Leah McKendrick
American actress, writer, & director (born 1986/87)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leah McKendrick is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She is the writer-director of Scrambled (2023) and Voicemails for Isabelle (2026).
Leah McKendrick | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | 1986 or 1987 (age 39–40)[1] San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Chapman University |
| Occupations | Film director, screenwriter, actress |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Early life
McKendrick was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She grew up in the Richmond District and graduated from Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory.[2][3]
While studying at Chapman University she wrote, produced, directed, and acted in a number of short films and stage plays and graduated in 2008 with a BFA in theatre performance.[4]
Career
In 2014, McKendrick wrote, produced and starred in the pop musical web series Destroy the Alpha Gammas.[5] The series was critically acclaimed, and she was made a Webby Award honoree and received a Streamy Award nomination.[6][7]
In 2017, McKendrick made her feature film debut as a writer, producer, and actress with M.F.A. at its world premiere at the South by Southwest (SXSW).[8] She began writing the film in 2014.[9]
In 2019, she was hired to write Paramount’s Grease prequel, Summer Lovin', which was later cancelled.[10] In 2020, she wrote, directed and starred in the short film Pamela & Ivy, a feminist origin story for the supervillain Poison Ivy. The film premiered on Collider.[11] The film was a Webby Award honoree for best writing.[12]
In 2022, McKendrick wrote, directed and starred in the feature film Scrambled, about a broke, single 34-year-old woman that decides to freeze her eggs following a breakup. The film was based on her own experience with egg-retrieval in 2021.[13] The film premiered at South by Southwest in March 2023 and was released theatrically by Lionsgate in 2024.[14][15]
She was named one of IndieWire's "28 Rising Female Filmmakers to Watch" in 2023.[16]
In February 2023, it was announced that McKendrick was writing a legacy sequel to the 1997 slasher I Know What You Did Last Summer for Sony Pictures.[17] McKendrick received story credits for her initial script for the 2025 film.[18]
Upcoming projects
In April 2024, McKendrick was writing a holiday-comedy film, Mrs. Claus, for Netflix; the film has Jennifer Garner attached to star, and will be produced by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine.[19]
In August 2024, McKendrick was attached to write and direct an untitled monster project for Atomic Monster and Universal Pictures, with James Wan and Michael Clear attached to produce.[20]
In June 2026, McKendrick was announced to write and direct Shania, a biopic about Shania Twain for Sony Pictures.[21]
Select filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | M.F.A. | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2023 | Scrambled | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2025 | I Know What You Did Last Summer | No | Story | No |
| 2026 | Voicemails for Isabelle | Yes | Yes | No |
Actress
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Misconduct | Amy | |
| Bad Moms | Sharon | ||
| 2017 | M.F.A. | Skye | |
| 2019 | The Turkey Bowl | Brandy Best | |
| 2020 | A Nice Girl Like You | Honey Parker | |
| 2023 | Scrambled | Nellie Robinson | |
| 2025 | I Know What You Did Last Summer | Newscaster | |
| 2026 | Voicemails for Isabelle | Breeda |
