Credit: First Kill
Gracie Dzienny came from a rich television background before starring in the Netflix exclusive, First Kill.
The actress got started on the Nickelodeon series Supah Ninjas, which surprisingly isn’t about a couple of ninjas from the hood. The kid’s show ran for two seasons, following three high school students – Mike Fukanaga, Owen Reynolds, and Amanda Mckay – who turn into vigilante ninjas after the death of Mike’s grandfather. Once the show was canceled, that didn’t stop Dzienny’s acting career as the actress appeared in the ABC Family drama Chasing Life as the love interest of Brenna. Two years later, Dzienny made a splash on another drama series, Zoo, and then dived into the world of superheroes with Jupiter’s Legacy. The actress also rubbed elbows with feature films as she co-starred as Tina Lark in Bumblebee; The Transformers spin-off had a stacked cast that included John Cena, Hailee Steinfeld, Martin Short, Angela Bassett, and Jorge Lendeborg Jr.
Then, the actress got her opportunity to join the Netflix exclusive. Originally a short story was written by Felicia D. Henderson and best-selling author Victoria “V.E” Schwab. The story is about Juliette, a teenage vampire who has to make her first kill place within her powerful vampire family. Her target becomes the new girl Calliope, who just so happens to be a vampire hunter who comes from an elite family of slayers. These two sound like natural enemies; however, the slayer and vampire end up falling in love, making Juliette’s journey to getting her first kill even more complicated.
First Kill. Gracie Dzienny as Elinor Fairmont in episode 105 of First Kill. Cr. Brian Douglas/Netflix © 2022
Gracie Dzienny had the prominent role of Elinor Fairmount, another vampire and sister of Juliette. The actress was very excited to be a part of the queer vampire series while discussing the show with Cherry Picks, notably explaining the overall point of the Netflix exclusive, “The show is about first love, establishing independence, and fighting for what’s right against the odds. It is truly so exciting to be a part of a show that celebrates every walk of Life. In addition, the production reflects the make-up of America. Our country is diverse, and this show represents that diversity but also manages to be funny, action-packed, and full of heart.”
Other than the fact that the queer series is an excellent representation of the LGBTQIA+ community, it also brings complex female characters to the forefront, which helps establishes the world’s point of view from a female perspective, “I enjoyed trying to make the audience root for the “bad guy,” but I don’t know if I would label her as a “villain” for the very reason you mentioned above: because she is so complex—showing a female character as more than one thing is important because it represents our experience. The women in my Life are dynamic, intelligent, talented, and can’t be summed up in one word. I love that Elinor reflects that. Her complexities make her a mystery but also show her wit and keep the audience guessing what a character with no remorse may do next.
Credit: First Kill
The Netflix series seemed destined to become another fan favorite as the show racked up 97.6 million viewership. In contrast, Heartstopper, another new Netflix series, only tracked 53.4 million hours, and the series was ultimately renewed for two more seasons. Unfortunately, First Kill didn’t have much luck as the streaming services canceled the show despite the vast viewership. The critical thing to note is that the Netflix series is a lot more expensive than Heartstopper. Another example of this is The Sandman, which has received critical and fans praise, with the show docking over 328 million hours and counting, yet the series may not get a second season as the numbers need to truly justify the high budget. As for Gracie Dzienny, the actress expressed her gratitude towards the show and thanked fans for watching along on her Twitter account. Thus far, there aren’t any IMDB projects coming up for Dzienny, but it would be shocking if First Kill were the last time we saw the actress.
Follow Us
