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Caitlin Reilly

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caitlin Reilly
Born (1989-09-12) September 12, 1989 (age 35)[1]
Alma materAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
Occupations
  • Actress
  • comedian
Years active2006–present
ParentJohn Reilly (father)
TikTok information
Page
Followers2.3 million
Likes68.8 million

Last updated: August 19, 2024

Caitlin Reilly (born September 12, 1989) is an American actress and comedian. She became known for social media videos in which she does impressions of dislikeable archetypes. She has appeared on TV shows such as Hacks, Loot, Dead Boy Detectives, and In the Know.

Early life and education

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Reilly grew up in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hancock Park.[2] Her father, John Reilly, was a longtime soap opera actor best known as Sean Donely on General Hospital; her mother, Liz, is a Swedish model-turned-businesswoman; and she has four sisters.[2][3] Her family runs a children's clothing store in Larchmont.[4][5] Following the death of her father, Reilly appeared on the May 21, 2021, episode of General Hospital in his tribute, portraying the daughter of his character, Annie (previously played by Courtney Halverson).[6][7]

When she was ten, Reilly wanted to leave school to become a child actor, but her parents refused. She attended Immaculate Heart High School in Los Feliz, where she acted in school plays. She studied method acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in 2010.[2][8]

Career

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After graduating from acting school, Reilly spent many years struggling to get acting work and found other employment at a nanny agency and as a waitress.[2][4] She appeared in several short films in 2014–15, including Love and Paint, Downstairs, and Die! Sitter! Die!: Rupert.[8] She took a break from acting in 2020, becoming the personal assistant to a real estate agent, but did not stay in the position for long with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic.[2][4]

Stuck at home during the pandemic, Reilly started a TikTok account and began making short comedy videos for social media in which she parodies a range of disagreeable types of characters.[2][4] Her videos went viral, with early hits including "WASP Mom" and "The Coworker You Hate on Zoom", and earned her more than one million TikTok followers before the end of the year.[8][9] She drew inspiration for her characters partly from observing life in Los Angeles and personae on social media.[4] PopSugar credited the power of her impressions to her "rotating blend of cringe-worthy facial expressions, spot-on vocal inflections, and impeccable comedic timing".[8] She had more than two million TikTok followers by the end of the following year.[4]

Because of her TikTok success, Reilly was signed by WME and was cast by series co-creator Lucia Aniello on the HBO comedy series Hacks, playing network executive Jessica on the second season in 2022.[2][4] She then had other supporting roles, including on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the Apple TV+ show Loot, and the Darren Aronofsky film Little Death.[2][10] She became a contestant on the Dropout game show Make Some Noise beginning in 2022.[11]

Reilly played a recurring role as one of the dandelion sprites on the Netflix show Dead Boy Detectives, released in 2024.[12] She voiced one of the main characters on the Peacock stop-motion series In the Know, her first voiceover role.[13]

References

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  1. ^ Reilly, Caitlin [@hicaitlinreilly] (September 12, 2018). "Thanks for all my birthday love!!!! Year 29 ..." Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Instagram.
    Reilly, Caitlin [@hicaitlinreilly] (September 10, 2023). "It's my birthday on Tuesday ..." Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Instagram.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Hazlehurst, Beatrice (May 26, 2023). "How lampooning L.A.'s most unlikable characters on TikTok helped comedian Caitlin Reilly break into TV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Haring, Bruce (January 10, 2021). "John Reilly Dies: Veteran Actor For 'General Hospital' And Other Soaps Was 86". Deadline. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Schulman, Michael (January 4, 2023). "The Funniest WASP Mom on TikTok". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Eversz, Laura (August 1, 2013). "Flicka changes hands, but stays in Hancock Park family". Larchmont Chronicle. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Turchiano, Danielle (April 14, 2021). "'General Hospital' Casts TikTok Star Caitlin Reilly in Tribute Episode to Her Father John Reilly (Exclusive)". Variety.
  7. ^ Rice, Lynette (May 11, 2021). "Get a first look at Caitlin Reilly paying tribute to her late father John on General Hospital". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Messina, Victoria (May 21, 2021). "Catching Up With Caitlin Reilly 1 Year After She Unexpectedly Became a TikTok All-Star". PopSugar. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  9. ^ Harris, Margot (September 4, 2020). "TikTok star Caitlin Reilly is going viral for her videos mimicking personalities that 'you love to hate'". Business Insider. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  10. ^ Rice, Lynette (September 23, 2022). "'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series' Adds 'HSM' Vets Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Monique Coleman & More". Deadline. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Game Changer 🪄 [@GameChangerSam] (September 5, 2022). "🚨Tonight!🚨 ..." (Tweet). Retrieved August 19, 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ Otterson, Joe (November 1, 2022). "'Dead Boy Detectives' HBO Max Series Adds Caitlin Reilly, Max Jenkins (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  13. ^ McClure, Devon (January 26, 2024). "Charlie Bushnell & Caitlin Reilly On Voice-Acting For In The Know". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
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