“Sleep? I don’t know her,” Mckenna Grace says with a laugh. It’s a few hours before the premiere of her film Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in New York City, and the 17-year-old is running on maybe three hours of sleep. You wouldn’t know it, though. Ever the professional, she is alert and energetic during our entire phone conversation. Being busy is Grace’s comfort zone. She’s been working since the age of five, racking up an impressive 68 acting credits with seven more projects in various stages of production. But for Grace, getting to do what she loves every single day can hardly be called work. She considers it a blessing to be busy. Sleep can wait.Â
(Image credit: Crystal Burge)
Grace is understandably excited for the night ahead. It’s a moment to celebrate the film and reunite with her castmates, but also to be a part of the Ghostbusters family with all of the fan clubs. “It’s such a special piece of media, Ghostbusters. It’s such a phenomenon, and until you’re in the world, you don’t really know how intense the fanbase is. I just love it so much,” Grace tells me. For the special evening, she selected a strapless red gown with a voluminous skirt by Marchesa with jewels from New York’s Gray & Davis and Aquazurra heels. “It’s very Old Hollywood,” she says. Old Hollywood, Grace tells me, is the throughline for all of her Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire press tour looks. The goal? Always stay classy.
(Image credit: Sarah Slutsky)
Grace is admittedly in a bit of a transition period with her style. She’s turning 18 this year but knows most people still think of her as the cute 9-year-old in the series. “I’m wanting to find my place and figure out my style,” she says. Up until recently, finding clothes that she felt comfortable in was a challenge. Between her scoliosis diagnosis, which made one of her hips higher than the other, and the severe insecurity that naturally comes with being a teenager, fittings were often an arduous affair. Now being on the other side of scoliosis surgery, Grace feels more comfortable in her skin and is looking forward to really playing in the fashion space.Â
(Image credit: Sarah Slutsky)
(Image credit: Sarah Slutsky)
In Slutsky, Grace found her perfect stylist match. “She’s so patient with me,” she says. The duo, who recently started working together, had two five-to-six-hour fittings for the Ghostbusters press tour for which they had to prepare a whopping 14 looks. For the NYC premiere, she tells me a blue dress was originally the frontrunner until they found the red stunner by Marchesa and immediately changed course. She also hinted at a beautiful black dress they have on deck for the Paris premiere.Â
(Image credit: Sarah Slutsky)
For glam, Grace kept with the Old Hollywood theme and opted for a simple yet striking look. With the help of hairstylist Christopher Naselli, she kept her blonde locks long and wavy—her go-to style—tucked elegantly behind the ears. For makeup, artist Kale Teter did a clean, fresh-faced look with a pop of red on the lips.Â
If classy was on the menu, Grace definitely delivered a feast for the eyes.Â
(Image credit: Sarah Slutsky)
Don’t miss Mckenna Grace in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in theaters March 22.
