All About Alisha Weir, the Actress Playing Dracula's Daughter in Horror Film Abigail

Alisha Weir is showing off her horror chops as she stars in the title role of Abigail.

In the movie, Weir plays a wealthy man's daughter who is kidnapped and held for ransom, only for the criminals involved to discover that she's not a typical 12-year-old girl.

Since she's best known for playing Matilda in Netflix's Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, her latest role allows audiences to see a new side of her. And according to Abigail producer William Sherak, casting her in the movie was an easy choice after seeing her audition on Zoom alongside costar Melissa Barrera.

“She’s remarkable. She’s talented and professional and engaged and excited, but still a kid. She just delivered," Sherak told Philippines news outlet PageOne.

So, who is Alisha Weir? Keep reading to learn more about this talented teen and her role in the new horror flick.

She grew up in Ireland

Weir was born in 2009 and grew up in Dublin, Ireland. There, she started her acting career on the stage of the Talented Kids & MVW Talent Agency's 10th Anniversary Show, an annual event held by her drama school, the Talented Kids Performing Arts School & Agency. She appeared in her first film, Don't Leave Home, in 2018.

She's the youngest of three

The young actress has two older sisters, Katie and Emma Jane, who are also interested in the performing arts.

"Her eldest sister Katie has just graduated from musical theatre in college," Weir's mom Jenny told the Irish Examiner in November 2022. "And the middle child, Emma Jane, just started UCD doing film, music, and drama as well. The three of them have a passion for it."

The Matilda actress also seems to be quite close with her older sisters, and she often appears in Katie's TikTok videos.

She cried the moment she landed the role of Matilda

Weir was sitting with her family when she received a surprising Zoom call from Matilda the Musical director Matthew Warchus.

"He told me I got the part, and my whole family was there," Weir told the Irish Examiner. "My two sisters, my mom and dad, and I just burst into tears because I don't think you can expect what kind of reaction you're going to get in that situation. I burst into tears because I just couldn't believe it."

Her sister Katie caught the moment on camera and posted it on TikTok. The sweet clip has received over 1.8 million likes since then.

She starred alongside Emma Thompson

In 2021, Netflix revealed that the film version of the Tony Award-winning Matilda the Musical cast Emma Thompson as Miss Agatha Trunchbull, the evil school principal.

In an interview with Sunday World, Weir recalled meeting and working with Thompson.

"The first time I met Emma, she wasn't in costume, and she was so lovely," Weir said. "Then I saw her as Trunchbull, and she was terrifying. I'm tiny compared to her in these huge boots. It was really scary because she is so good at the part and makes it feel so realistic, but after the scene, she is lovely again."

Weir's affection for Thompson appears to have extended past filming, with the teen sharing snaps of the two together at the New York City premiere of Matilda. "I love these pictures so so much ❤️❤️," Weir wrote in the caption.

Along with Thompson, Matilda the Musical also stars Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey and Stephen Graham as Matilda's father.

She's a talented singer

Weir isn't only an actress; she's a singer too. Before becoming Matilda, Weir appeared on The Late Late Toy Show and performed a rendition of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" in 2017.

She also sings on the tracks "Miracle," "Naughty," "When I Grow Up" and "Quiet" from the Matilda the Musical soundtrack.

Her mother Jenny told the Irish Examiner of Weir's musical talents, "She was always natural to it. She used to follow the girls around, singing. She used to go into the singing classes with the two girls, and she would know all the words of all the songs, as if she was doing the class herself."

She starred in a film with Olivia Colman

While Matilda may be her biggest role to date, Weir is set to star in more motion pictures. She also appears in the comedy Wicked Little Letters, which was released in theaters on March 29, 2024. The film features Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley and Oscar winner Olivia Colman.

"I play Jessie Buckley's daughter, and it was so amazing," Weir told the Irish Examiner. "It was completely different to Matilda. I love seeing how different it can be working on different sets with different people."

She plays the titular character in the 2024 horror movie Abigail

In Abigail, which hits theaters on April 19, 2024, Weir joins a cast that includes Barrera and Giancarlo Esposito. The movie also stars the late Angus Cloud in one of his final roles before his July 2023 death.

"After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight," the movie's official synopsis reads. "In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl."

During an appearance on Good Day Atlanta, Weir admitted that she was curious if filming a horror movie would be "really scary" like it can be while watching one, but she discovered that the opposite was true.

"It’s fun, and it’s crazy, and it’s bloody. But it’s exciting, and it’s the complete opposite of scary, honestly," she said.