All About 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret?' Star Abby Ryder Fortson

Abby Ryder Fortson is Hollywood's newest rising star.

With big projects like Ant-Man and Transparent already under her belt, the 15-year-old's first lead role will be in the 2023 film adaptation of Judy Blume's infamous 1970 novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

The news of the long-awaited movie was released in February 2021, and Fortson was thrilled about the role, which stars opposite Rachel McAdams as her mom, Barbara Simon, and Kathy Bates as grandmother Sylvia Simon.

"So honored and excited to bring Margaret to life with such an amazing team," Fortson wrote on Instagram when she was announced as the star of the adaptation.

"Abby is the kind of extraordinarily rare talent that comes along once a generation," writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig said in a statement, per The Wrap. "The minute she walked in the room, she knocked us off our feet with her humor, vitality and instantly lovable presence. We knew we'd found Margaret."

Read on for everything to know about Abby Ryder Fortson.

She has famous parents

Fortson was born in Burbank, California, on March 14, 2008, to parents Christie Lynn Smith and John Fortson. Smith is an actress known for her many guest-starring roles in hit shows like Bones, Malcolm in the Middle, General Hospital and more.

Meanwhile, Fortson's dad is an award-winning writer, director and actor. In fact, his directorial debut, the 2016 film Rated, stars him, his wife, his son and his daughter!

Smith is so proud of her daughter for following in her acting footsteps and was often seen alongside Fortson on her press tour for Are You There God?. Alongside a photo from an event in March, she wrote, "Me and my girl Abby ❤️ I'll always be here for you! Proudest mom ever!"

Her brother is her bestie

Fortson is an older sister to brother Joshua Taylor Fortson, who was born on Dec. 22, 2012.

"Abby keeps saying, 'He's so cute,' " Smith told SheKnows at the time. "She's so sweet and gentle with him. She even gives him skin to skin tummy time in the morning in our bed. She is always looking for some way to help out. It is still a big change for her."

These days, Fortson and Joshua are still best friends. "Love my brother! He's hilarious!" Fortson wrote alongside a silly photo from lunch together in April 2022. He's equally fond of his sister, and especially her latest role. "My big sister Abby!" he wrote beside the poster of Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret in February 2023. "I'm so proud of you!"

Her acting career started at 5 years old

Fortson has been acting since she was just 5 years old. "I did The Whispers, that I starred in with Lily Rabe when I was 5," she told Inside the Magic in 2018. "That was my first TV show, and it was [produced by] Steven Spielberg."

Since then, she's taken on many TV and film projects, including Transparent, Togetherness, Trolls: The Beat Goes On, Duck Tales, and, most famously, two Ant-Man films.

"Meeting new people and reading scripts — that's my favorite part of acting," she told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. "I really like to pretend I'm a different character. I get to feel emotions that another person wouldn't feel because they're not that character."

Her impressive work even earned her the Rising Star award at CinemaCon in May 2022. "THANK YOU so much @cinemacon for the incredible honor of this award," she wrote on Instagram beside a photo of her holding the award. "I am so grateful to everyone that made this dream come true!!!"

Her Marvel role was recast

One of Fortson's most notable roles to date is her portrayal of the young Cassie Lang in the first and second Ant-Man films — Ant-Man in 2015 and Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018.

"I auditioned in my hallway and then I went in for the callback," she recalled to Inside the Magic. "My first audition is actually on YouTube. It was really fun to audition for it, and I really wanted to get the role, but I have no idea why casting chose me, or how they chose me, or anything inside of that."

Fortson was particularly excited about the role because she felt like she had "so much in common" with the superhero daughter character. "We both like soccer, we're both independent, we both really want to be superheroes, we're both strong, we're both kind, we're both sweet, we're both funny, and we both love our dads," she explained.

The character actually goes on to become a superhero herself in the comic book series, and Fortson wanted to keep the role until that point. "I really hope that I get to play Stature," she said. "I think it would be so cool to have the suit and just become a superhero … fight bad guys!"

Unfortunately, because of a time jump in the plotline, the character of Cassie Lang was recast for the Avengers: Endgame and Ant-Man 3 films. However, the spirit she brought to the character will live on thanks to her successor Kathryn Newton.

"Abby was so cute and joyful and just magical in both movies," Newton told Looper. "So we thought about her a lot … She still has that same spark of energy, that joy, that love and a big, big heart."

She's an amateur baker

Fortson may be killing it in the acting world, but she has another passion: baking! The actress loves making vegan goodies in her downtime.

"My dream is to bake on the @britishbakeoff," she wrote in April 2021 beside an Instagram photo holding a vegan orange cake with Italian meringue buttercream and marzipan roses.

"I know it's a little messy, but I did the best I could without a piping bag," she wrote. Fortson said the cake was inspired by Great British Baking Show contestant Kim-Joy, and the star actually commented her approval: "Looks tasty!"

She's crazy about her dog

When she's not acting, baking, or spending time with her family, Fortson loves hanging out with her dog, Thomas. The family adopted the lab mix from the Mae Day Los Angeles Dog Rescue, and he quickly became an important member of the family.

For Christmas in 2020, Fortson's mom commissioned a custom pair of Vans with her dog painted on each one. "One side is him as a puppy and the other side is him as a 2 year old!" she wrote on Instagram. "Best Christmas present ever from my MOM."