The Secret MVP Of Bones And All Only Has One Other Screen Credit
This piece contains slight spoilers for "Bones and All."
There is absolutely no denying that Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet are the beating hearts of "Bones and All." Their portrayals of teenage cannibals Maren and Lee are truly stunning, with Russell, in particular, delivering a star-making performance. Given how the movie's other actors are all given extremely small parts in comparison to Maren and Lee, it's clear that they are supposed to be the viewer's focus. While the film's subject matter will probably turn off a lot of awards voters, these two actors deserve to be recognized as among the best performers of the year.
However, there is one performer in "Bones and All" that will probably stick with you as much as Russell and Chalamet that isn't as experienced on the screen as the two of them. In fact, she's only done one other movie before this one. Her name is Anna Cobb, and she portrays Kayla, the irritable, yet loving sister of Lee that desperately wants him to come home from his constant drifting. Although only prominently featured in three scenes (with only her voice being heard in one), her performance is one that deserves to be recognized.
A unique talent
Kayla is not a special character outside of being Lee's sister. She's simply a teenage girl in the 1980s, so of course, she's going to be upset at her brother's constant traveling and vague reasons as to why he's even on the road in the first place. She's hurt and upset, but Kayla still loves Lee because he's her brother.
Cobb does a solid job of portraying these complicated emotions, even when she gives Maren an obligatory plot dump. She's perhaps the most naturalistic performer in the entire film – amid the numerous socially-inept eaters' viewers encounter throughout the story, she actually acts like a teenage girl you would encounter at the time.
This is not unlike the young actress's performance in her acting debut, the Sundance horror hit "We're All Going to the World's Fair." In that film, she plays the timid Casey, who struggles with the transformation that occurs after she participates in a bizarre online game. With only two films, Cobb has managed to solidify herself as a master of portraying the complexities of adolescence, a difficult feat to accomplish even for younger actors. Perhaps this is why Kayla's eventual fate in the film is so heartbreaking, despite the viewers not following her often.
Despite her small resume, Cobb is quickly becoming an actress to watch out for. Here's to hoping she has an exciting career ahead, because her small but pivotal performance as Kayla proves she deserves it.
"Bones and All" is now in theaters.