Warm, bubbly, conversational, smart, humorous, and friendly; these are not traits you would generally associate with all Hollywood stars: this is what makes Catherine Daddario (Cat) extra-ordinary. In a world where celebrities live sheltered lives and go to every extent to hide away from their fans, New York’s rising star has gone out to show a more human side of Hollywood. Whether you want to become a voice actress, film actor, there’s a lot to learn from this lady jack of all trades.
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Who’s Catherine Daddario?
Born on Dec. 19, 1992, Catherine is one of the most promising young female actors in Hollywood, a model, and a social media personality. She was a success in films such as Stronger than Pretty, Wilde Eastern, and Entertainment Tonight at an early age. These films helped her create a buzz of interest around her.
Her father, Richard Daddario, is a lawyer while her mother, Christina Daddario, is a lawyer who served as a prosecutor during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s tenure. She is also an ex-head of the NYPD counter-terrorism department.
Catherine graduated from Hunter College, a constituent school of the University of New York in 2015. She has a degree in Linguistics, English, and Rhetoric.
Since her early childhood, the rising star had an interest in acting, dancing, and music. She also took part in school and community plays, ballet classes, and drama. These activities molded her acting career later in life.
Catherine is following her sibling’s footsteps into acting. Her brother Matthew Daddario has featured in TV series, including Shadowhunters and Cabin Fever (2016).
Her sister Alexandra Daddario has films and TV series such as film and TV shows like; Baywatch (2017), San Andreas (2015), and True Detective to her name. With such big names in her family, it seems Catherine’s work has her work already cut out.
Catherine Daddario in Film
While she is yet to become a household name in Hollywood, her different roles in big movies have already increased her stock. Some of her notable parts are in the following TV series and films:
1. Entertainment Tonight (ET)
This is an American syndicated entertainment television newsmagazine which has been running since 1981. CBS Television Distribution distributes the show throughout the country with hosts presenting updates from the film and entertainment industry.
ET has become the go-to source of the latest news from Hollywood. Among others in the cast were the hosts Nancy O’Dell and Kevin Frazier and Catherine Daddario as herself; in Episode #36.211, Cat featured as herself.
2. Lake Artifact
Directed by Bruce Wemple, this 2019 Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi film 2019 revolves around friends Kip (Chris Cimperman), Megan (Anna Shields), Grace (Catharine Daddario) and Thomas (Thomas Brazzle) on going for a weekend getaway to a cabin in Upstate New York for a three day weekend. They pick up a drifter on the way.
On arrival, weird stuff starts happening. The group finds a photo of themselves in a cabin they have never been to before. Time and space begin to function without any reason, and the friends start turning against each other.
Catherine Daddario stars as Grace, a role that helps her showcase her talents in acting.
3. The Whole Truth with Sunny Hosting
This is a six-episode documentary series that shows Hostin traveling across the country to find the truth behind the nation’s most notorious homicides. One of the episodes in 2019 revolves around Jason Michael Balcom convicted of raping, killing pregnant newlywed in 1988. He had a litany of other crimes among them raping Theresa Hughes on Sept. 2, 1988. Catherine plays Theresa Hughes.
4. Alia’s Birth
An indie LGBTQ drama by Sam Abbas that will feature Poorna Jagannathan and Nikohl Boosheri and Catharine Daddario. It revolves around a rocky relationship between a female couple, forcing them to spend the night apart. Cat plays Kelly in the drama.
5. Donna
Directed by Jaret Martino, this is a film about a young mother whose “American Dream” turns into a living nightmare. That’s until she discovers her inner strength and listens to her voice. Cat plays Sybil in the movie. It touches on domestic violence and women’s empowerment.
6. Wilde Eastern
A 2017 investigative drama in which private eye William Wilde digs further in the disappearance of Scarlet Redd. Scarlet is the wife of Beau Redd, a jealous, prominent businessman. The action revolves around Montauk Manor, a local hotel with a dark history. It is also Scarlet’s last seen location. It was Catherine Daddario’s breakout role as Scarlet Redd.
Catherine Daddario in Her Own Words
While most Hollywood stars are reserved and rarely interact with their fans, Cat has done several interviews touching on almost everything from her aspirations to her auditioning routine.
Here are some tidbits gleaned from some of the most recent interviews:
1. How does she audition?
Cat says she takes notes on the specific character to fully understand them and assess whether the role will be suitable for her skill-set. She then memorizes her notes to immerse herself in the act. That way, she can stand out and beat other auditioning actors.
2. Which role inspires her?
Fully fleshed out female characters work great according to Cat. Even if it’s not the leading role, a supporting actor with a backstory can be a fantastic start. She says she’s spunky and looks for characters with similar qualities.
3. Roles that Catherine Daddario would have loved to play?
Cat says Rachel Bloom in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend comes to mind. Plus, the fact that she’s so good at it makes it visible she was a perfect choice. Others include the voices in BoJack Horseman, where the likes of Eva Longoria and Issa Rae lend their voices to one of the most popular animated series on TV right now. There’s also Evan Rachel Wood in Westworld, and the list goes on.
4. How does she audition?
Cat says she takes notes on the specific character to fully understand them and assess whether the role will be suitable for her skill-set. She then memorizes her notes to immerse herself in the act. That way, she can stand out and beat other auditioning actors.
5. Which role inspires her?
Fully fleshed out female characters work great according to Cat. Even if it’s not the leading role, a supporting actor with a backstory can be a fantastic start. She says she’s spunky and looks for characters with similar qualities.
6. Any favorite roles she ever played?
Like most actors, Catherine Daddario is not ready to pick any role from her many works. She, however, says her comedic role in a production of Chekhov’s The Bear was one of her best.
7. Daddario’s Favorite movie growing up?
Like every kid, Cat had a favorite movie. Maybe it is responsible for inspiring her into acting. She says animations are her thing and cites Spirited Away, Mulan, in addition to older flicks such as How to Marry a Millionaire and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.
The New Yorker’s influences include film greats such as Marilyn Monroe, Carey Grant, and Katherine Hepburn. Cat gets her inspiration from the older movies and also hints that other actors do the same.
8. Her favorite actors/actresses today?
Reese Witherspoon is Cat’s favorite actor in modern times. The 2001 American comedy film, Legally Blonde, where Witherspoon starred as Elle Woods was an eye-opener for her. The beautiful actress says she watched the movie several times in the theatre, highlighting the impact the actor has on her.
She also includes Westworld, VEEP, Jane the Virgin, Barry, and Ozark in her favorite shows, which have seen her fall in love with Gina Rodriguez, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Bateman, Thandie Newton, and Bill Hader.
9. Favorite TV series and movies of all time?
In addition to Legally Blonde, Cat adds Goodfellas and Moonlight to her favorite movie list. She says most of Scorsese’s works have a significant impact on her due to the impeccable directing and acting.
10. Any thoughts of Her moving to LA as most rising stars do?
Of course, every movie star wants a piece of Los Angeles. Cat says it has crossed her mind severally. For now, however, the 27-year beauty is firmly grounded in New York, where her family and friend are.
11. What else apart from acting fills her time?
Catherine has started modeling following her sister’s, Alexandria, path. She argues that such activity helps gain confidence in front of the cameras. It is a path many successful female actors have taken on their rise to stardom.
12. How did Catherine come to like acting?
It all started back in her childhood as a kid struggling with speech apraxia. Speaking was a problem, and the bubbly child had to show her listeners what she wanted using actions. This led her to the theatre and, eventually, a repertory company. After several shows, Cat says she knew that’s what she wanted to do.
13. Advice to aspiring actors?
It’s simple according to Cat; don’t quit. Even without an office or any clear path, you’ve to show up for the job by doing something to push forward. She tells anyone pursuing an acting career to take time to practice by reading plays, well-written scripts, submitting projects, recording videos of those practices, and always learning from mistakes.
Facts fans don’t Know About Catherine Daddario
It’s hard not to fall in love with this bubbly rising star in her roles on film and TV plus also in her interviews. Like most actors, her bio reveals many things. However, as an ardent fan, you might want to know even more. Here are some of those things you might not know about Catherine Daddario:
1. Her Net Worth
Despite Cat not starring in a blockbuster yet, her net worth is around $500,000.
2. A model in the making
Cat started working with ‘The Only Agency’ in 2015 as an assistant. The agency is a fashion, beauty, branding, and talent management firm.
3. Globe-Trotter
When not working, Cat leads a lavish lifestyle globetrotting with friends. For instance, in February 2019, she was in with her friends Tokyo, Japan.
4. Granddaughter of Former Congressman
She is the granddaughter of American politician Emilio Q. Daddario, a Democrat who was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
5. Beauty And Brains
She is Alma Matter of Hunter College, a constituent college of the City University of New York, graduating with a degree in English, Linguistics, and Rhetoric. She, therefore, represents a small clique of highly educated actors and actresses on Hollywood.
6. Her Love Life
Cat is always in the company of Jeremy Cohen, and through their photos and videos shared on social media, the chemistry is apparent.
7. Rising Social Media Star
Since joining Instagram in 2009, she has amassed 57.4K followers. Cat is also on Twitter and has more than 13.3k followers.
8. Catherine Daddario, The Activist
Catherine was involved in a campaign for a fundraiser to build schools in Haiti. She quoted Arthur C. Clarke for her campaign, “The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.”
Final Thoughts
For a rising star in Hollywood, there’s so much to learn about Catherine Daddario. She might not have starred in any blockbuster movie, yet the stars seem to be aligning for her. More importantly, she’s an inspiration for millions of young people who would like to go into acting. Given all this, you have to admire her dedication, focus, and warm character.
