Young Misty On Yellowjackets Got Her Start As A Child Actor

Showtime’s Yellowjackets is about a group of high school girls from New Jersey left to fend for themselves in the Canadian wilderness after surviving a plane crash. The series features flashback scenes of the girls as teens and adults in the present day with a cast of familiar faces, including Juliette Lewis, Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, and Ella Purnell. Also included in the cast is Sammi Hanratty, who plays the teen version of group outsider Misty Quigley, who’s gaining tons of praise for her “bonkers amazing” acting.

It makes sense that Hanratty’s turning heads as Misty in the coming-of-age horror series — she’s had years of practice honing her acting skills since childhood in shows such as Drake & Josh and Passions. If Hanratty’s name and face weren’t familiar in years past, they will be now, thanks to her Yellowjackets role. Here are a few more things to know about the star.

Hanratty Was A Child Actor

Before starring as “the most unhinged character on TV,” Hanratty flexed her acting talent as a kid. Looking back on her roots as a child actor, she told TooFab in 2018 just how naive she was about the potential pitfalls she avoided because of her parents’ guidance. “I don’t think I realized as a kid, you know, what was really going on. But my mom has been by my side this entire time. She’s just always been there and very protective over me,” she said.

“I’ve seen sketchy things. I’ve seen things happen in this industry, and I’ve always wondered, ‘Oh, where’s that person’s parent?’ I was never put into this industry. I chose this industry, and I wanted it. I love it. But my mom and my dad, like when I first started out... they were extremely skeptical.”

Starring In Shameless Was A “Huge Deal” For Hanratty

Hanratty earned roles as a child actor in popular Disney and Nickelodeon shows such as That’s So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, iCarly, and Shake It Up. Her resume grew as she did with parts in Salem, The Vampire Diaries, and How To Get Away With Murder. But snagging the role of Carl Gallagher’s wife Kassidi in Shameless was a gamechanger for the accomplished star. “This was a huge deal to me,” she told The Hollywood Reporter,” adding, “When I found out I got this show, I was literally sobbing and so happy. It’s just really cool to be able to be on a show that I love so much.”

Hanratty was also “super impressed” with then co-star Emmy Rossum’s skills as an actor and director. “She was kind of running all around, but she was fantastic and really great,” Hanratty said of Rossum.

Hanratty and Christina Ricci Are Similar In Several Ways

Hanratty and Ricci both play Misty as a teen and adult, respectively, in Yellowjackets. Besides playing the same character in different stages of her life, both former child actors have a few other things in common. In an interview with Brief Take, Hanratty said both she and Ricci have similar mannerisms. “Even just the way that we talk, it’s really cool to see come to life on the screen. It’s really surreal.” And in a feature for Interview magazine, they revealed their moms were initially against them acting at an early age.

Hanratty Is Happily Engaged

Hanratty and her boyfriend Christian DeAnda announced their engagement news on social media on Nov. 21. Both shared a photo gallery on their Instagram accounts of the moment when DeAnda popped the question to Hanratty and what happened after. Next to her pictures, Hanratty wrote, “So... I’m going to marry the love of my life! I said YESSSSS and cried for hours [heart emoji]. cheers to the future Mr and Mrs DeAnda.” Celebrities including Vanessa Hudgens, Lacey Chabert, Shameless’ Cameron Monaghan, and Yellowjacket co-stars Lynskey, Lewis, Liv Hewson, Courtney Eaton, and Lewis also sent their best wishes.

Hanratty’s Post-Yellowjackets Role Is TBD

From the looks of Hanratty’s IMDB profile, her first post-Yellowjackets role is currently unknown. For now, “that girl you hated on that one show you love” is taking fans on her Yellowjackets journey with her exciting on-set selfies. Still, she’s ready to take on a variety of roles. “I’ve been so lucky and blessed in my career to play so many different types of people, and my hope is that I never stick to just one type of person, that I get to play everybody at some point,” she told Brief Take. “That’s the whole point. I get to play pretend for a living.”