Joey King might only be 22 years old, but her long list of acting credits prove that she’s regularly booked and busy. Since her earliest acting credits in minor roles on Malcolm in the Middle and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, King has displayed her great range in movies and shows of all different genres. Whether the actress is lending her voice to animated family films or enduring paranormal activities in horror movies, King has shown that she, to put it simply, can do it all. Her stellar transformation into fictional characters has earned her nominations for multiple awards, with the actress having won a Kids’ Choice and a People’s Choice for her role as Elle Evans in the Kissing Booth series.
King has been a hot topic in entertainment news with her supernatural romantic drama, The In Between, having premiered on Paramount Plus in February, her recent engagement to boyfriend Steven Piet and news of her upcoming movie Bullet Train, Sony’s action comedy in which King is set to star alongside Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and a handful of famous Hollywood personalities. From Bullet Train to Netflix’s Uglies to Hulu’s The Princess, King has a lot of projects underway. As we await their releases, here are some of Joey King’s best performances, ranked.
7 Wish Upon
Orion Pictures
In 2017, Joey King starred in the supernatural horror film, Wish Upon. With King in the lead role, she acted with Sydney Park, Ryan Phillipe, and Josephine Langford, star of the After series. The chilling tale tells of a teenage girl, Clare, discovering a magical box that soon wrecks havoc within her life, once she realizes it has the power to make her wishes come true with morbid effects. Though the film was met with negative reception, due to its clichéd subject matter, King still delivered a notable performance in her first leading role in a horror movie, after having co-starred in The Conjuring and Quarantine.
6 Ramona and Beezus
20th Century Fox
Joey King had her first lead film role of any genre in 2010’s family comedy Ramona and Beezus. A then 9-year-old King played Ramona, with Selena Gomez starring alongside her as her big sister, Beatrice, or as Ramona nicknamed her, Beezus. The story was based on the Beverly Cleary novel, Beezus and Ramona and tells the sisterly tale of a teenager and her adventurous third grade sister with an imagination so big it gets her into trouble at school and home, but of course makes for colorful, creative shenanigans entertaining enough for viewers, which earned the film a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes.
5 Radium Girls
Juno Films
2018’s historical film Radium Girls tells the true story of a group of factory workers who were slowly becoming poisoned after being exposed to radium. Joey King played Bessie Cavallo, who fought for better work conditions after constantly being told that the employees were fine, when they clearly weren’t. Being inspired by true events, the movie saw the unfortunate endeavors actual women went through, with exposure to radium leading to illness, pain and even glowing bones. The movie was met with mixed reviews with Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter saying, “Despite the stylistic glitches, Radium Girls proves engrossing, thanks to its powerful real-life tale and the excellent performances by leads King and [Abby] Quinn, who make us fully care about their characters’ fates.”
4 The Lie
In 2018, Joey King starred in Slender Man and Summer ‘03, as well as the psychological horror, The Lie. Here, King plays Kayla, a girl who was framed for pushing her best friend off of a bridge and killing her. The film is unpredictable, constantly taking twists and turns no viewer could expect. Despite low reviews, King greatly displayed her deal of talent, giving an emotional, spine-chilling performance.
3 The Kissing Booth
Netflix
If there’s any movie Joey King is surely known for, it’s probably The Kissing Booth. She first starred in the Netflix original, based on a Wattpad story by Beth Reekles, and later went on to do two sequels. Also starring Jacob Elordi and Joel Courtney, The Kissing Booth follows Elle, played by King, in a romantic comedy ideal for the teenage audience, with its simple humor and corny screenplay. The movies might not be known as top tier cinema, but still they make for a great cheesy romance movie to mindlessly enjoy during girls’ night.
2 The In Between
Paramount Plus
Joey King’s most recent release was the Paramount Plus original, The In Between, starring her and Kyle Allen. Contradicting traditional teen romance, the drama had a supernatural touch to it and dealt with life after death. After losing her boyfriend in a car accident, Tessa encounters suspicious activities, leading her to believe he is attempting to contact her from the afterworld. The movie was released around Valentine’s Day, and even with the science fiction aspect, it still made for a heartfelt, tear-jerking romance film.
1 The Act
Hulu
After the infamy of The Kissing Booth series, Joey King quickly became known as just another quirky, romcom girl, but she quickly proved viewers wrong when she stepped out of that genre and went on to play Gypsy Rose Blanchard, an abused young girl enduring Munchausen by Proxy from her mother. The eight-part Hulu original series saw King in the lead role with Patricia Arquette playing her mother DeeDee. King was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal and was so devoted to the role, she even shaved her head (which led to her wearing a wig in the final two Kissing Booth movies). King perfectly executed a mistreated shut-in, and along with Calum Worthy, displayed a deranged romance that was so accurate, it’s nearly disturbing to watch. Her role in the series, along with the cheeriness of The Kissing Booth, the drama of The Lie and the creepiness of Wish Upon show that the actress is capable of tackling different genres and with her many upcoming films, it’s clear she will only continue to wow audiences with her range.
