There's a lot to learn about the young actress Autumn Best, who recently starred in Netflix's Woman of the Hour.
Woman of the Hour is a new crime thriller directed by Anna Kendrick, marking her directorial debut. It began streaming on Netflix on October 18.
The film explores the chilling true story of serial killer Rodney Alcala, who appeared on The Dating Game in 1978 while in the midst of a murder spree, with Kendrick portraying contestant Cheryl Bradshaw.
Autumn portrays Amy, a character based on Monique Hoyt, who escaped Rodney Alcala in 1979, with the film depicting her harrowing ordeal.
Meet Autumn Best - Biography Details
Autumn's First Acting Role Was in The CW's 4400
Autumn, born on September 17, 2002, emerged as a breakout star with her first acting role in The CW's 4400, a sci-fi drama about 4,400 marginalized people who disappeared over the last century and returned suddenly without aging or memory of their time away.
She portrayed Mildred, a smart and observant teenager from the 1970s who came back with a special ability.
During the time of the series' release in 2021, Pop Culturalist asked Autumn about what she had learned working on her first set.
She explained that working with the cast was "a crash course in using gratitude as the foundation for your work" and expressed that she'll "take this thankfulness with me throughout the rest of my career:"
"Working with this cast has been a crash course in using gratitude as the foundation for your work. These actors show up giving 100% every day. You can just tell that everyone is appreciative of the opportunity, the crew, and the story; it definitely bleeds into the atmosphere on set and on screen. I will take this thankfulness with me throughout the rest of my career."
Autumn also had vastly different plans before booking 4400, she told Where Is The Buzz that she was originally supposed to go to "theater school at NYU:"
"I actually got into a theater school at NYU which is where I was going to go to college before I booked this show."
Autumn Loves Working With Female Directors
Autumn was joined by Woman of the Hour co-stars Anna Kendrick (director) and Kathryn Gallagher on the Kelly Clarkson show, where they discussed working with female directors.
The 22-year-old actress spoke about her time on the 4400 series, praising how the showrunners invited "a diverse group of directors onto" the set.
Having worked with female directors before, Autumn explained how "it changes the vibe on set completely" which drew her to Kendrick directing Woman of the Hour.
"Those showrunners tried really hard to go out of their way to invite a, like a diverse group of directors onto that set. And that was really cool because that was my first introduction into the film industry...So I got to work with a lot of female directors on that project, which was really cool. And it changes the vibe on set completely. It's actually insane."
Autumn expressed how excited she was to work with Kendrick as she said, "You can feel like the tangible difference" on set with a female director:
"When I was like excited to work on this with Anna, I was like, well I know, I already kind of know what the vibe of the set is gonna be because you can feel like the tangible difference. As a woman, like the support on the other end."
Autumn Has A Limb Difference
Autumn has a limb difference disability - she was born with just a thumb on her left hand. Incredibly, she was cast as Mildred in part because of her disability, as she told Backstage that the character "was disabled" and "it felt like exactly the sign [she] had been waiting for:"
"Mildred was described as a girl from the ’70s with a complicated past and a big heart who was also a time traveler. The breakdown additionally said she was disabled, and that the writer planned to adjust and tailor the character to the actor who was ultimately cast. It felt like exactly the sign I had been waiting for—that there are people out there right now who want to write stories that I can fit into."
She's outspoken about it, even calling out scary movies or series, stating on Instagram, "Disability is not a horror prop."
In the post, Autumn specifically criticized the portrayal of limb differences in the 2020 film The Witches, where characters are depicted with ectrodactyly to appear more frightening, calling it an example of ableism in the entertainment industry.
She expressed her disappointment, especially as someone with a hand deformity, and urged for better representation of disabled people in media:
"If you are disabled: YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER. You are beautiful and powerful and HUMAN."
In April, she celebrated Limb Difference Awareness Month, expressing how she is "still dealing with insecurities that I’ve had since day one."
While attempting to post for the month of awareness, Autumn realized she had few recent photos where her hand was clearly visible, underscoring while she's embraced her difference, she still struggles with insecurity.
Autumn is Part of the LGBTQIA+ Community
Autumn Best shared her journey on Instagram of growing up as a queer, disabled girl in the Mormon church, explaining how it taught her to hide aspects of herself due to "internalized homophobia, religious trauma, and ableism."
Despite initial fears of coming out online, she expressed feeling genuinely happy to embrace her identity during Pride Month 2022.
She recently told People that she "gave up thinking too hard about it" and has come to the realization that the people she works with "are going to love me for who I am:"
"I just gave up thinking too hard about it. I was like, ‘You know what? I'm going to be who I am, and the people that want to work with me — like Anna [Kendrick] and the beautiful people that I've worked with — are going to love me for who I am. And anyone else who doesn't want to work with me, I don't care to work with anyway."
How To Follow Autumn Best Online
Fans can follow Autumn Best online via her Instagram page @itsautumnbest.
Woman of the Hour is now streaming on Netflix.
