Kiernan Brennan Shipka was born on November 10, 1999 in Chicago, Illinois. From an early age, Kiernan expressed an interest in performance and entertainment. When she was just six years old, her family relocated to Los Angeles to support her passions and talent.
In 2007 at age seven, Kiernan obtained her first acting job print modeling for Disney. Later that year, she booked her first national commercial for PrintPaks.com. Though only on screens briefly, this marked the start of her acting career.
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Breakout Role on Mad Men
Kiernan’s big break came in 2007 when she was cast as Sally Draper on the hit AMC drama series Mad Men. As the daughter of lead characters Don and Betty Draper, Kiernan’s Sally was a key part of the show. Despite her young age, she brought impressive range and complexity to the often challenging role.
Over Mad Men’s seven season run, Kiernan literally grew up on screen. The show earned widespread acclaim as a123456 revolution of prestige television, and Kiernan’s performance was often singled out by critics. Below is a table highlighting some key milestones during her time on the landmark show:
| Year | Kiernan’s Age | Sally Draper Milestones |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 7 years old | Cast as Sally Draper inMad Menpilot |
| 2008 | 8 years old | First appeared as series regular in Season 2 |
| 2009 | 9 years old | Storylines revolved around Sally’s innocence |
| 2010 | 10 years old | Big season as her parents divorced |
| 2011 | 11 years old | Sally begins growing more rebellious |
| 2012 | 12 years old | Key focus on Sally’s teen struggles |
| 2014 | 14 years old | Final episodes center Sally’s coming-of-age |
By the end of Mad Men’s run, Kiernan had spent nearly half her life playing Sally Draper. Though the show ended, her future as an actress burning bright.
Expanding Her Repertoire with New Roles
Fresh off the success of Mad Men, Kiernan used her visibility to expand her repertoire into film and other television projects. Her talent and experience continued opening new doors.
Challenging Film Roles
In 2015’s One & Two, Kiernan played Eva, a daughter struggling on an isolated farm with her sick brother. To inhabit Eva’s emotional inner life, Kiernan had to draw on skills far beyond her years. Critics praised her stirring performance, establishing her range beyond Sally Draper. Kiernan followed this with 2017’s The Blackcoat’s Daughter, delving into the dark psyche of a troubled Catholic schoolgirl. Despite smaller budgets, these films demonstrated Kiernan’s fearlessness in difficult roles.
Quirky Characters on Television
Kiernan also embraced quirkier roles on the small screen. She voiced the lead character of B.D. on Netflix’s animated comedy BoJack Horseman. As a thoughtful Vietnamese-American third-grader, the role showed Kiernan’s talent with voice work. On the live-action show Feud, she played Bette Davis’ popular daughter B.D. Hyman. These offbeat television parts displayed Kiernan’s versatility playing very different young women with precision.
Ominous Turn as Sabrina Spellman
Kiernan’s next signature television role focused on the occult world of witchcraft. In 2018, she was cast as the lead of Netflix’s dark Sabrina the Teenage Witch adaptation, called The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. As a half-witch, half-mortal, Kiernan’s Sabrina Spellman struggles balancing her normal life and paranormal legacy, facing down sinister threats.
While the show contours elements of a conventional teen drama, Kiernan’s performance traces Sabrina’s darker edges and creeping horror. She stands out creating an iconic contemporary version of the classic character. The show quickly became a popular Netflix hit, and Kiernan’s Sabrina leaves a haunting impression.
Post-SabrinaProjects
Since Sabrina ended in 2022 after four seasons, Kiernan has continued working on film and television. She had a voice cameo in adult animated comedy Human Resources and joined Dakota Johnson in the film Madame Web, an upcoming Marvel and Sony blockbuster set in the Spider-Man universe. While further details remain under wraps, these projects suggest Kiernan retains her passion for performance and exploring uncharted creative territory.
Acclaim and Recognition
Beyond her obvious talents on screen, Kiernan earns enormous praise for her professionalism, relatability, and maturity handling the pressures of childhood stardom. Despite growing up in the public eye, she maintains a friendly, down-to-earth demeanor.
For her compelling role on Mad Men, Kiernan received multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the show’s ensemble cast. She also earned individual nominations from the Critics Choice Television Awards and Young Artist Awards.
As she transitions into adult roles, Kiernan continues accumulating accolades. Sabrina earned Kiernan a People’s Choice Award in 2019 for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actress. More recently, she received the Rising Star Award from the San Diego International Film Festival.
While still early in her career, Kiernan establishes herself as one of the most talented, grounded, and respected young actresses working today.
Balancing Stardom and Regular Life
Through the demands of growing up under Hollywood’s spotlight, Kiernan displays wisdom beyond her years staying remarkably grounded. She emphasizes the importance of friends, family, education, and outside passions in finding balance despite enormous fame.
Perspective from Support Systems
Kiernan credits her extremely close relationship with her parents, Erin and John, for providing perspective on celebrity. Her mother travels with her to sets for emotional support, while her father maintains a regular job outside entertainment to model a grounded life. Even at the height of her early Mad Men fame, her parents kept Kiernan’s schedule full of normal childhood activities alongside acting gigs.
She also stays tight-knit with friends from before her acting days who treat her no differently. By surrounding herself with people who knew her before stardom, Kiernan gets the chance to just be a regular teen or young adult.
Life Outside Set
Kiernan received a strong academic education despite her acting commitments. She graduated high school in 2017 before attending New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
Education remains paramount for Kiernan along with interests like fashion writing. She runs a lifestyle website exploring subjects outside of performing. Through diverse passions and avoiding Hollywood’s party scene, Kiernan constructs an identity not defined solely by acting.
Using Fame as a Platform
While downplaying attention on herself, Kiernan leverages her platform for good causes. She partners with organizations supporting children’s health and positive body image. After contending with potential eating disorders facing youth pressure in entertainment, Kiernan wants to promote self-acceptance.
As a public figure, she models using fame as a force for change rather than chasing celebrity for its own sake. Even through immense success at a young age, Kiernan conveys wisdom and perspective well beyond her years.
Looking Ahead
Only in her early 20s, Kiernan Shipka maintains incredible promise as she charts the next phases of her career. With her combination of prodigious acting talent and steady, well-grounded mindset, expectations run high for the future.
Potential Upcoming Roles
Kiernan already begins branching into more mature, complex woman roles in independent films like 2021’s Wildflower. Many anticipate her making a thrilling transition into similarly dark, sophisticated projects. With horror experience from Sabrina, fans would delight seeing Kiernan in this genre.
Her creative instincts and intelligence also make her an intriguing fit for enlightened directors pursuing psychologically rich female stories. As Kiernan evolves into adult subject matter, her talents suggest she could craft an esteemed career as a muse for avant-garde, female-focused films if she desires.
Behind the Camera Duties
Given her life experience in entertainment from such a young age, Kiernan may also gravitate toward influential creative roles behind the camera. With a deep understanding of cinema and television, she expresses potential interest in directing, screenwriting, or producing.
Kiernan’s passion for representing women’s voices could yield powerfully refreshing stories highlighting dimensions of womanhood rarely granted younger male creatives. Having grown up on sets for over fifteen years surrounded by acclaimed television and film visionaries, Kiernan soaked up enough knowledge to make a successful pivot behind the scenes.
Whatever her method of creative expression, Kiernan Shipka’s special spark looks poised to capture audience imagination for years to come. After evolving before viewers’ eyes from a child into a young woman, her artistic journey remains rich with possibility.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kiernan Shipka’s Child Acting Career
What was Kiernan Shipka’s first acting job?
Kiernan’s first acting job was print modeling for Disney in 2007 when she was just 7 years old. Later that year she got her first national commercial for PrintPaks.com which aired on television.
How old was Kiernan Shipka when she landed her role on Mad Men?
Kiernan was only 7 years old when she was cast as Sally Draper in the pilot episode of Mad Men, which premiered in 2007. She continued playing the role of Don and Betty Draper’s daughter for the show’s entire seven season run on AMC.
What other child actors were on Mad Men?
As one of the few child characters with significant screen time, Kiernan took on a central role. Other child actors who appeared on Mad Men included Kiernan’s on-screen siblings Bobby Draper (played by several young actors) and Baby Gene Draper.
Was Kiernan Shipka actually smoking on Mad Men?
No – due to her young age, Kiernan was not actually smoking tobacco cigarettes while filming Mad Men. Prop cigarettes with harmless herbs were likely used to avoid health and safety issues for underage actors.
Did Kiernan Shipka struggle with fame as a kid?
By all accounts, Kiernan has stayed remarkably grounded despite growing up on television. She credits her close family and friends outside show business with providing normalcy. Though aware of acting pressures, Kiernan focused early on living a well-rounded childhood besides fame.
What will Kiernan Shipka do next?
Kiernan Shipka projects in development include a voice role in Netflix’s adult animation Human Resources and a key part alongside Dakota Johnson in upcoming comic book film Madame Web. Details remain limited, but Shipka looks positioned to keep shining in film, TV, and perhaps even behind the camera in writing or directing. Her future holds enormous promise!
