Molly Cartwright joined The Conjuring horror franchise when she played Shannon Smurl in the recent release of The Conjuring: Last Rites, which marked her first major feature film release. In the film, Molly worked alongside Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who reprise their roles of Lorraine and Ed Warren, and her on-screen parents Jack and Janet, played by Elliot Cowan and Rebecca Calder, and she reunited with some of the cast for the London screening in August and she held a meet and greet at Cineworld on release night in September. It has been announced that Molly will be in the comedy horror film The Scurry as Alice Cross, with Ella Purnell and Rhys Ifans also in the cast and Craig Roberts directing, and on 11th November, she has an upcoming unannounced project releasing. For Molly’s portrayal of Tallulah in short film Our Tallulah, she won Best Actress in a Short Film at the 2025 Cannes World Film Festival. Answering our questions, Molly talked to us about playing Shannon Smurl in the recent release of The Conjuring: Last Rites, being announced to play Alice Cross in comedy horror film The Scurry and how it felt winning the Best Actress in a Short Film award at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for her starring role in Our Tallulah.

You can be seen in the recent release of The Conjuring: Last Rites as Shannon Smurl, how did you feel finding out you’d booked the role and you’d be joining a hugely popular horror franchise?

It was all a bit of a whirlwind! The audition process was quite long, from my first tape early summer, I then had a series of Zoom calls, in person auditions and chemistry reads and then about a two-week wait! I was then in the car with my mum going to Les Misérables rehearsals with my youth theatre group – KYTE, and my agent called with what she said was ‘feedback’. My mum parked up the car and we called her back and she just dropped the bombshell that I’d booked the role! I couldn’t believe it, my mum cried and I was just so happy! I’d obviously never seen one of The Conjuring films as I was nine but I knew how huge they were and how well-loved as I had researched them before the auditions! It was the best feeling and I couldn’t believe it!

What was it like meeting the rest of the cast for the first time and how was it filming alongside returning The Conjuring Universe stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson (who reprised their roles of Lorraine and Ed Warren) and your on-screen family – parents Elliot Cowan and Rebecca Calder, grandparents Peter Wight and Kate Fahy and siblings Beau Gadsdon, Kíla Lord Cassidy and Tilly Walker?

Without doubt, the cast and crew were the best thing about my whole experience.

Patrick and Vera were so lovely – Patrick really made me laugh on set and Vera was so calm and kind, it was an absolute honour to be able to learn from them and see such legends in action!

My Smurl family became like a real family, Tilly and I were like actual sisters and spent every minute of the day with each other – I have a friend for life there. Kíla and Beau were the best, real role models for me as they are older but both making such waves in the industry, I have so much love for them. And Rebecca and Elliot really became like parents, we are still all in touch now and I know I can go to any of them for advice and support, which is so special! We just had so much fun, which is important as our scenes could be so intense!

Also, a special shoutout to Mia Tomlinson and Ben Hardy, who were amazing to work alongside. Mia is an absolute Queen and made me feel so at ease in my big scenes and Ben was so much fun – we even made a special handshake!

How would you describe Shannon Smurl and can you tell us about The Conjuring: Last Rites?

What I loved about Shannon and the Smurls in general was they were just a normal family. Shannon was a young girl who was just trying to be a kid, playing with her dolls and her sister – but she got thrown into this crazy situation. It was a lot of fun and a real learning experience for me bringing that reality to life in an authentic way! I learnt so much and really hope it felt real to the audiences.

The Conjuring: Last Rites is a story about a real family trying to survive the unthinkable, and central to that is these amazing people who come to help them. There’s a lot of love amongst the horror and that makes it super special!

What was Shannon like to play and was there anything you found most challenging about the character?

I could really relate to Shannon and that’s how I try and play all of my roles – I put myself in their situation. It was great as I had so much support around me being one of four sisters!

It was challenging doing the big scare scene as some of the effects were done after shooting the scene so I really had to use my imagination and take direction from Michael Chaves, who was brilliant! He really brought the story to life so I could see what he wanted.

It’s also hard as some of our scenes were so intense and then they were like – right – off to tutoring as soon as we cut, so I had to keep flipping between being Molly and being Shannon – that could be exhausting!

How did you find the experience on set of a horror film and how was it having this as your first major feature film release?

I love being on set, it is my favourite place to be. Acting is my heart and to be able to step foot onto such an iconic set was such an honour! The thing about horror is everything is extra, everyone does their best work – HMU is extra, sets are extra (we had an actual basement flooded with blood) so it’s a lot of fun!

The release has been crazy, I’ve been to fan screenings, premieres, done interviews and had so much love that it has been a real roller coaster – but the best! To be able to list this as my first professional credit feels like a dream!

What are some of your favourite memories from filming for The Conjuring: Last Rites?

Definitely the people and meeting so many legends who I learnt so much from!

Catering – the food was amazing and the cakes from the craft van were the best!

Spending time with my twin – Tilly, we were so close and it was so special to share this experience with her!

Hair and makeup – my MU artist Bob, who was my best mate, and the whole team made us feel so special every day! The best times were in the HMU van! Also, having my hair done by the legend that is Lisa Tomblin, who even gave me the iconic Star Wars look that she did for Rae!!!

How was it attending the London screening in August with some of your fellow cast members and holding a meet and greet at Cineworld on release night in September?

So much fun, the Conjuring fans are the best and were all so kind to me! When we did the Cineworld release, we did it in my hometown of Barnsley and it was a lot of fun – so many of the fans didn’t believe it was me until they saw me on the trailer and then they were all so proud that a Barnsley girl was in their favourite film!

It has been announced that you will be in the cast of the comedy horror film The Scurry as Alice Cross, is there anything you can tell us about working on the project?

The Scurry was so much fun and, again, I got to work with some absolute legends who were all so kind to me and really helped me develop my skills!

Craig Roberts, who directs, is a genius and everyone was so excited to be working with him!

The cast is genuinely insane and it is hilarious when you tell people the plot line – killer squirrels – their faces are like whaaaat! But it’s going to be brilliant!

I had to do a lot of effects acting with tennis balls and green screen, which was an amazing experience and taught me some really unique skills! I cannot wait to see the trailer as it’s going to be a crazy one!

What was it like being directed by Craig Roberts and being in the cast alongside actors such as Ella Purnell and Rhys Ifans?

Craig was great, he is such a talent and you could tell how much everyone on set admires him! And the cast – wow – what a list! Ella Purnell, Rhys Ifans, Paapa Essiedu, John Macmillan, Gwyneth Keyworth, Antonia Thomas to name a few – and they were all so kind and supportive. I feel directors and cast really shape the actor you are – so how lucky am I to have learnt from so many awesome artists so early in my career!

How was your time playing Tallulah in the short film Our Tallulah and what was the story like to tell?

It was such an honour to be offered this role, especially as it is such an important and heartfelt story. Tallulah has been through a lot and then experiences a huge loss in her life and tackling her emotions at such a hard moment in her life was a huge challenge. Stephen Lord, who directed me, was such a mentor though and really helped me discover that part of myself to be able to reach such deep emotions.

Was there anything that drew you to the role of Tallulah and can you tell us about the film?

The script was so real, and the way it has been shot is incredible and I got to work with an incredible crew, which was important especially as I was the only cast for most of the film! It was a challenging script so being surrounded by people I trusted was super special.

Tallulah was special to me as I could really relate to what she was going through as I had lost my granny shortly before filming. That meant I could really draw on my own grief and loss to bring realness to the role and I dedicated my performance to my granny.

How did you feel hearing that you’d won the award for Best Actress in a Short Film at the 2025 Cannes World Film Festival?

It was so special – especially as the news was given to me at a live interview before a screening of The Conjuring: Last Rites at my hometown cinema! So to get such amazing news in front of my family and friends made it all the more special!

How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?

I have always loved acting, and started when I was very young, performing on stage for the first time when I was five! It’s definitely my happy place and I really hope to continue doing it as my career.

What films and TV shows do you enjoy watching?

I love Disney films and am especially excited for the new Wicked film! I love this film so much and especially love the two powerhouse female leads – so great to see girl power leading such en epic production!

Do you have a favourite aspect of being an actor?

Being able to explore different lives and worlds is my favourite part – it’s like dreaming with your eyes open!

How do you like to spend your free time?

I love dancing and singing and do that competitively. I also love spending time with my friends and my two cats!

What are you hoping 2026 brings for your career, and do you have any projects coming up that you can speak about?

I have an exciting project coming out on my birthday – 11th November, which I can’t wait for people to see!

I would love the opportunity to get back on a film set so have everything crossed that a new opportunity arises for me.

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