Maika Monroe as Erica Penn

Maika Monroe has clearly demonstrated her promise as a young actress with the ability to easily cross between genres with her rising international appeal. Her riveting performances proved successful when she was named one of Variety’s “10 Actors to Watch” for 2015 after her breakout role in David Robert Mitchell’s It Follows. 

Monroe will next star in the coming-of-age story Hot Summer Nights, opposite Timothée Chalamet, as Makayla, a Cape Cod 90’s summer dream girl with a dark side. An original Black List script, Hot Summer Nights was released by A24 theatrically in July 2018 after premiering at the 2017 SXSW film festival.

Later this year, Monroe will star in Hannah Marks’ directorial debut After Everything, opposite Jeremy Allen White. After Everything premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival and is a coming-of-age film about a young woman who falls in love with a boy diagnosed with cancer. 

Continuing her desire to diversify her career with interesting projects, Maika signed on earlier this year to star in the comedic thriller Villains, opposite Bill Skarsgård. She recently wrapped filming on Honey Boy opposite Lucas Hedges and Shia LeBeouf, and will next begin filming The Education of Frederick Fitzell this summer opposite Dylan O’Brien, for director Christopher MacBride.

In 2017, Monroe starred in the drama The Scent of Rain and Lighting, which followed the story of a young woman who learned her parent’s killer has been released from jail. She also co-starred in IFC’s adaptation of Joy Nicholson’s young adult novel The Tribes of Palos Verdes alongside Jennifer Garner, was seen in SPC’s Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House opposite Liam Neeson and Diane Lane, and appeared in the indie drama I’m Not Here, opposite J.K. Simmons and Mandy Moore. Additionally, she starred in the sci-fi drama Bokeh, opposite Matt O’Leary.  

Monroe’s other notable credits include her role in Roland Emmerich’s 2016 film Independence Day: Resurgence as Patricia Whitmore, the daughter of the President of the United States and Liam Hemsworth’s love interest. That same year she played “Ringer” in Sony’s film adaptation of Rick Yancey’s novel The 5th Wave, opposite Chloe Grace Moretz and Liev Schreiber. This followed her breakout leading role in the horror film It Follows, which was nominated for a 2016 Critics Choice Award for Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie. Prior, she starred in the psychological thriller The Guest, which made its debut at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and went on to screen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.  

She first exploded onto the scene in 2012 in the drama At Any Price, starring opposite Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid. Set in an Iowa farming community, the film debuted to rave reviews at the Venice, Toronto, and Telluride Film Festivals. Among its kudos, The Hollywood Reporter noted the limited roles for women in rural communities “examined with intelligence through subtle work from...lovely newcomer Maika Monroe as [Efron’s] girlfriend Cadence.” Following this success, she was featured opposite Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet in the drama Labor Day, written and directed by Jason Reitman.

In addition to her blossoming film career, the Santa Barbara, California native was also one of the top-ranked female kite boarders in the world. She has competed on a global level for a half-dozen years and took second place at the 2012 Red Bull International Big Air Style competition. With acting taking up most of her time these days, Monroe strives to keep one foot in Hollywood and one in the sand.