Joey King has tackled everything from YA streaming hits to prestige true crime and blockbusters. Here is a breakdown of her most recognizable screen roles.
Joey King began working in front of cameras before most kids finished elementary school, turning an early start into one of the industry's most versatile filmographies. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, King booked dozens of national commercials and guest spots before jumping into major studio releases and prestige television. A casual viewer flipping through streaming platforms will recognize her face across wildly different genres, whether she is running around in a family comedy, navigating teen romance, or surviving a high-speed action thriller.
Having tracked her progression across 14 separate stories since 2013, Young Hollywood has documented King's steady evolution from a spirited child actor to an Emmy-nominated leading talent and box-office staple. She has consistently demonstrated an instinct for selecting roles that challenge expectations and showcase distinct facets of her craft. In 2022, she joined co-star Kyle Allen to discuss the emotional weight and romantic tension behind their supernatural drama The In Between. Watch our full sit-down with Joey King below.
Ramona Quimby in Ramona and Beezus
Long before tackling intense true crime or high-octane action, King earned her breakthrough starring role as the imaginative, disaster-prone Ramona Quimby in the 2010 film adaptation Ramona and Beezus. Sharing top billing with pop star and actress Selena Gomez, King captured the chaotic charm and boundless energy of author Beverly Cleary's beloved literary character. The family comedy relied heavily on King's ability to balance slapstick humor with genuine childhood vulnerability, grounding the central sister dynamic with believable warmth.
The performance instantly put King on the map as a standout young performer with rare comedic instincts and natural screen charisma. Audiences who grew up during the 2010s remember her muddy misadventures, bright yellow boots, and fearless delivery opposite established screen veterans. Holding down a major studio production at just ten years old proved that King possessed the stamina and range required to carry a feature film completely on her own shoulders.
Elle Evans in The Kissing Booth Trilogy
In 2018, King reached a massive global audience when she debuted as Elle Evans in the hit Netflix teen comedy The Kissing Booth. Centered on an uncoordinated high school student who accidentally falls for Noah Flynn, the older brother of her lifelong best friend Lee, the film became an immediate sensation on streaming charts. King's expressive physical comedy, quick-witted line delivery, and undeniable romantic chemistry with co-star Jacob Elordi turned the film into one of the platform's most-streamed original releases of that summer.
The overwhelming popularity of the original sparked an entire franchise, leading to The Kissing Booth 2 in 2020 and The Kissing Booth 3 in 2021. King reprised her starring role across both follow-ups, guiding Elle through long-distance relationship hurdles, college application stress, and bittersweet goodbyes. Taking her involvement a step further, King also served as an executive producer on the sequels, taking active creative ownership over the characters and production that defined a significant chapter of her career.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard in The Act
King completely shocked audiences and critics in 2019 by taking on the harrowing real-life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard in Hulu's limited true-crime series The Act. To portray the victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, King shaved her head, altered her physical posture, and adopted a distinctive high-pitched vocal register. Opposite Patricia Arquette, who played her controlling mother Dee Dee Blanchard, King delivered an unsettling, compassionate performance that unraveled years of psychological manipulation and tragic desperation.
The role proved to be a critical turning point that shattered any lingering perceptions of King as strictly a young adult comedy lead. Her fearless immersion into the dark, emotionally exhausting material earned her widespread industry acclaim, culminating in nominations for both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series. It cemented her standing as a formidable dramatic talent capable of carrying complex psychological narratives.
Prince in Bullet Train and Christine in The Conjuring
King added high-style action to her resume in 2022 when she joined the star-studded ensemble of director David Leitch's blockbuster Bullet Train. Sharing screen time with Brad Pitt, King portrayed the ruthless British assassin known as The Prince. Disguised in an innocent pink schoolgirl uniform, her character weaponized perceived youth and harmlessness to manipulate seasoned killers, allowing King to show off razor-sharp timing, crisp action stunts, and an unapologetically wicked edge.
Dedicated genre fans also frequently spot King in landmark horror projects, most notably James Wan's 2013 haunted-house sensation The Conjuring. Playing Christine Perron, one of five daughters terrorized by malevolent spirits in a Rhode Island farmhouse, King helped anchor the film's terrifying suspense and emotional stakes. Her performance added genuine childhood dread to a project that went on to launch one of the highest-grossing horror franchises in cinema history.
From classic children's adaptations and iconic modern horror to chart-topping streaming romances and prestige true crime, Joey King continues to expand her artistic footprint across every corner of film and television. Her consistent ability to shift seamlessly between big-budget studio spectacles and challenging character studies ensures that no matter where audiences spot her next, she will deliver a memorable, dynamic performance that commands attention.
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