Fans may know Meg Donnelly for her role in the Disney Channel ZOMBIES film franchise, but the actress has actually been in Hollywood for a while.
After growing up in suburban New Jersey, Meg made her TV debut on the Netflix series Team Toon, which premiered in 2013. But it wasn’t until 2016 when she nabbed the role of Taylor Otto on the ABC series American Housewife. Meg starred in the sitcom from its premiere until it was canceled after five seasons in 2021. Throughout her time on the show, the actress-turned-singer transformed just like her character.
“When we first started the show, she had brown hair and she was this jock, which is really challenging because I have no athletic ability. It was really funny to play,” Meg told PopCulturalist.com in April 2020. “Then she started gravitating towards musical theater and singing, and that’s what I like to do, so that was really cool. She’s matured so much and so have I, as have all the siblings. It’s insane. Taylor knows a lot about hard work. When she’s had challenges in life, she’s pushed through. It’s inspiring to see that.”
Just like the character changed as she got older, so did Meg, and her interests in singing and dancing started to get her roles. Two years after American Housewife premiered, in February 2018, she made her debut as Addison in ZOMBIES on Disney Channel. The “Someday” songstress also reprised the role for a second and third installment.
“I feel so blessed to play Addison,” she told People in February 2020. “I’ve learned a lot from her. She’s such a good person and her intentions are always so pure.”
Prior to booking ZOMBIES, it was always Meg’s “dream” to star in a musical movie. “High School Musical was my entire life!” she gushed during the same interview, noting that these movies in particular have an “incredible” message. “No matter where you come from, there can be people you think are scary, but you have to get to know them and realize that they’re just like everybody else.”
Other than acting, Meg has a major music background. In fact, she released her debut album, Trust, in December 2019 and has new music on the way.
“During the show quarantine period, I’ve been working on music by myself,” Meg told HollywoodLife in October 2020. “Now that studios are opening more, I’ve been going into the studio, and I’ve been finishing up another body of work. So, I’m really, really excited about this one. It’s like a lot more mixture and a lot more of what I want to sound like, so that’s really cool.”
Scroll through our gallery to see Meg’s total transformation over the years!
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