Bailee Madison

If you haven’t been paying attention lately, and shame on you if you haven’t, little Bailee Madison is all grown up. By all grown-up, we mean that the actress who got her start in films as a pre-teen is now a 22-year-old Instagram and Tiktok rising star and along with films and television has even bigger plans for her career. So, let’s find out just who Bailee Madison is and where she plans on going in the near future.

BAILEE MADISON IS ON INSTAGRAM AND TIKTOK

You would think with as busy Bailee Madison is with her TV and film career and with her upcoming music aspirations, she would have little time for anything else. Well, there is no rest for the wicked (though wicked Bailee Madison is not). She maintains a very healthy presence on social media. Go to Twitter and you will find Bailee. Instagram? Yes, you will find her there as well.

What about TikTok? Yes, you will also find Bailee Madison there. She loves to share what is going on in her life, her friends and family, and the projects she is working on. If she is dating (she is currently dating New Hope Club lead singer Blake Richardson), she doesn’t mind sharing tidbits from that as well. She’s an open book, well, as much of an open book as she wishes to be.

In many of her social media posts, Bailee Madison is also advertising some of the products she uses. Its’ a full on social media onslaught from the actress and she’s leveraged her fame in a great way on these platforms.

BAILEE MADISON IS 23 YEARS OLD AND WAS BORN IN FLORIDA

Hailing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and the youngest of seven siblings, Bailee Madison was born on October 15, 1999. Bailee was only two weeks old when she was put in front of a camera for an Office Depot commercial. Commercials became her thing early on as she appeared in advertisements for Cadillac, SeaWorld, and Disney, among others.

Perhaps it was this early introduction to the entertainment industry that piqued her interest, or maybe it was the fact that her sister, Kaitlin Vilasuso, was 13 years older and also an actress. She saw her sister do it, so why not her? It could be she also got some great coaching at an early age because her mother, Patricia Riley, also had an acting background. Sometimes things happen for a reason, though.

“I grew up watching my mom and my sister act, and I remember being so mesmerized by them,” Bailee Madison recalled to Issue Magazine. “One day, when I was five years old, my sister Kaitlin, who is 13 years older than me, went into an audition. When she came out they saw me and asked if I would audition. I went in there and from that moment on, God blessed me.”

SHE STARRED IN LONELY HEARTS AND BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA EARLY IN HER CAREER

The “blessing” that came Bailee’s way was for her very first film, Lonely Hearts. In it, she acted opposite big names such as John Travolta, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto, James Gandolfini, Scott Caan, and Laura Dern. It would not be the last time Bailee Madison would find herself opposite some big names.

Her talent at five years old shone through and even more so when she sent out an audition tape to Disney. They loved what they saw and soon Bailee Madison found herself on the opposite side of the world in New Zealand for a six-month shoot for Bridge to Terabithia. After six months away, Bailee headed back home for school. She was already seven when the movie premiered and it was only the beginning.

2007 was a very busy year for Bailee Madison as her amazing talent caught the eye of many in Tinsel Town. Along with the premiere of Bridge to Terabithia, Bailee grabbed roles in TV series such as House, Cory in the House, CSI: NY, and Unfabulous. Somehow, the young actress also found time for the TV movies The Last Day of Summer and Judy’s Got a Gun. Not busy enough? Well, Bailee also grabbed some time in the features Look and Saving Sarah Cain. All of this as a 7-year-old.

The next couple of years slowed down quite a bit for Bailee. While she was involved in nine projects in 2007, 2008, and 2009 saw her with four total. One of those projects in 2008 was Phoebe in Wonderland where Bailee played the sister to Elle Fanning.

Another project was a TV movie for Nickelodeon called Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh. The film was based on the Drake & Josh series and starred Drake Bell, Josh Peck, and Miranda Cosgrove.

2010 saw Bailee Madison jump into the fantasy horror genre when she led Guillermo del Toro’s Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. The film starred Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential). Things would only get better for Bailee.

As luck would have it, strike that, as good talent would have it, Bailee Madison got another big boost in 2011 when she got the plum part in the Adam Sandler comedy, Just Go With It. Bailee played Maggie, the daughter of Jennifer Aniston’s Katherine.

The underrated comedy also starred Brooklyn Decker, Nicole Kidman, Dave Matthews, Nick Swardson, and Griffin Gluck. Not only was Bailee able to hold her own with some heavyweights of the business, but she was also given the chance to show off a British accent.

AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING

Not that she really needed the justification, but Just Go With It solidified the fact that Bailee Madison could act. Still, she was only 12 years old, but the girl had some chops. They took her to TV projects such as Wizards of Waverly Place, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Chase, A Taste of Romance, Smart Cookies, and Pete’s Christmas.

She also continued to get feature films as well starring in movies like 25 Hill, Cowgirls ‘n Angels, Adventure Planet, Watercolor Postcards, and Parental Guidance opposite Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, and Marisa Tomei.

Bailee’s next big project came in 2013 when she was brought on to play Bradley Whitford’s daughter in the TV series Trophy Wife. Malin Ackerman (Couples Retreat, The Heartbreak Kid) played Whitford’s third wife while Michaela Watkins and Marcia Gay Harden played wives one and two. While the premise was a fun one, the series only lasted two seasons.

Bailee Madison continued to get a foothold on television. She had a recurring role as the young Snow White in the popular series Once Upon a Time, she was seen on the series The Fosters, and she also grabbed her most notable television role when she played Grace Russell in the series Good Witch.

During this time, Bailee also continued to find herself in feature films like A Cowgirl’s Story and the horror/thriller film The Strangers: Prey at Night. But the entire time Bailee Madison was carving out her career in front of the camera, something else was going on that fans probably weren’t aware of.

BAILEE MADISON IS MORE THAN AN ACTOR

Not only can she act, but the girl can write, and she is expanding her talents to behind the camera as well. As for her writing, Bailee explains, “While I was producing a film called Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket, I brought a dear friend and very talented writer Stefne Miller on board to help revise the script. One night after filming she asked me if I’d ever thought of writing a fiction novel.” The results were a novel titled Losing Brave and tells the story of a teenager trying to cope with the disappearance of her twin sister.

Bailee also spoiled the surprise by talking about her efforts to produce films. This is something she got into with the aforementioned film Annabelle Hooper and the Ghosts of Nantucket and followed up with the films A Cowgirl’s Story and A Week Away, a film that leads us into another surprise from Bailee Madison.

BAILEE MADISON IS ALSO A SINGER

A Week Away hails from Netflix and surprisingly, it is a musical. Who knew that not only did Bailee Madison have the chops for acting, but that the girl could actually sing and sing well? But Bailee isn’t limiting her vocals to just the random film, she is going all in on her singing career. Madison recently signed with the Jonas Group Entertainment (no, not the Jonas Brothers) and is now looking forward to producing her own music. No, she isn’t going to stop acting, just going to do both and if the following YouTube is any indication of her singing talent, she is going to do well.

“So much of my life has already been shared with the public, and I’ve always tried to be as honest and true to myself as possible,” Madison told Variety about her foray into music. “I’m finally ready to take this leap. Music is a very personal and vulnerable side of me, and this new partnership with Kevin Jonas, Sr. is an extension of that. Now sharing this part of myself with the world means so much, and it feels like a chance to give insight on my heart. Everything that I do is a circle of love, and that comes with my art as well.”

SHE IS IN PRETTY LITTLE LIARS

Things just keep getting bigger and bigger for Bailee Madison as her hard work and determination continue to pay off. Along with a new singing career that is sure to bring her more accolades, Bailee is now starring in another TV series that is bringing her more deserved attention. She is starring in the Pretty Little Liars spinoff titled Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin as the pregnant Imogen Adams and along with a new cast of “Liars”, has another mystery to tend to.

While that series is showing over on HBO Max, Bailee also has two films on their way. The first is Play Dead where she plays a criminology student who fakes her death just so she can break into a morgue to find evidence that links her brother to a crime that went wrong. The second film is called The Pool. If you’re a fan of Bailee Madison (how can you not be?) then you have plenty to look forward to.