Jessica Alexander

Jessica Caroline Alexander (born 19 June 1999) is an English actress. She began her career in short films and garnered recognition for her role in the BBC iPlayer series Get Even (2020), and made her feature film debut in Glasshouse and A Banquet (both 2021). She gained further prominence in Disney's live-action musical fantasy The Little Mermaid (2023) as Vanessa.

Early life
Jessica Caroline Alexander was born on 19 June 1999 in Westminster, London, England. She began acting at a church hall near home at age five and subsequently decided to pursue an acting career.

Career
Alexander began auditioning for films at 14 years old. She made her debut in the Yorgos Lanthimos-directed short film Necktie (2013). In 2016, she appeared in another short film, titled Truck. She made her television debut in the 2018 Italian Disney Channel teen dramedy Penny on M.A.R.S. as Lucy Carpenter, the antagonist of the first two series. That same year, she was scouted by Select Model Management. She later signed with Next, where she was a model in product and clothing advertisements. Alexander starred in the BBC iPlayer teen thriller series Get Even (2020), which had an international release on Netflix. Alexander played Olivia Hayes, a popular teenager who pretends to be wealthy and straight. She drew parallels between the character and herself at age 16, in that they were both incredibly determined despite not fully understanding themselves yet.

In 2021, Alexander starred as Bee in the South African dystopian thriller Glasshouse, directed by Kelsey Egan, whom Alexander had met through a previous project. Egan initially wanted a South African actress to play the role, but found none who suited the character. In October 2020, she sent the script to Alexander, who enjoyed it and auditioned a few months later. The film was generally well received, with particular praise for its cast. Alexander's second release of the year, the British horror film A Banquet, received more lukewarm reviews from critics. Alexander's performance was lauded, however;  The Times Kevin Maher dubbed her a "rising star", while The New York Times Lena Wilson favourably commented that her and co-star Ruby Stokes's performances were "wrenching". In July 2022, she appeared in the Kate Cox-directed thriller film Into the Deep alongside Matthew Daddario and Ella-Rae Smith. Screen Rant writer Rachel Labonte opined that despite the acting being "hindered by their characters being under-written, ... Alexander does the best job at considering what was left unsaid about Lexie".

Alexander portrayed Vanessa, the human alter-ego of Ursula (Melissa McCarthy), in the musical fantasy film The Little Mermaid (2023), a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 film of the same name. Of her casting, director Rob Marshall stated it was a conscious decision to cast a relatively unknown actress as Vanessa since McCarthy was already portraying Ursula. He also said: "She's just a beautiful, beautiful actress, and she went there. It's sort of rare for someone that beautiful and charismatic to be able to then turn into the sea witch literally in front of you and just lose it. It was exciting to see that change." Alexander enjoyed playing the role, commenting that she "love[s] being demonic, and just going crazy on screen, so this was a perfect opportunity for that". The Little Mermaid, and its performances, received generally positive reviews from critics. Jordan Iacobucci of Comic Book Resources wrote that "Alexander's Vanessa is callous and conniving ... [she] takes the opportunity to go all-out, unleashing her villainous side in her final scene." Her performance was also praised by fans and went viral on the video-sharing app TikTok.

Alexander has an upcoming role in the Globoplay series Fallen, which is based on the eponymous novel series by Lauren Kate. The show follows Luce (Alexander), a young woman who is sent to a cult-like rehabilitation centre for a crime she has no memory of committing. She is also set to appear as Katerina in Amadeus, a drama miniseries revolving around the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Personal life and media image
Alexander is openly bisexual. She is an advocate for the LGBT community and has been referred to as a queer icon. She uses her Instagram to spread awareness about LGBT-related issues. In March 2023, Alexander was included in the "Bright Young Things Class of 2023", a list by Tatler that names "the next generation of glam, gifted actors to watch".