me, it’s strange, you know, I post things or I put out a TikTok and people are like, I swear you were just nine. And I’m like, I haven’t been nine for seven years {laughs}. You know, I haven’t been nine since I was nine. It’s been a long time, so it’s weird because I feel like people don’t entirely have a concept of time whenever a lot of the stuff that I’ve done has been whenever I was so young, and then with COVID there was a long break and now I’m a teenager {laughs}. It’s like, whoa, when did this happen? And I’m like, whoa, when did this happen? So it’s been interesting. I really love it.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten a lot more of an appreciation for acting and the beauty of film and storytelling. I really want to move into directing and producing and writing and all sorts of things. It’s been crazy. It’s been beautiful. It’s been nice. I love it. And there’s just so many firsts that I’ve had that have been captured on camera. You know, it’s strange to be able to say, that was the first time I ever did that and now it’s in a film. So, that’s just weird and cool.

mxdwn: That’s awesome. I’m so glad to hear you have that support behind you. So, your film credits go all the way back to 2013 with the film Goodbye World. What’s it like to remember that time and think about where your career is taking you now? Was a music career always the plan? Do you feel like acting will take a back seat to music in the future?

MG: Over COVID I really got into music because acting, it all kind of slowed down for a while for everybody. I had been in the middle of shooting Handmaid’s Tale and then all of a sudden, the world shut down and I didn’t do anything for eight months, which was crazy because like I said, I usually like to go, go, go, go, go, and constantly be doing something. So, I was just like, what do I do with myself? {laughs} Like, what do I do with myself? So I started learning more instruments. I always have a ukulele on me. I love playing music, but no, I never thought that I would be a musician. I never thought that I’d really release music, but now that I’m doing it, it seems like it’s always been a part of my life, even though it hasn’t. It’s really cool and special and I love getting to release music.

But no, I never really thought that I would. And over COVID I really did start thinking like, wow, I love this. What if I do kind of want to just become a musician? I adore this and then I finally got back onto set and I was like, oh, well, this is why I love acting {laughs}. You know, it was every day I was doing music and I was like, wow, I honestly am like, this might be my main thing. But then I was like, oh yeah, this is why I act, I love being here so much. There’s nothing I love more than being on a set, but I will love to always continue to make music.

mxdwn: Awesome. Yeah, your voice is so great. Thank you for coming out with the songs that you did. Were there greater challenges to your role in the The Bad Seed Returns compared to other roles? What makes this movie special?

MG: Well, it was really special because my dad and I wrote the script and I got to produce it, and I’ve been producing projects for a long time, but this is the first one that I’ve produced that has actually come out so far. So, that’s really special, that was really cool to be able to be on the other side of things as a producer and as a writer. It was really cool to get my first taste of that and to be able to be like, well, I want to be doing this a lot more, this is so cool. I think it was challenging to come back to that character after like four years and to try to get back into it. It was special and it was cool and I’m really glad that I got to have that experience.

mxdwn: Great. Good. What was your approach to the material in the Handmaid’s Tale given the timing of its airing? Would it have been different if reality wasn’t imitating art? What do you think is our fascination with the dystopian genre in fiction?

MG: I think that approaching Handmaid’s Tale, I had never seen it before and I joined the show in 2020 I think, early 2020, before COVID happened and a lot of stuff has happened since then. It’s crazy to watch the show become ever so increasingly relevant, which is scary and crazy, but I’m honored to be a part of something like it.

mxdwn: Yes, definitely. How has your craft changed when it comes to television in the streaming era? Clearly the show you’re on is a success in that realm, but has the way you prepared or approach acting been affected by this new TV landscape?

MG: I don’t know. I’d have to think back because thinking about it, I don’t really know. I think that there’s been a lot of things that have changed in acting, especially with the streaming era, but I find that that’s been most of when I’ve been a part of acting, at least that I can really remember and really think about. I’ve been doing this since I was so young, so there’s a lot of parts that I’m like, oh, I remember shooting on that, but not necessarily the world or the behind the scenes or really truly understanding the film world, which now I do.

It’s definitely strange to watch and to see just how influential—I find more that social media is really strange to watch for me—how influential it has become over television and film. It’s definitely crazy but preparing for a film, I haven’t really changed much. I think that I’m just kind of growing as a person and as an actor and hopefully growing more into becoming a better actor as I get older. But I don’t know, not that I can distinctly think of. I mean, everything kind of changed after Stranger Things, but besides that I’ve seen differences, but it hasn’t really changed how I’ve tried to perform.

mxdwn: Definitely. I would agree that social media, it is crazy how it plays a role in just the acting, TV and movie world. Do you prefer movies in their set piece of work formulation or do you prefer the extra time and space that an episodic show allows for in terms of bringing a character to light?

MG: Well, over the summer was my first time doing an episodic thing. I was shooting from late April to about three weeks ago and that was the longest project I’d done in a while. It was really cool to be able to think about how I was acting on the first episode and then how much of a growth that I had, not only as a character, but as a person because I was looking back and I was like, whoa, I’ve learned so much from my co-stars and about acting since I’ve been here. I wish that I could go back and redo the stuff that I did in episode one. I came in like halfway through the season, but like episode five or something like that versus nine, I wish that I could go back and redo it, but I think it’ll be interesting to see just how much of a story or arc that I had.

It’s definitely two very different worlds and I’ve been doing film mainly for a while now, and I am definitely open to doing more stuff like that. It was really beautiful to be able to see and be a part of, but I don’t know if I prefer one over the other. I just really love doing stories that I care about. Honestly, that’s always been my thing is that’s why I think that the streaming process or social media hasn’t really impacted the way I prepare for a role because I’ve never really done this for money or something that I would hope would be like massive. I just really love doing stories that I like or stories that matter, you know?

mxdwn: That’s awesome. Some actors don’t enjoy watching themselves on screen. Would you say you feel similarly?

MG: It depends. I really like to watch what I do. I always watch it at least once at like the premiere or whenever it first comes out, sometimes for press tours or if you have multiple premieres, then you end up watching that film like 15 times and then you’re like, oh my God, I’m so sick of watching my performance. Please, I can’t watch this anymore, and then you start nitpicking it. So, I think that it’s nice to watch it at least once just to see what I did, but there’s a few things that I was really excited to see. I was super excited to see Ghostbusters and Handmaid’s Tale and I’m so excited to see what I shot over the summer because I feel like I learned so much. Also, oh my God, that story was so crazy. I need to watch this. So, there are things that I get super excited to see. Then there are others where I’m like, oh God, I feel like I did not do well in that. I don’t wanna watch it. But then, you know, I usually always watch everything at least once.

mxdwn: Yeah. I feel like you have to. What shows are you enjoying the most right now?

MG: Hmm, I haven’t had much time to watch a lot of TV or film lately. Uh, what shows have I been watching? I mean, everybody’s watching Stranger Things right now. I feel like I don’t even need to say that I was watching the newest season, {laughs} but I really, really enjoyed Yellow Jackets and Severance. I thought that those shows were so good. I just loved them. I watched White Lotus with my mom and thought that it was really sick. And then I got to work with Jake Lacy over the summer and I was losing my mind because he’s so cool. I feel like lately I’ve been so, so busy that I haven’t had a lot of time to watch TV or film. I just watch like YouTube at the end of the day, whenever I come home, I just watch a mindless YouTube video just to be like okay, I’m detoxing from the long work day and now I’m chilling and now I’m going to go to bed or I write, I’ve been writing a lot of scripts. So, I’ll watch like YouTube or cooking shows at the end of the night just to kind of detox and chill out.

mxdwn: Those are definitely good choices for like relaxing. Alright, well thank you so much for doing this interview. It has been a pleasure and I hope you have a great rest of your day and good luck with everything you deserve it.

MG: Thank you.