Who Is Nell Verlaque? 4 Things to Know About Thanksgiving Movie Actress

For those curious about Thanksgiving star Nell Verlaque, here is an assortment of fun facts about the young actress.

Thanksgiving is a 2023 horror movie about a masked figure who, instead of spending Turkey Day with loved ones, picks up an axe and begins murdering townspeople one by one.

The cast was led by former Grey’s Anatomy mainstay Patrick Dempsey with plenty of other big names making their presence known (Read more about the Thanksgiving cast here).

4 Facts About Thanksgiving's Nell Verlaque

Nell Verlaque Is Also a Singer-Songwriter

Nell Verlaque, who stands at 5' 11¾", has experience in the world of music in addition to acting on-screen. She released five different singles in 2022 including "LA, Babe," "Landlines," and "Softserve," all of which are available on Spotify and Verlaque’s YouTube channel.

She previously spoke to Pop Culturalist about which one of her songs best described the journey of the character she played in the Disney+ series Big Shot:

"Oh my gosh. I would say 'Landlines' because I wrote it about growing up and the growing pains that come with that. I feel like this season is a test of her getting out and away from her family. She's becoming more independent. She meets a boy. She’s trying to navigate her future and education."

Nell Helped Develop Her Thanksgiving Character

Nell Verlaque discussed with Bloody Disgusting how she had a hand in dialing in her character of Jessica Wright in Thanksgiving.

According to Verlaque, she was free to provide notes and feedback about the role to director Eli Roth, remarking that he was "really great about accepting" the input:

"I'm laughing because we so did, so much. Thank god Eli is Eli. I would go to him and say, 'The thing is, girls in high school don’t actually just talk about lip gloss.' And he would be like, 'Oh, so you’re saying a 50-year-old man doesn’t know what girls in high school talk about?' I would say 'No.' Then, he would say, 'You’re right. That’s why we need you to say that, so thank you.' So, he was really great about accepting those notes, and it made it more authentic, so I’m glad."

She also dug deep with the part and made sure to take the time to "[develop] a backstory" for Jessica’s relationships with the rest of the cast:

"I had a good time developing a backstory for my relationships with everyone, and I hope that it made them very specific. This felt like a personal touch in a way because I remember with Gabe, who plays Scuba, they have a really sweet friendship, and they go through this together and come out together. Gabe and I did a lot on our own outside of that to make sure that that relationship came through. I think there are always little things that you try to add yourself and develop outside of work so that it comes through in your characters."

Nell Has a Strong Idea for Thanksgiving 2

A sequel to Thanksgiving is already in development, with Eli Roth returning to direct.

In an interview with ScreenRant,  Nell Verlaque noted that she would love for the second film to be set in the 1970s so it could serve as an origin story:

"I always want something to be set in the 70s, so maybe there could be an origin story."

Ultimately though, the actress has put her trust in Roth and writer Jeff Rendell to craft a story that will be "bizarre" but "very entertaining:"

"But, again, I trust Eli and Jeff to do what they do best, which is write the most bizarre stuff that’s very entertaining."

Nell Will Next Star in Drama Movie Zoo

Coming up, Nell Verlaque (who has a birthday on October 19) will act in a film called Zoo. She will play Haley in the movie.

Zoo, which was helmed by Simon Hacker, follows a down-on-his-luck realtor whose preteen daughter unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep.

How To Follow Nell Verlaque Online

For her fans who want to catch Verlaque on social media, she has an account on Instagram at the handle nellverlaque.

Thanksgiving is streaming on Netflix and is available to purchase wherever movies are sold.