Amie Donald

Amie Donald
Donald in 2024
Born (2010-01-28) 28 January 2010 (age 15)
New Zealand
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
Years active2021–present

Amie Donald (born 28 January 2010)[1][2][3] is a New Zealand child actress and dancer known for starring as the title character in the 2022 horror film M3GAN.[4][5]

Career

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Donald is a dancer[6] who has performed in international competitions.[4] She represented New Zealand at the Dance World Cup in 2019,[5] where she was the first competitor from her country to win medals: a silver and a bronze.[1] She dances at Norris Dance Studios in Papakura.[7] Kylie Norris, her long-term dance teacher and choreographer, developed the M3GAN dance scene with her while filming was done in Auckland.[8]

Donald began her acting career by appearing as Maya Monkey in the Netflix TV series Sweet Tooth in 2021.[9] She is represented by the Bubblegum Talent Agency.[10]

In the 2022 film, M3GAN, Donald starred as the titular character alongside a cast with Allison Williams and fellow child star Violet McGraw.[6][11] The trailer for M3GAN went viral due to significant coverage regarding Donald's dance moves and physicality as the killer doll in the film.[6] Donald received movement coaching for the film from Jed Brophy and Luke Hawker.[6] The character's voice in the film was provided by actress Jenna Davis. In the film, Donald "performed her own stunts and co-choreographed the killer dance sequence from the film that went viral on TikTok".[4] Donald also surprised directors by figuring out how to do certain difficult movements on her own, such as a "cobra rise" from the ground without using her arms, and running through the woods on all fours.[4][12] /Film wrote of Donald's acting that "it's that human performance that really takes the creation from mildly creepy to terrifying... much of M3GAN's physicality came directly from Donald".[12] The Hollywood Reporter noted that Donald and co-star McGraw became close friends during the filming.[13] Donald reprised the role for the 2025 sequel, M3GAN 2.0.[14]

Personal life

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Donald lives in Auckland, New Zealand.[1]

Filmography

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Television and film roles
Year Title Role Notes
2021–2024 Sweet Tooth Maya Monkey / Wolf Boy #2 TV series
2022 M3GAN M3GAN Film
2025 M3GAN 2.0

References

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  1. ^ a b c Casey, Alex (16 January 2023). "Meet the New Zealand girl behind the creepy viral M3GAN dance". The Spinoff. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  2. ^ "M3GAN Star Amie Donald on Dancing Her Way Into Our Nightmares". 20 March 2023.
  3. ^ @amiedonald_nz; (28 January 2010). "Happy 11th Birthday to our little sausage Amie 🥰 Wishing you a fabulous day gorgeous girl 😘😘😘 Love Mum Dad Cam Bear and Pepe ❤️". Retrieved 14 August 2025 – via Instagram.
  4. ^ a b c d Yamato, Jen (7 January 2023). "Puppets, fake tears, an 11-year-old dance phenom: How 'M3GAN's' killer doll came to life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b Acuna, Kirsten (8 January 2023). "The viral dance scene in 'M3gan' wasn't in the original movie script". Business Insider. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d Bevan, Darren (13 October 2022). "New Zealand child dancer the star of a new horror movie trailer that's been viewed by millions". Newshub. Archived from the original on 12 October 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  7. ^ Sharma, Heena (6 January 2023). "Meet the cast of M3gan, a sci-fi horror movie set to hit theatres today". WION. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  8. ^ Monteil, Abby (17 January 2023). "Meet the Mastermind Behind the M3GAN Dance". Them. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  9. ^ Tsintziras, Aya (6 October 2022). "M3GAN: Everything We Know So Far About The Upcoming Blumhouse Horror Film". Game Rant. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  10. ^ Tisdale, Jennifer (12 October 2022). "James Wan's Obsession With Dolls Continues With 'M3GAN' — Who Is Playing the Titular Role?". Distractify. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  11. ^ Panaligan, EJ (11 October 2022). "'M3GAN' Trailer Introduces a Killer Robot Child Thirsty for Blood and Mayhem". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b Ryan, Danielle; Shaw-Williams, Hannah (11 January 2023). "M3GAN Actor Amie Donald Did Her Own Creepy Stunts, Including Running On All Fours". /Film. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  13. ^ Gardner, Chris (9 December 2022). "'M3GAN' Premiere Featured Eight Look-Alike Dolls Dancing to Taylor Swift Song in Now-Viral Moment". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  14. ^ "How 'M3GAN 2.0' Doubled Down on its Very Gay, Very Online Fanbase". The Hollywood Reporter.
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