‘The Black Phone’: Who Is Madeleine McGraw?

From the people who brought us one of the most horrifying movies of the 2010s comes another thrilling film. Sinister director Scott Derrickson and his co-writer C. Robert Cargill are back with a story about dead children called The Black Phone. 

The movie stars industry veteran Ethan Hawke and Madeleine McGraw. McGraw’s performance has received a lot of praise ever since the movie dropped. But who exactly is she?

A synopsis of ‘The Black Phone’

The Black Phone follows an adolescent, Finney, who lives with his sister Gwen and their abusive father. Finney is very protective of his little sister Gwen and ensures their abusive dad is kept at bay. Meanwhile, Gwen protects Finney from bullies at school as he is very shy. Losing their mother at a young age haunts the children, but they remain strong, leaning on one another for support.

A sadistic child abductor and murderer fittingly known as The Grabber is on the loose. He gets a hold of Finney and locks him in a soundproof basement with a black phone. The Grabber tells Finney the black phone doesn’t work. However, the teen boy starts getting phone calls from the phone from the spirits of the other child victims who were there before him.

The spirits intend to help Finney escape The Grabber to prevent the boy from suffering as much as they did. The Grabber left the basement door unclosed, but the spirits tell Finney that it was part of The Grabber’s games; if the boy tried to leave, he would be attacked upstairs.

Gwen has dreams and visions of the other victims and brings attention to the crime, and the police discover several bodies. Finney manages to kill The Grabber and reunites with Gwen and his father, who is apologetic for his abuse towards them. The Black Phone hit theaters on June 24 and was a commercial and critical success.

Madeleine McGraw is the scene-stealer in ‘The Black Phone’

The Black Phone features seasoned actors like Hawke, Jeremy Davies, and James Ransone. They all deliver stellar performances, but they are seemingly no match for the young McGraw. She plays Gwen, Finney’s sister with whom he shares a deep connection.

She manages to help the other victims rest through her efforts and ends The Grabber’s reign. Her performance was very moving and believable, and while she may only be a child, she is depicted as fearless and one who isn’t afraid to call out anyone she finds repulsive.

A top critic on Rotten Tomatoes wrote, “The Black Phone works effectively with a small cast, two of whom [Mason] Thames and McGraw are exceptional child actors.” Another critic termed McGraw’s performance “a breakthrough.”

Aside from The Black Phone, McGraw has appeared in several other projects. Her acting debut came in 2014 when she appeared in Bones and ended the year as Bradley Cooper’s daughter McKenna in American Sniper.

She has since appeared in The Mandela Effect, Secrets of Sulphur Spring, and Ant-Man as Evangeline Lilly‘s younger version. McGraw has also lent her voice to various animations, including Cars 3 and Clarence.

Inside Madeleine McGraw’s Hollywood family

McGraw isn’t the only one in her family who has made it in Hollywood. Acting is a family business that the McGraws seem to have down pat. McGraw’s older brother Jack is a child actor who voiced Young Arson in The Good Dinosaur. 

He also has a Young Artist Award nomination. McGraw’s twin brother Aidan appeared alongside her in American Sniper playing a young Colton Kyle. Their younger sister Violet entered the MCU as Yelena Belova’s younger version.