Draft:Molly Jean Edwards

Molly Jean Edwards (26 January 2007), is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She's recognized for her role as Grace McConnely in the sci-fi-horror movie, Alien Storm. In 2022, she received the Best Lead Actress award at The World Premiere Film Festival for her performance in the horror short film, Absolution.

Childhood
Edwards was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, on January 26th, 2007. The second of two children born to Amy and Eric Edwards. At just 6 months old, her family moved to Yakima, Washington, but soon settled in Boise, Idaho where she grew up. She has Native American, Jewish, and Caucasian roots.

At five, she pleaded with her mom to start a career in film after hearing a radio casting call. After that, her mom enrolled her in acting classes. In 2018, she joined Seattle Talent Artists, a developmental agency, and attended the International Models and Talent Association (IMTA) where she won several awards and got noticed by various talent agencies. She signed with MMG Talent Agency.

Her education was spent attending a dramatic arts school where she launched her career in theatre. She starred in the schools' play production every year, playing various roles including (but not limited to) Little Red in Into the Woods.

Edwards grew up competing in beauty pageants, being crowned Miss Preteen Idaho International in both 2016 and 2018. She used her title to promote her platform Project Insta-Kind where she advocated against cyber bullying which gained 12K Instagram followers. The account has since been shut down.

From ages 6 to 14, Edwards traveled nationwide, earning awards and training in various dance styles at professional conventions. She backed Madison Beer in 2018 and appeared in the music video 'Crazy Stupid Silly Love' by Now United. She also worked as an assistant teacher at Heat Dance Convention & Competition and Nexus Dance and blogged for Spotlight Dance Cup.

Teenage Years
In 2021, Edwards paused her dance career to focus on acting. She kickstarted her film journey at 13 at the International Models and Talent Association (IMTA), winning 1st Runner up Best Teen Actress. She received several offers from agents but didn't sign. Instead, she sought advice from Paul Weber, who guided her to create opportunities in the Boise Indie Film Network. After months of coaching, Weber introduced Edwards to her acting coach John D'Aquino. At a workshop, Edwards met her agent, Stella Alex, and signed with The Savage Agency. Two years later, she signed with manager Tracey Eggers.

Edwards was accepted into the Boise State film program at the age of fifteen. In 2023, Edwards passed the California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE), allowing her to work as a legal 18-year-old in the state of California where she currently resides part-time.

Personal Life
As of 2023, Edwards is a junior currently enrolled in high school.

"I think it'd be super cool to leave high school early, but I think I owe to the little girl inside of me to see it through. I tend to get so caught up in the destination that I lose sight of the most important part: the journey! I'm a junkie for success who is terrified of failure so of course there’s a part of me that wants to start college right now, but I think I could benefit from staying a kid a little bit longer. All we have is time."