Lexi Underwood: Hollywood's New Young Face

It seems like words of praise are given willy-nilly these days. Every day, someone is being labeled "the rising star to watch" or "Hollywood's next biggest star." Very few people merit such praise and superlatives. One such individual deserving of such praise is Lexi Underwood.

Her achievements during her teenage years are the stuff of dreams. Before her 18th birthday, she had performed on Broadway, played a lead role in a hit series with Hulu's Little Fires Everywhere, and created a production company, Ultimate Dreamer Productions.

She is not in the entertainment business for token appearances. She wants to build something that endures the test of time.

Lexi Underwood is an artist of many talents. She started playing musical instruments when she was 5. She plays the piano, flute, and guitar and can sing, which you might have come across if you follow her socials, especially Instagram.

However, she fell in love with acting and pursued becoming an actor at a young age. She is quoted saying, "Acting has always been a part of who I am. It allows me to share stories, connect with people, and make a difference."

She made her professional theatrical debut in 2013 when she was just 10 years old. She played the Urchin Girl in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in her hometown, Washington D.C. A year later, she performed in another play, Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol.

She made her first television appearance in 2014 as Queen Bee in CBS's Person of Interest.

In 2015, she booked the role of Young Nala in Disney's theatrical production of The Lion King. In this role, she performed on Broadway and toured North America.

Following her theatrical tour, she pursued on-screen acting roles, appearing in series such as Code Black, The Crooked Man, Henry Danger, Raven's Home, The Good Doctor, and Family Reunion. Moreover, she also appeared in films and lent her voice to Dirt. She had built a solid catalog of television appearances and was searching for a breakout role after moving to California.

Getting a breakout role didn't come easy for Underwood. It took her five years of auditioning before landing the part that would announce her to the world.

"I lost [another] pilot the day before the audition, and I was completely ready to get out of the business," she told the New York Post. "I didn't want to audition for Little Fires Everywhere, but my mom told me to go and give it a shot, and I did."

"I didn't think I was going to get the part because … I hadn't really done anything major before."

She concluded, "I have been doing this for five years now. It's really hard on child actors, especially when you're hearing 'no' all the time," she says. "It gets tiring and a bit discouraging."