Cathcart reprised her role as Kitty Song-Covey in the Netflix spin-off series XO, Kitty (2023−present).
Early life and education
Anna Cathcart was born on June 16, 2003 in Vancouver.[4] She is of Chinese and Irish descent.[5] She has a sister, who is five years older than her.[6]
She graduated high school in 2021.[7] She described her school experience as "like having two full-time jobs at once".[8] On the set of Odd Squad, she and her castmates were tutored in two-hour blocks.[9] As of 2023,[update] Cathcart attends the University of British Columbia, majoring in sociology and creative writing.[10]
Career
Early work and Odd Squad
Cathcart stated her sister began acting before she did and, at the age of six or seven, gained a talent agent and performed in a few commercials.[11] At the age of eight, she appeared in a Crayola and Campbell's Soup commercial.[4] Cathcart stated that she has "never really been to acting classes", saying that she is inspired by performances on Disney Channel and Netflix.[12]
At the age of 12, following a hiatus,[4] Cathcart was scouted and asked to audition for the TVOKids and PBS Kids series, Odd Squad.[11] She and fellow actor Isaac Kragten were cast as Agents Olympia and Otis respectively.[9] They filmed the series for seven months in Toronto.[11][4] The first episode of season 2 "First Day" aired on 20 June 2016 on PBS Kids and 21 June 2016 on TVOKids.[13]
That same year, Cathcart reprised her role for the film spin-offOdd Squad: The Movie, marking her first theatrical appearance.[14] Cathcart won a Joey Award for her work as well as being co-nominated for another Joey Award along with her castmates.[citation needed] In November 2016, PBS ordered 20 one to three minute episodes of an Odd Squad spin-off titled OddTube. In the series, Cathcart reprised her role as Agent Olympia, the character who hosted the show.[15]
In 2017, at the age of 14, Cathcart joined the cast of the film adaption of Jenny Han's bestselling book To All the Boys I've Loved Before, in which she was to portray 11-year-old Kitty Song-Covey, the younger sister of protagonist Lara Jean.[19][20] In her audition, Cathcart sat cross-legged which the film crew felt made her "perfect for Kitty".[21] The film was released in 2018 on Netflix[22] and quickly became one of the most viewed Netflix original films.[23][24] The film received generally favourable reviews and critics praised the actors.[25] Molly Freeman of Screen Rant called Cathcart a "hilarious standout"[26] while Charlie Salek of Joker Mag called the supporting performances "crucial".[27]
In November 2018, Cathcart was cast in the Brat web-based series Zoe Valentine in which she was to portray the eponymous character.[28][29] Cathcart had not auditioned but instead was contacted about the role.[30] The first episode, which premiered on January 17, 2019, received 4.9 million views on YouTube as of November 2020.[31] Cathcart described filming as being "crazy", saying "[it was] such a blur but so much fun".[11] Cathcart starred as Zoe Valentine again in Brat film Spring Breakaway which was released on March 15, 2019, on YouTube.[32][33]Zoe Valentine was later renewed for a second season.[34] Cathcart reprised her role as Dizzy Tremaine in the third instalment of the Descendants franchise, Descendants 3 in 2019.[citation needed]
Cathcart reprised her role as Kitty Song-Covey in 2020 in To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You[35] which had been filmed from March to May 2019, the film being primarily filmed in Vancouver.[36] Released in February 2020, the film received generally mixed reviews.[37] Cathcart received praise for her performance, with The Post writing that Cathcart was one of the only members of the returning cast to bring the "same type of energy as [she] did in the first film."[38] She was nominated for the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award, allowing audiences to vote for their favourite Canadian working in film, television, or digital media.[39] In mid-2020, because of the restrictions placed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cathcart hosted a virtual series called Letters To which allowed fans to connect with their favourite authors.[40][41][42][43][44][45] Developed by Picturestart and released on Facebook Watch, Glitter Magazine wrote that the series would have "all literary fans buzzing".[46]
Cathcart played Molly in the 2021 Disney Channel Original Movie Spin.[49]Principal photography for Spin began in early October 2020 and wrapped in late November.[50] Cathcart's performance was commended by Amy Amatangelo of Paste, who called her the "generation's secret weapon" and stated that projects including her were certain to be of high quality.[51] She also voiced Dizzy in animated special Descendants: The Royal Wedding,[52] which aired after Spin.[53]
In March 2021, it was announced Cathcart would reprise her role as Kitty Song-Covey in a To All the Boys spin-off series, later revealed to be titled XO, Kitty.[54][55]TheWrap described her as "appropriately sweet",[56] while Comic Book Resources stated she "makes a confident jump to a leading role".[57]
Personal life
Cathcart supports being authentic and supports Asian representation in Hollywood: "It's so important for everyone to see someone onscreen that looks like them, no matter what they look like, who they are, or what their race is [...] No matter who you are, if you really want to follow your dreams you can, and it's not just what you look like or what your background is — anyone has the opportunity to make their dreams come true." She describes herself as an introvert.[58] Cathcart has myopia and wears glasses.[59] Cathcart strongly supports the LGBT+ community, and admires Zendaya and Michelle Obama.[60]
