Jenna Kanell is an American actress, director, writer, and stunt performer. She gained recognition for her portrayals of Tara Heyes inTerrifier (2016) and Kim Hines inThe Bye Bye Man (2017)—bothhorror films in which she performed her ownstunt work. Her film career has since expanded to a variety ofgenres such as thepolitical dramaThe Front Runner (2018), thehorror-comedyRenfield (2023), and theaction comedyBad Boys: Ride or Die (2024).

On television, Kanell has made appearances on shows such as theDisney+miniseriesWandaVision (2021) and theShowtimeanthology seriesThe First Lady (2022).

Jenna Kanell delivered aTEDx Talk on the experience of writing, directing, and producing the short film “Bumblebees” alongside her disabled younger brother Vance Kanell.^[1] The project went on to screen at over forty film festivals and events around the world, winning numerous awards and bringing the siblings to speak at institutions such as Harvard Medical School.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Kanell gained recognition for her portrayal of Tara Heyes inDamien Leone'sslasher filmTerrifier (2016)—which obtained acult following after itsNetflix debut. Kanell later had a supporting role as Kim Hines inStacy Title'shorror filmThe Bye Bye Man (2017), which received negative reviews. However, her performance was well-received;Variety wrote, "...the one who, all too briefly, steals the movie: Jenna Kanell."^[7] Both performances garnered comparisons toNeve Campbell's portrayals inThe Craft (1996) andScream (1996).^[8][9]

She has since starred in several significant short films, including "Max & the Monster", a dark comedy short film she wrote, directed, and produced which premiered on the opening night of the 2018 Austin Film Festival,^[10][11] and Ben Joyner’s sci-fi short film “Abducted”, which premiered at the 2021Tribeca Film Festival.^[12] A Voice for the Innocent, a resource for survivors of abuse, incorporated the former film into their training at the time of release.^[13]

After her appearance in Marvel’sWandaVision in 2021, Looper spotlighted her in an article titled “Why The Med Tech In WandaVision Looks So Familiar”, calling her an “up-and-coming triple-threat...and general cinematic jack of all trades.”^[14]

She has expressedsocialist political views and has said that her moral compass is guided byecofeminism. Jenna has practiced strictveganism for years, citingenvironmental racism,animal welfare, and bodily health as the prime motivators.^{[15][16][17][18]}

• "This Is Our Life" byDes Rocs
• "These Days" byHighly Suspect
• "Superbloom" bySilent Planet

• Hafdahl, Meg (February 8, 2020).The Science of Women in Horror: The Special Effects, Stunts, and True Stories Behind Your Favorite Fright Films. Skyhorse.ISBN 978-1510751-76-7.

• Jenna Kanell atIMDb

• 21st-century American actresses
• Living people
• American women film directors
• 21st-century American screenwriters
• American women screenwriters
• American stunt performers
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• American queer actresses
• Ecofeminists
• American socialists

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles with hCards
• Place of birth missing (living people)
• Year of birth missing (living people)