By Joe Puccio

In show business, there’s a fine line between acting and overacting; between being prepared and being overprepared; between being precocious and being aloof. Child performers, perhaps unfairly, tend to be scrutinized by these traits more so than their adult counterparts. And while obstacles such as these have always been and likely always will be impediments for its junior entertainers, it certainly makes it easier to identify the ones who are able to overcome said obstacles.

Active in the industry for only six years, Miami-born prodigy Antonella Rose has quickly emerged as one of Hollywood’s budding young starlets. Having already appeared in an eclectic array of projects, including the Emmy and Golden Globe-Award winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, the whimsically comedic twist on the classic Charles Dickens tale A Christmas Carol, and 2020’s acclaimed avant-garde short Innocence, Rose has built up quite the résumé during her brief career.

Incredulously, however, it’s the horror genre that has catapulted Rose into the public eye more than any other.

A key member of the cast of the final season of AMC’s long running The Walking Dead spinoff, Fear the Walking Dead, Rose won rave reviews as eight-year-old Tracy Otto, the initially antagonistic daughter of one of the program’s leading villains, Troy (Daniel Sharman). It was a particularly heavy role, but Rose was more than up for the task. “I had watched a few episodes of the show to prepare before I got the role and had always heard such good things about it,” Rose shared, during a recent chat with Generation X Wire. “It was such an amazing experience. It was kind of surreal and I was sort of waiting to be woken up from the dream.”

The multi-layered part garnered Rose a considerable amount of fan accolades, as her character’s path on the series began as a troubled, vengeful girl seeking justice for her mother’s death. The intensity would only increase in later episodes after main protagonist Madison (Kim Dickens) kills her father before she eventually is able to understand the dire circumstances of her one-time enemy’s actions. “Being on Fear helped me a lot in my acting journey,” she exclaimed. “I’ll never forget what I learned while I was doing it.”

While Fear the Walking Dead was the introduction of Rose to fright fare, it was a decidedly more nefarious franchise that truly got her noticed. Last year’s megahit yuletide slasher Terrifier 3 saw the actress portray Gabbie Shaw, the cousin of leading lady Lauren LaVera’s Sienna. Taking part in such a graphic movie, which would become the highest-grossing unrated film of all time, proved to be an exciting challenge. “Before I accepted it, my parents spoke with me and asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it,” she explained. “I really did, and they were very supportive of me, which made it so much easier. Even my family members in Brazil went to the theater to see it when it came out and that was a nice feeling to know that.”

An extremely frightening viewing experience for most filmgoers, Rose was able to get past the fear aspect. “It wasn’t really that scary for me because I got to know everybody so well,” she noted. “I’m so happy with what Terrifier 3 has come to be – and I cannot wait for more.” Although Rose, whose character survived the bloody climax, is confirmed for the fourth installment, it’s too early for any details beyond that. “I wish I could say more about it, but Damien (Leone) is still writing it,” she conceded. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Rose was also featured in 2022’s riveting crime drama miniseries Candy, starring Jessica Biel and Melanie Lynskey, in addition to a three-episode crossover story arc on Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and Chicago P.D. this year. “I was already obsessed with first responder type shows so I felt very lucky to be part of those,” she beamed. “It was different than the other things I’d done, and I was able to see all the dynamics that went into it.”

Currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+, Rose’s latest venture is the heartwarming A Sudden Case of Christmas, a family-friendly holiday picture with Danny DeVito and Andie MacDowell. “It’s about a girl’s journey in trying to get her parents back together. There are some ups and some downs, but it has such a beautiful ending,” she smiled. “I’m really proud of that movie.”

And although the home-schooled Rose has a bright, lengthy future in front of the camera ahead of her, she doesn’t rule out working behind the scenes as well. “I love acting and the arts in general,” she articulated. “As I get older, I would love to try producing, directing, or even writing. I have so much respect for everybody who puts it all together. I’m a people watcher and I’m always watching the monitors on the set to see what everyone’s doing. It takes a small village to make a movie, and I’d love to go to college to study film and learn different perspectives.”   

The desire to try new things to blossom into a more well-rounded performer is an obvious characteristic of the mature preteen. “I usually don’t feel too much pressure in the spotlight,” she admitted. “I’ve gotten used to it by now. Something I’ve always dreamed about was being in a Tim Burton movie,” she continued. I’m open to anything as long as it challenges me. I just want to keep pushing myself.”