Sydney Sweeney's Obscure Movie Debut Is Streaming For Free On Tubi

Kevin Hamedani's 2010 horror comedy "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction" (unrelated to the 2008 comic book series by Kevin Grevioux) doesn't quite fulfill the promise of its title. Made in the shadow of George W. Bush's administration, "ZMD" explores ultra-right wing "patriotism" (read: xenophobia) during a zombie outbreak in a small town in Washington state. The film's protagonists are an Iranian woman named Frida (Janette Armand) and a couple named Lance and Tom (Cooper Hopkins and Doug Fahl), all of whom have returned to their small hometown for personal reasons. When zombies begin attacking, a televised Middle Eastern terrorist group claims responsibility. The locals immediately begin to look at Frida with suspicion, and a "patriot" will end up nailing her foot to the floor, thinking she has information on the zombies. 

Meanwhile, Lance and Tom hole up in a church with seemingly helpful churchgoers, but soon find the churchgoers are anti-queer bigots who aim to torture their queerness out of them. It should be noted that "ZMD" is a broad comedy film, and the prejudices and horrors encountered by the protagonists are intended to be satirical. Even during a zombie outbreak, a time when survivors need to band together, cooperate, and protect one another, bigots can't let go of their prejudices. In all cases, the bigots get their comeuppance. 

The film's dark comedy tone is exemplified by the cameo of a young girl named Lisa. Frida encounters Lisa, who is about 12 years old, out in the middle of a field at night. She is crying and scared at the horror wrought by the zombies. Frida takes her hand, comforting her, promising that nothing bad will happen. The pair begin their run to safety. They barely run 30 feet, however, when a rogue pickup truck squeals by, thwacking into the young Lisa, killing her. Frida is left clinging on to Lisa's bloody, severed arm.

And, yes, Lisa was played by a 12-year-old Sydney Sweeney.

Sweeney began pursuing a professional acting career at a very young age. The story goes that she was an extra in a small indie production that filmed in her childhood hometown of Spokane, Washington, and she was bitten by the acting bug. She explained to her parents that she wanted to be an actress, but knew they might object to the financial risks involved in such a profession. As such, Sweeney, only about 12, laid out a complex financial plan on how she would make a living while also pursuing acting. By age 13, she was living in Los Angeles, pursuing acting full time. She began her career swiftly, appearing on hit TV shows like "Heroes" (playing "Little Girl") and "90210" (playing "Girl"). 

In the middle of all that, Sweeney made "ZMD." (And to be fair, this is not her worst movie ... at least according to IMDb.) She wasn't required to do a lot. She cried and lamented her fallen parents before running off with Frida. Her death was achieved through CGI, so she wasn't even present for her own death scene. Her "ZMD" clip was shown on "The Tonight Show," and she was embarrassed, saying that she had never actually seen the finished movie, and figured she was only 10 or 11 when she shot it. 

Of course, thanks to the gods of streaming, "ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction" is now widely available to any and all curious souls. This instant, you, dear readers, can tune into Tubi and watch the entire movie. Sweeney's scene is about 32 minutes in. Her entire screentime isn't much more than 60 seconds, and her only lines are "Help," "mommy, daddy," and "Lisa." 

But, hey, everyone has to start somewhere. Sweeney is, as we all now know, one of the most in-demand actresses working, and her many, many ad campaigns have generated interest, conversation, and political controversy. She is currently starring in and producing a high-profile biopic called "Christy" about Christy Martin, and will soon return to HBO for the hit series "Euphoria." And to think, it all started with zombies.