Meet Chiara Aurelia, the 18-year-old actress taking the thriller genre by storm. Although she's gaining notoriety for her role in Cruel Summer, the starlet-in-the-making has likely been on your radar before—and definitely should be going forward.
Aurelia landed the role of Jeanette in the Jessica Biel-produced Cruel Summer, joining Good Trouble as one of our must-watch series of the year. Jeanette is a reserved, somewhat anti-social teen who becomes involved in the disappearance of the town's popular girl Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt). Between the '90s vibes and the who-dun-it aspect, we're already hooked. But be forewarned: the show does tackle some heavy material.
"To sit in a space with the younger generation and really give them this platform to really talk about some intense, hard things that these young people are going through is really exciting for me," Jessica Biel said about the show. "And it's something we want to do for all people, but especially for women and for girls."
So what do you need to know about its breakout star? We'll fill you in.
- What's in store for Cruel Summer season 2? Everything fans need to know
- Okay, what's the deal: Is Cruel Summer based on a true story or not?
- How to watch Cruel Summer from anywhere in the world
Chiara Aurelia made a cameo in one of your fave shows
The actress previously played mean girl Addison on Pretty Little Liars. We totally knew we've seen her before!
Although she started acting at age 4, things really took off for Aurelia when she moved to Los Angeles in 2014 and landed a recurring role on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which no doubt paved the way for her nabbing her new role on Cruel Summer.
Chiara also had a role in this year's crime drama Tell Me Your Secrets. (Sensing a pattern here?)
You might believe Chiara Aurelia is actually a '90s kid
Yes, Aurelia is very much a member of Gen Z, but her roles might make you think otherwise. The actress stars in the second edition of Fear Street on Netflix—an adaptation of the R.L. Stein books. And if R.L. Stein doesn't scream the '90s, we're not sure who does.
The Fear Street horror movie trilogy kicked off with Part 1 set in 1994, followed by a step back even further in time to 1978 in Part 2. Then, Part 3 concludes in 1666. The films were released over three Fridays beginning Friday, July 2nd, so prepare for a few horror-filled nights in.
Although many fans are familiar with Fear Street from their childhood, this new series is NOT suited for the youngsters in the group.
Chiara Aurelia's style game is on point
Need proof? Check out her Instagram!
How to watch Chiara Aurelia in Cruel Summer
The 10-part series has been a favorite in the YA landscape, and now fans all over the world can tune in. We'll tell you how to watch Cruel Summer, regardless of your location.
US fans can watch the thriller on Freeform or Hulu, and UK viewers have finally been treated to the action! As of August 6th, Cruel Summer has been available on Amazon Prime.
Not a Prime member...or in the US or UK? No sweat: just use a VPN. Our favorite VPN service is ExpressVPN—rated the best VPN in the world right now by our colleagues at TechRadar.
Chiara, we certainly can't wait to see what you come up with next!
