Cailee Spaeny's feature film debut was the late sequel to Pacific Rim, the follow-up to Guillermo del Toro's beloved action and sci-fi production. Pacific Rim: Uprising did not reach the same heights as its acclaimed predecessor, but it gave Spaeny her first major role alongside two other young prospects: John Boyega and Scott Eastwood.
Released in the same year, it can be argued that Bad Times at the El Royale is the film that really put Spaeny on the map, even if it wasn't as a protagonist. Directed by Drew Goddard (of the cult classic The Cabin in the Woods), it is an ensemble thriller where seven strangers, each with dangerous secrets, converge at a hotel during the 1960s, with dire consequences. Spaeny shared credits here with actors of the caliber of Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Xavier Dolan, Nick Offerman, Dakota Johnson, and Chris Hemsworth.
Cailee Spaeny's first proper leading role came with The Craft: Legacy, a legacy sequel to the '90s cult classic The Craft. Nobody really asked for it, and unfortunately, it was a box office flop, but it gave the actress her first opportunity to shine in a leading role.
Although technically filmed after Civil War (a movie in which she shared the screen with another Sofia Coppola star collaborator, Kirsten Dunst), Priscilla is the film that not only established Cailee Spaeny as a serious and capable actress but also as one of the best of her generation. Full of nuances, her portrayal of Priscilla Presley, throughout her entire relationship with Elvis (Jacob Elordi), earned her the prestigious Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival, an award that has been received by actresses of the caliber of Isabelle Huppert, Katharine Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Penélope Cruz, among others.
