Cassandra Naud
Cassandra Naud | |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 April 1992 |
| Alma mater | American Musical and Dramatic Academy (BFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2015–present |
Cassandra Naud (born 16 April 1992) is a Canadian actress.[1] She starred in the horror film Influencer (2022) and its sequel Influencers (2025).
Early life
Naud was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta.[2]
Naud was born with a large nevus under her right eye. Her parents decided against removing it after doctors informed them that the procedure was "risky."[3][4][5] She has stated she experienced extensive bullying as a child due to her nevus.[3][4][5]
Naud started dancing at the age of five. She later attended the Bachelor of Fine Arts program for dance and theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Los Angeles, from which she graduated in 2014.[5]
Career
In 2015, Naud became prominent after an article about her refusal to remove her birthmark was published in the Daily Mail.[5] The resulting exposure helped her book a role in the music video for Leona Lewis's single "Fire Under My Feet" after the director read the Daily Mail article and asked her to audition.[5] Naud later appeared in the 2023 Christmas slasher It's a Wonderful Knife alongside Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, and Justin Long.[6]
In 2022, she starred as a character named CW in the horror film Influencer. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Naud's performance. Phil Hoad of The Guardian wrote that Naud "holds her own as a kind of social media Tom Ripley",[7] and Brandon Yu of The New York Times wrote that "Naud and Saper prove strong leads as their characters try to read each other between the likes."[8] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com her performance "great" and wrote that the film "belongs to Naud, who can be both captivating and terrifying in the same beat."[9] For her role in Influencer, Naud won a Bloodie Award for Best Lead Performance in a feature film at that year's Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival.[10]
In 2025, Naud reprised the role of CW in a sequel titled Influencers.[11] For her role in Influencers, Naud was nominated for another Bloodie Award in the same category which she previously won.[12]
In June 2025, Naud joined the cast of Mike Flanagan's upcoming miniseries Carrie, based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King.[13]
Filmography
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | A Cinderella Story: Christmas Wish | Elf Performer | |
| 2021 | A Cinderella Story: Starstruck | Hoedown Dancer #9 | |
| 2023 | Influencer | CW | |
| It's a Wonderful Knife | Karen Simmons | [14] | |
| 2025 | Influencers | CW / "Catherine Weaver" |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | See | Shadow Warrior #1 | "Plastic" (season 1; episode 5)
"Silk" (season 1; episode 6) "The Lavender Road" (season 1; episode 7) |
| 2020 | Loudermilk | Cappuccino | "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (season 3; episode 4)
"Should Have Known Better" (season 3; episode 9) |
| Snowpiercer | Fiona | Episode: "These Are His Revolutions" (season 1; episode 8) | |
| 2025 | Tracker | Margo Webster | Episode: "Angel" (season 3; episode 6) |
| TBA | Carrie † | TBA | In production |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Fire Under My Feet" | Leona Lewis |
Accolades
| Award / Festival | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival | 2022 | Best Lead Acting Performance in a Feature | Influencer | Won | [10] |
| 2025 | Influencers | Nominated | [12] | ||
| FilmQuest | 2022 | Best Actress | Influencer | Nominated | [15] |
| Whistler Film Festival | 2025 | UBCP/ACTRA Northern Star Award | Influencers | Won | [16] |
References
- ^ "Cassandra Naud". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ Volmers, Eric (9 June 2023). "Calgarian's horror film Influencer a cautionary tale about online manipulation". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b Olya, Gabrielle (9 April 2015). "Dancer Cassandra Naud with Birthmark on Face Embraces Her Beauty". People. Archived from the original on 28 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b Rutherford-Morrison, Lara (3 April 2015). "Woman Refuses To Remove Large Facial Birthmark". Bustle. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Holmes, Kathryn (8 February 2016). "Cassandra Naud Is Making Her Mark on the Dance World". Dance Spirit. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ White, James (28 April 2023). "Freaky Writer's Next Slasher Mash-Up Is It's A Wonderful Knife". Empire. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Hoad, Phil (25 May 2023). "Influencer review – smart thriller about Instagrammers in mortal peril". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Yu, Brandon (25 May 2023). "'Influencer' Review: Reading Between the Likes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (26 May 2023). "Influencer movie review & film summary (2023) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ a b "The 2022 Bloodies Awards". Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ Lipsett, Joe (28 July 2025). "'Influencers' Review – Shudder Sequel Provides a Great Game of Cat and Mouse [Fantasia 2025]". Bloody Disgusting.
- ^ a b "2025 Bloodies - Awards Nominees". Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (10 June 2025). "Kate Siegel, Michael Trucco, Katee Sackhoff, Rahul Kohli, Tim Bagley & Heather Graham Among New Additions To Amazon's 'Carrie' TV Series". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ Squires, John (27 April 2023). "'It's a Wonderful Knife' – A Christmas Slasher from 'Freaky' Writer and 'Tragedy Girls' Director!". Bloody Disgusting!. Archived from the original on 12 October 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "2022 Award Winners & Nominees – FilmQuest". FilmQuest. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ "WFF25 Anniversary Awards » Whistler Film Festival". Whistler Film Festival. 6 December 2025.