For most of the world, movies are a means of escapist entertainment, but for a select few the act of bringing a story to the screen is a professional passion. Louisiana has earned the title of “Hollywood South” with dozens of movies being filmed on location since tax incentives in the early 1990s lured the film industry to the state. Amid the rising demand for new movies and television, more Louisianians are competing for an opportunity to work in these projects than ever before. One young actress in particular from the city of New Orleans has been reaching extraordinary heights in her film career. Her name is Madison Wolfe.

Wolfe was born in Metairie, Louisiana, in October 2002. She graduated valedictorian from Archbishop Chapelle High School in May 2021. When Wolfe was only seven she found herself captivated by acting after interacting with a promotional booth at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans for a local performing arts school. After that fateful visit to the booth, Wolfe’s aunt suggested to her niece that she pursue acting classes, and soon enough, the aspiring young actress signed up for lessons and dedicated time to learning the skills.

After many hours of practice, Wolfe began to audition for movies. In a short time span, Wolfe has accumulated several top-tier credits in several big-budget movies and has established herself as a competitive pick for production companies.

Wolfe’s breakout role was playing Dodie Lee in the 2012 adventure drama On the Road, a film adaption of the 1957 novel by Jack Kerouac. Though the film has grossed a whopping $8.7 million dollars in sales worldwide since it’s limited release in theaters, it also received mixed reviews and sits at a low 44-precent approval rate on rottentomatoes.com. Wolfe went on to play the role of Jessica Brady, the daughter of main character Cam Brady (Will Farrell), in the 2012 political satire The Campaign. Grossing a total of $104.9 million dollars, this movie by Warner Bros. Pictures was very successful.

Moving forward to 2016, Wolfe landed her first major lead role in the highly anticipated supernatural horror film The Conjuring 2. Directed by James Wan, this Warner Brothers picture quickly became iconic in the genre and a must-watch for horror fans. Wolfe played Janet Hodgson, a young woman who becomes possessed after tooling with a homemade Ouija board in London. Based on a true story, the movie follows Ed and Lorraine Warren as they investigate paranormal activity in the Hodgson home and Janet’s possession by a poltergeist. The Conjuring 2 became the highest grossing horror film of 2016 with $320 million dollars in sales, and the second highest grossing horror film or all time, just behind 1976’s horror classic The Exorcist which has totaled $428 million since its release. In 2017, The Conjuring 2 won Best Horror Sequel in the iHorror Awards.

“Janet Hodgson holds a special place in my heart and this role was monumental to my career,” said Wolfe during an interview. She confessed that the most difficult aspect of working in the film industry is “the workload of course,” she said. “It’s hefty. On average I work thirteen to fourteen-hour days, five days a week memorizing lines and filming scenes. Keeping motivation and staying focused is key to my handling the workload.”

Wolfe adds that acting is “a very competitive business, some companies see hundreds of boys and girls for a singular part. The golden rule is to work hard, nail the audition and forget about it afterwards.”

Currently, Wolfe is based in Shreveport where she is cast in The Man in The White Van, which is expected to premiere in the summer of 2022. Set in Florida in 1974, this true-crime, Hitchcockian thriller about an ominous white van that begins stalking a young girl leads to a terrifying Halloween nightmare.

Wolfe’s real-life coming-of-age story as a young actress in the film industry is particularly inspiring to young actors who dream of careers in film. A chance encounter on one average day at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans led to unexpected success on the big screen.

For more information about Wolfe’s movie roles, visit the website for IMDb.