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Kathryn Newton is a star on the rise. With an impressive list of credits —including Gary Unmarried, Supernatural, Bad Teacher, and Paranormal Activity 4— already under her belt, this year she's playing with some major Hollywood players. On her 2017 goals/to-do list are things like eating healthier (laying off the hot Cheetos) and keeping her social media channels "as real as possible." But the most exciting task right now is promoting her biggest role to-date as Abigail Mackenzie in the new HBO series, Big Little Lies (premiering February 19th), alongside Reese Witherspoon. "I got the audition in my email and said to myself, 'No, there's no way…' But I went. Every audition is an exercise, so I put in 100 percent. I watched Dallas Buyers Club and Wild. After the audition, I was told I had a callback. I had to be mean for the role. My character doesn't succumb to societal means of what a girl should be. So, I had to stand against the wall, chewed the piece of gum and flipped the camera off." A short period of time later, she was sitting at a table read with Reese and an impressive group of respectable actors, including Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley, who were all about to start shooting this highly anticipated series in Malibu. "There was no time to be starstruck because I had to be ready to go. The first scene I did with Reese was really intimate. Everything about her being "Reese Witherspoon" went away once the cameras started rolling. It was just her and I in that moment. It was then that I learned what it meant to be an actor." Not only was this her first opportunity working with some of the biggest actors in the business, but her character is unlike anything the 20-year-old actress has ever portrayed before. "For this role, I really got the chance to play someone new. The audition really challenged me because the character is a man repeller. She's so much more than just an emo kid with lots of makeup and that was extremely cool to play." Filming everything from an HBO series to popular TV dramas and horror films has provided tons of experience and interesting on-set stories. "[Paranormal Activity 4] was one of the most artistically free films I've ever done. We actually shot enough footage for seven films. Every day I went there it was like playtime and a majority of the lines were improvisation. It was really cool because I got to learn a lot about stunts and camera work as well. Sometimes I was the only one in the house holding the camera. I was making an intimate film with really cool people." Kathryn has been working nonstop since a NYC trip with her airplane pilot mother resulted in her landing her first gig, at the tender age of four, as Colby Chandler on the popular soap opera, All My Children. Since then, free time has been hard to come by, but when the star does get a chance to relax, you can find her on the greens teeing off. Since taking her first steps in Miami's Matheson & Hammock Park as a baby, and spending a fair amount of her childhood at The Biltmore and Granada Golf Courses in Coral Gables, golf has become a significant part of her life. "I learned to play from my dad when I was eight. I loved having my dad caddy for me and it was then that I really learned how to win. I went on to join my high school team and my goal is to one day have my own tournament. Every year [that] I qualify for a tournament, I land another film, so I haven't been able to play as much." Leaving behind the peace and quiet of Coral Gables for the hustle and bustle of school in Los Angeles —with tons of students who are "super competitive and on their A-game at all times"— has definitely presented its challenges, as well as tons of new opportunities. "I'm very thankful for the projects I've been able to work on so far. I have two more films coming out this year – Lady Bird, directed by Greta Gerwig, who I'm a huge fan of and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, which I got to act with Frances McDormand —how intimidating and such an honor!" As if all that isn't enough to look forward to this year, the actress hinted at receiving exciting news the day after the New Year and noted that this type of thing "doesn't happen very often." "I can't say yet, but it's really exciting. I got the call with my mom and once we heard, my agent and manager said, "Did you hear what we said?" Then we were screaming at the top of our lungs." ML Keep up with Kathryn on Twitter: @KathrynLNewton, Facebook: KathrynNewtonOfficial and Instagram: @Kathrynlnewton.