EXCLUSIVE: Madeleine McGraw, one of the stars of Universal and Blumhouse’s supernatural horror franchise The black phonehas signed with UTA for representation in all areas.
Directed by Scott Derrickson from screenplays written with C. Robert Cargill, The black phone the films adapt Joe Hill’s short story from his collection Ghosts of the 20th century. In the first film, McGraw is introduced as Gwen Shaw, who, after her teenage brother (Mason Thames) is kidnapped by a masked serial killer (Ethan Hawke), uses psychic dreams to help her get to safety – alongside the killer’s former victims, who connect with the boy via a disconnected phone. Released this year, The black phone 2 takes place years later, watching traumas and visions resurface, as Gwen and her brother face a new chapter of the same nightmare with the killer known as Grabber.
The black phone grossed over $161 million worldwide, with The black phone 2 grossing over $132 million. Alongside the 18-year-old Thames, McGraw received critical acclaim for her performance, which earned her the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Performance, as well as a Saturn Award nomination. She also recently received the Rising Star Award at CinemaCon 2025.
In addition to The black phone franchise, McGraw’s film credits include Pacific Rim: Insurrection, Ant-Man and the WaspAnd American sniperas well as Bonnie’s voice in Toy Story 4. On television, she has been a series regular on Banned and Disney Channel The secrets of sulfur springs.
McGraw continues to be represented by The Burstein Company, Coast to Coast and Schreck Rose Dapello.
