Meet the Young Actress Who Will Be the New Anne of Green Gables
When news broke that a new Anne of Green Gables was in the works, fans were as eager to see the new take on the classic stories as they were to see the actress who would jump into the iconic role. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than the OG cast stepping into the character’s shoes (even after finding out where each of the actors is nowadays), but that’s all about to change. The actress who will be the new Anne of Green Gables has just been announced, and she’s as perfect as you’d hoped.
We all still adore Megan Follows’ portrayal of quirky, tough and totally awesome Anne Shirley, but we bet even she’d approve of the new Anne, Amybeth McNulty.
A young 14-year-old Irish Canadian actress, Amybeth beat out 1,800 other hopefuls for the role of a Prince Edward Island orphan who can never seem to fit in or hold her tongue (which, frankly, is part of what made her so lovable). With her fiery red hair in two disheveled braids tied with string, an old hat and worn apron, she looks absolutely perfect in our first peek of Anne.
She initially auditioned online from her home in Ireland, and Amybeth immediately wowed the folks behind the remake. “She’s riveting on screen; she’s translucent,” said writer and show-runner Moira Walley-Beckett. “You can see every thought and every emotion.”
Amybeth, who read Anne’s stories when she was nine, says of her new role, “She has so much love for the world, which I think I share with her. And her curiosity about everything, how she can be so fierce and so bold but so gentle and so loving.”
Geraldine James and R.H. Thomson were also announced as the actors who will be playing the Cuthberts, and for anyone familiar with the East Coast stories, this is a return for Thomson who played Jasper Dale in the 90’s Road to Avonlea.
With the actors being called a “dream cast,” we can’t wait to check out the new Anne of Green Gables when it hits Netflix and the CBC next spring.
What do you think about the new Anne of Green Gables? Tweet us @BritandCo!
(h/t Nerdist; photos via Netflix/CBC)
