GN: You’ve built a career that moves between acting, dance, and digital storytelling. At what point did you realize performance was more than just a passion for you, it was something you wanted to dedicate your life to?

KJ: I knew at four years old that I wanted to be an actor. I was the cliché theater kid who was on stage every chance she got. Growing up in the small island town of Key Largo, Florida, there weren’t many serious acting opportunities, so I poured all of my energy into dance. I never planned to pursue dance professionally it was a placeholder until I was old enough to move to Los Angeles and start my acting career.

GN: Your upcoming film Corporate Retreat brings together an incredible cast including Odeya Rush, Alan Ruck, and Sasha Lane. What drew you to the project, and what can audiences expect from your character?

KJ: I’m a massive horror fan, being in one has been a dream since I was a kid. I used to watch movies with my mom and say, “I’ll play the dead girl! I don’t even need lines!”

When I first auditioned for Corporate Retreat, I was cast in a completely different, much more serious role. Then I was recast as Billie, and I was shocked because in the original script, Billie was a middle-aged man! They actually reworked the role for me, which was incredibly flattering and exciting.

GN: You carried the emotional and physical intensity of The Possession of Hannah Grace in such a memorable way. How did that role challenge you?

KJ: That role challenged me physically more than anything. For two months, I spent four hours every morning getting prosthetics glued to my body and two hours every night getting them peeled off. We shot in Boston during winter, and I was basically covered in prosthetics, so I was freezing the entire time. I actually got hypothermia one night.

Aside from that… it was the best experience ever. I don’t believe you have to torture yourself emotionally to play dark roles. I love playing evil characters and hope I get to play many more.

GN: As a classically trained dancer, how has movement shaped the way you approach acting?

KJ: Dance has shaped how I approach almost everything. It gave me discipline and confidence in how I move. So much acting lives in physicality, and I feel like I have a leg up because I’m hyper-aware of my body placement. You can completely change a character just by the way they stand or walk.

GN: You’ve cultivated an audience of more than four million followers online. How do you balance authenticity with the pressure of constant visibility?

KJ: Honestly, I love it. I don’t feel negative pressure, if anything, it’s positive. If I don’t post one day, I feel like, “Oh no, I didn’t talk to my friends today!”

My content is just me. I’m not performing a version of myself. I know it sounds strange, but I genuinely feel like the people who follow me are my friends. They know my parents, my boyfriend, my everyday life. Social media has changed my life, and I’m endlessly grateful for it.

GN: Horror often explores fear in exaggerated ways. What genuinely unsettles you in real life?

KJ: I’m a very unserious person, not much rattles me because at the end of the day, it’s just not that serious. But the thought of living without my mom one day makes me physically ill. She’s my best friend.

GN: When you step away from work and social media, what does your ideal evening look like?

KJ: I’m a huge homebody. My perfect night is at home with my boyfriend and our two cats watching RuPaul’s Drag Race or old episodes of Jersey Shore.

GN: Do you remember your dreams, and have they influenced your creativity?

KJ: I sleep like the living dead and rarely remember my dreams. They haven’t really influenced my acting… but I once dreamed my boyfriend cheated on me, made a silly TikTok about it, and it went extremely viral, so that was fun.

GN: In an industry that constantly evolves, what keeps you grounded?

KJ: I actually struggle to relate to this question. Whether I have $10 or $100 million, I’d still be a homebody calling my parents 15 times a day. I’m incredibly close to them, I even call them by their first names, Pee and Gordon. I’m always growing as a person, but staying grounded has never been something I’ve had to work at. What you see is who I am, online or offline.

GN: Finally, what’s your nightly routine?

KJ: It is horrendously embarrassing. Bonnet on (because my cat tries to eat my hair), eye mask, weighted eye mask on top of that, wire retainer, mouth tape to stop snoring, my cat Avada on the pillow next to me, and my baby blanket clutched in my hands.

Oh, and my boyfriend Luke hanging off the side of the bed because I take up three-quarters of it.

Stylist: EIC, Kimberly Goodnight

Photographer: Lens By Mi