{{Short description|American actress (born 1998)}} {{Infobox person | name = Kayla Cromer | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | image_upright = | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1998|02|17}} | birth_place = San Jose, California, U.S. | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = Actress | years_active = 2015–present | known_for = ''Everything's Gonna Be Okay'' | notable_works = <!-- produces label "Notable work"; may be overridden by |credits=, which produces label "Notable credit(s)"; or by |works=, which produces label "Works"; or by |label_name=, which produces label "Label(s)" --> | height = <!-- "X cm", "X m" or "X ft Y in" plus optional reference (conversions are automatic) --> | television = | awards = }}'''Kayla Cromer''' (born February 17, 1998) is an American actress. In 2020, she began appearing as Matilda in the series ''Everything's Gonna Be Okay''.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/tv/kayla-cromer-deserves-emmy-nod-everythings-gonna-be-okay/|title=Why Kayla Cromer deserves an Emmy nod for her groundbreaking turn in Everything's Gonna Be Okay|date=July 6, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Canfield, David|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707210247/https://ew.com/tv/kayla-cromer-deserves-emmy-nod-everythings-gonna-be-okay/|archive-date=July 7, 2020|url-status=live|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref> She is the first openly autistic actor to play an autistic main character in a TV series.<ref name="TV Overmind" /><ref name="Popsugar" />
==Early life== Cromer was born in San Jose, California, to Pam and Reno Cromer<ref name="TV Overmind">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvovermind.com/kayla-cromer/|title=10 Things You Didn't Know About Kayla Cromer|date=February 3, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Borama, Jennifer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110065427/https://www.tvovermind.com/kayla-cromer/|archive-date=November 10, 2020|url-status=live |website=TV Overmind}}</ref> and grew up in the suburb of Morgan Hill.<ref name="TeenVogue">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kayla-cromer-up-next/|title=Everything's Gonna Be Okay Star Kayla Cromer on Autism Representation and Changing Hollywood|date=January 30, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Bergado, Gabe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200707225050/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/kayla-cromer-up-next/|archive-date=July 7, 2020|url-status=live|magazine=Teen Vogue}}</ref> She became interested in the paranormal when she was nine years old and received her first piece of paranormal investigation equipment at the age of 10 as a Christmas gift.<ref name="TeenVogue"/> Cromer has investigated famous locations such as the RMS ''Queen Mary'' when she was in eighth grade<ref name="TeenVogue"/> and the Winchester Mystery House.<ref name="TV Overmind"/>
Originally wanting to be a criminal profiler with the FBI, she began to desire a career in acting after watching Keira Knightley in ''Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl''.<ref name="TV Overmind"/> In 2017, she moved to Los Angeles to focus on her acting career.<ref name="TeenVogue"/>
==Career== Cromer made her acting debut in the TV series ''South of Hell'' in 2015. She later appeared in the films ''Desert Dwellers'' and ''Blood Orange'', the latter of which she wrote before landing the role of Matilda in ''Everything's Gonna Be Okay''. She was set to appear in a film titled ''Okinawa'' but production was derailed due to the death of the writer and director in 2018. She has also worked as a model.<ref name="Respectability">{{cite web|url=https://www.respectability.org/2020/01/kayla-cromer-everythings-gonna-be-okay/|title=Neurodiverse Actress Kayla Cromer Breaking Barriers in Authentic Representation|date=January 16, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Appelbaum, Lauren|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110100613/https://www.respectability.org/2020/01/kayla-cromer-everythings-gonna-be-okay/|archive-date=November 10, 2020|url-status=live |website=RespectAbility}}</ref> In 2024 she joined the cast of ''The Good Doctor'' as Charlotte "Charlie" Lukaitis, an autistic medical student.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rice |first=Lynette |date=2024-01-18 |title='The Good Doctor' Casts Kayla Cromer, Wavyy Jonez To Recur In Final Season |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/the-good-doctor-casts-kayla-cromer-wavvy-jones-final-season-1235796298/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref> She first appeared on the show in Season 7's episode 2 titled "Skin in the Game".
==Personal life== Cromer was diagnosed with dyscalculia, dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at the age of seven and was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder years later. She publicly disclosed her diagnosis at the 2019 Freeform Summit.<ref name="Variety">{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/kayla-cromer-austim-everythings-gonna-be-okay-freeform-1203174976/|title='Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Star Discloses She's on Autism Spectrum|date=March 28, 2019|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Tingley, Anna|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328214243/https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/kayla-cromer-austim-everythings-gonna-be-okay-freeform-1203174976/|archive-date=March 28, 2019|url-status=live |magazine=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation}}</ref><ref name="Distractify">{{cite web|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/is-kayla-cromer-really-autistic/|title=Unlike 'Atypical' and 'The Good Doctor,' 'Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Actually Cast an Autistic Actor|date=January 18, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Raga, Pippa|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118160942/https://www.distractify.com/p/is-kayla-cromer-really-autistic/|archive-date=January 18, 2020|url-status=live |website=Distractify}}</ref> She is the first openly autistic actor to play an autistic main character in a TV series<ref name="TV Overmind"/><ref name="Popsugar">{{cite web|author=Weaver, Emily|date=February 6, 2020|title=8 Reasons We Love Kayla Cromer (Besides the Fact That She's Cooler Than Cool)|url=https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/who-is-kayla-cromer-47137896/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200207155458/https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/who-is-kayla-cromer-47137896#photo-47137896/|archive-date=February 7, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|website=PopSugar}}</ref> and works as an activist trying to end the stigma of being autistic.<ref name="Bustle">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/everythings-gonna-be-okays-kayla-cromer-is-ready-to-prove-hollywood-wrong-20515642/|title='Everything's Gonna Be Okay' Shows Getting Autism Right On TV Is Actually Pretty Simple|date=January 23, 2020|access-date=November 22, 2020|author=Gallagher, Caitlin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117200413/https://www.bustle.com/p/everythings-gonna-be-okays-kayla-cromer-is-ready-to-prove-hollywood-wrong-20515642/|archive-date=November 17, 2020|url-status=live |magazine=Bustle}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Film=== {| class = "wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! class = "unsortable"|Notes |- |2016 |''Desert Dwellers'' |Gloria | |- |2017 |''Blood Orange'' |Tiffany | |- |}
===Television=== {| class = "wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |2015 |''South of Hell'' |Young Maria/Abigail |2 episodes |- |2017 |''Ghost Brothers'' |Herself |1 episode |- |2020–2021 |''Everything's Gonna Be Okay'' |Matilda Moss |All episodes |- |2023 |''Monster High'' |Twyla Boogeyman (voice) |5 episodes |- |2024 |''The Good Doctor'' |Charlotte “Charlie” Lukaitis |Season 7 |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|6915308}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromer, Kayla}} Category:1998 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century American actresses Category:Actors with dyslexia Category:Actresses from San Jose, California Category:American autistic people Category:American child actresses Category:Autistic actors Category:People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder