She traded high school for Hollywood. At fifteen, Madison Iseman moved with her mom to LA to pursue acting. Now she’s starring in major movies like Jumanji, and most recently, Netflix’s The F$#! It List. She called us from California to talk about how YouTube helped her career, what makes her nervous, and how to fight boredom in LA.

You moved to LA at 15 to pursue acting. Tell us about that experience.
It was absolutely insane. To this day, I don’t even know how it worked out. At the time, I didn’t really feel like I was thriving where I was, and my parents wanted me to be the happiest I could be. Acting was something I had always wanted to pursue, so I found a boarding school with a film department, and we packed up all my stuff in a MINI Cooper and drove across the country… Then when I was 18, I moved to Nashville for my first job.

Was it overwhelming?
Absolutely. I had zero credit, I couldn’t get a place, I couldn’t even get my own gas bill under my name. It’s stuff like that that no one prepares you for. I had no idea what I was doing, but there was actually some good to it, because it helps you grow.

Before acting, you had a YouTube channel. Did that help you land any gigs?
I started my YouTube channel when I first moved out to LA as a way to stay busy. Most of the time you’re just auditioning a ton and being told “no.” So it was the one thing I could do for myself. And the first show I ever worked on, our Executive Producer told me that the role was between me and another girl, and they went back and forth on who should play Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter [in Still the King]. They found my YouTube channel and my song covers, and that ended up being the deciding factor, because they knew I could sing.

The last few years have been really successful for you. Between Jumanji, Annabelle, and most recently the The F$#! It List on Netflix, how has your life changed?
You know, I had a hard time really even noticing the change until COVID-19, because I had been working nonstop the past three years. I don’t think I took a break. All I ever wanted was to work, work, work, and now I’m forced to slow down, and I feel so grateful. I feel like I’ve had a really gradual career, which I am really thankful for. I don’t think I could’ve handled an overnight switch.

Are you at a point where people recognize you?
Yes and no. I feel like in my day-to-day life, I wear no makeup, I keep my hair in a bun, so if people do recognize me, it’s always at the worst time possible. I’m like, in the line at Chipotle and sunburnt, looking crazy. That’s usually how it works.

How have you been keeping busy during quarantine?
I’ve always been a reader, so I’ve been reading a ton of books. The best book I’ve read in a while is The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I’m not kidding; it’s one of my favorite books I’ve read in my life. I’ve also been writing a lot too, which is something I’ve always been scared of. But during COVID-19, I figured I might as well do it.

Are you writing a book?
I’m writing screenplays. It’s one of those things where if you’re not receiving roles and opportunities in your inbox, you might as well write them for yourself.