Jess McLeod
Canadian actor
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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]
Jess McLeod | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 January 1997 |
| Occupations | Actor, writer |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Television | One of Us Is Lying |
Early and personal 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] McLeod is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns.[4] They are based in Vancouver.[5]
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.[6]
In 2019, McLeod was cast in Peacock teen television drama One of Us Is Lying.[7] McLeod played Janae Mathews on both series of the show.[8][9]
McLeod could be seen alongside Sandra Bullock and Viola Davis in the 2021 film The Unforgivable.[10] They appeared as Bernie Simon in the 2023 film It's a Wonderful Knife.[11][12] 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.[13][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 |
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 |