Serenity is 9 years old and has been seen co-starring on Surface (Apple TV), Not Dead Yet (ABC), That Girl LayLay (Nickelodeon) as Young Sadie as well as guest starring on season 5 of the NBC hit show, Magnum PI, as Mia Carter. In March, she appeared in the indie films We're All Gonna Die (a SWSX official selection) as Amber and 47 Days with Jesus (which was in select theaters March 11 and will be on DVD in June) as Brenda. Serenity has filmed over 24 commercials for: Blues Clues/Cox HomeLife, Baby Shark, Hilton, Paw Patrol, EBO, Litti Toys, Matchbox, Toy Story, Barbie, TCM (Turner Classic Movies), Walmart/Sharper Image, Perfect Snacks, Home Depot, Ross, Palmetto Solar, Tadiran, Dish Network, Progressive, Discover Card, Kinder Farms, Walmart, Cadillac, and Jack in the Box. Serenity was RECURRING as Lila Walters in the popular podcast, Cascadia. She also voiced a character in the horror podcast Ice-Cream. She is proud to have completed over 200 hours of community service in the last 2 years-many hours having served the LA homeless community. Serenity is a former MISS ELEMENTARY AMERICA and is the reigning LITTLE MISS UNITED STATES.
What is it like being an actress at such a young age?
“I LOVE ACTING!! I STARTED ACTING AT AGE 6, AFTER A YEAR OF MODELING AND DOING BACKGROUND WORK. SOMETIMES THE DAYS ARE LONG WITH LATE NIGHTS, BUT I WOULDN’T CHANGE IT FOR ANYTHING! ACTING AT A YOUNG AGE, I HAVE TO KEEP UP MY GRADES IN ORDER TO GET MY WORK PERMIT SIGNED & I ALWAYS NEED TO BRING 3 HOURS OF SCHOOLWORK TO SET (DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR). I WANT TO CONTINUE ACTING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!”
You have been seen co-starring on Surface (Apple TV), Not Dead Yet (ABC), That Girl Lay Lay (Nickelodeon) as Young Sadie as well as guest starring on season 5 of the NBC hit show, Magnum PI, as Mia Carter. What are some of your favorite memories from filming?
“EVERY SET IS A NEW EXPERIENCE AND A CHANCE TO MAKE NEW MEMORIES! “SURFACE” I FILMED IN SAN FRANCISCO, SO I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE TROLLEY, THE PIER, GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE, AND SUSHI IN CHINATOWN! “NOT DEAD YET” I WILL REMEMBER MEETING GINA RODRIGUEZ & MY AWESOME TRAILER ON SET! “THAT GIRL LAY LAY '' I WILL REMEMBER EVERYTHING I LEARNED BEING ON MY FIRST MULTI-CAM SET ON A SOUNDSTAGE! LASTLY, ON ``MAGNUM P.I.” I HAVE A LOT OF MEMORIES!! I FILMED ON THE BEAUTIFUL ISLAND OF OAHU, HAWAII! IT WAS MY FIRST TIME THERE AND IT WAS AMAZING! I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER CELEBRATING MY 8TH BIRTHDAY AT A HAWAIIAN LUAU, TRICK OR TREAT IN HAWAII, FLYING FIRST CLASS, MY FAMILY COMING OUT TO VACATION AT THE SAME TIME, AND GETTING TO TAKE HOME MY STUFFED ELEPHANT FROM SET THAT I NAMED BARNABUS! “
In March, you will appear in the indie films We're All Gonna Die (a SWSX official selection) as Amber and 47 Days with Jesus (in select theaters March 11) as Brenda. What can you tell us about that?
“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE” IS A SCI-FI FILM THAT WAS MY FIRST FEATURE FILM BOOKING. I ACTUALLY FILMED IT IN DECEMBER 2021 & I PLAY AMBER. IT WAS A SMALL ROLE IN A FLASHBACK SCENE, BUT WAS A FUN EXPERIENCE! “FORTY SEVEN DAYS WITH JESUS” IS A FAITH BASED FILM ABOUT THE LAST 47 DAYS OF JESUS’ LIFE ON EARTH. I FILMED THIS LAST MAY/JUNE 2023 AND I PLAY BRENDA. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN FILMING THIS UP IN THE SANTA BARBARA AREA OVER 3 WEEKS! I HAD AN AMAZING TIME WITH ALL THE CAST & CREW AND LOVED VISITING SOLVANG ON OUR OFF DAYS! IT WAS ALSO FUN TO SEE MYSELF UP ON THE BIG SCREEN AT THE THEATER!”
Are you & your character Brenda alike?
“A LITTLE BIT, YES! BRENDA & I BOTH LIKE SCIENCE, ARE FUNNY, ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS, LOVE SNACKS AND LOVE LEARNING MORE ABOUT JESUS!”
What was the most challenging part about this role?
“THE ROLE ITSELF WAS NOT CHALLENGING FOR ME, BUT WE FILMED A FEW NIGHTS WHEN IT WAS SUPER COLD. SO COLD YOU COULD SEE YOUR BREATH IN THE AIR! SINCE WE WERE FILMING SPRING SCENES, WE WERE IN LIGHTWEIGHT JACKETS & THAT WAS ROUGH! I USED A LOT OF HAND WARMERS & ALSO SAT IN FRONT OF HEATERS IN BETWEEN TAKES!”
You are a former MISS ELEMENTARY AMERICA and is the reigning LITTLE MISS UNITED STATES How did you manage winning these pageants?
“A LOT OF PRACTICE & PREPARATION! I WAS SO EXCITED TO WIN BOTH TITLES, BUT “MISS ELEMENTARY AMERICA” WILL ALWAYS BE SPECIAL TO ME AS IT WAS MY 1ST NATIONAL TITLE! I WON SO MANY AMAZING PRIZES, INCLUDING A $5,000 CASH SCHOLARSHIP! I ALSO MADE SO MANY NEW FRIENDS THAT I STILL TALK TO TODAY!”
Are you competing in any upcoming pageants?
NO. SINCE I AM THE REIGNING “LITTLE MISS UNITED STATES” I WILL HAVE THAT TITLE UNTIL OCTOBER 2024, WHEN I CROWN MY SUCCESSOR IN MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE!
Follow Serenity's social media:
INSTAGRAMS: @serenitygracerussell & @serenityspageants
FACEBOOK: @serenitygracerussell
TIKTOK: @serenitysgrace14
THREADS: @serenitygracerussell
ZIGAZOO: @serenitygracerussell
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