Darby Camp: Charlotte Teen and Rising Hollywood Star – Charlotte Magazine

At 17, Darby Camp seems far too young to appreciate a good 1980s movie reference. But her beloved shih tzu, Marty McFly, is a nod to her favorite movie, Back to the Future. Darby’s natural ease in a room full of adults makes her seem older than her age, and she’s walked enough red carpets to know how to answer a slew of questions while maintaining her balance in a pair of heels.  

The Charlotte teen is already an industry veteran in Hollywood, but it’s clear she’s still a teenager, too. She plays Minecraft, loves Jeni’s ice cream, and recently did the worm at her prom. At one point during our interview, her mom, Lacy, pokes her head in to tell us end-of-year grades just posted, and Darby made an A in science. (We take a moment to high-five.) 

Darby began acting as a toddler alongside Lacy, also an actor, and her older sister, Ruthie. She appeared in several local commercials, including one with Cam Newton. At 7, she landed a role on the Lifetime series Drop Dead Diva. More television roles followed, with parts on Grey’s Anatomy and The Leftovers. 

In 2017, she appeared as Chloe Mackenzie in the Emmy-winning HBO series Big Little Lies. Her portrayal of Reese Witherspoon’s precocious daughter earned her critical acclaim and led to more roles in both film and television. In the last five years, she’s had starring roles in The Christmas Chronicles, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and The Slumber Party. She also returned for a second season of Big Little Lies and played Julia Roberts’ daughter in the Starz series Gaslit, a political thriller based on the Watergate scandal.

For all her success in Hollywood, Darby remains grounded in Charlotte. The high school senior is still friends with the same kids she’s known since kindergarten, and her Instagram page (which her father, Clark, helps her manage) is filled with photos of prom, wakeboarding on Lake Norman, and, of course, Marty McFly. Dig really deep and you might find a behind-the-scenes shot with Meryl Streep or a selfie with Kate Hudson.

Lacy works as a substitute teacher and still auditions for TV and film roles when time allows. Ruthie chose not to pursue acting but supports Darby’s career. They’ve all been careful to fit acting into their family’s life, not the other way around. “Most of her friends here don’t even bring it up,” says Clark, an assistant basketball coach at North Mecklenburg High School. “We still have to tell her to get off her phone when the homework is piling up. It’s a fine line, pushing your kids but still allowing them to be kids. When she has a job, I make her get out of bed because she’s made a commitment. But it’s the same with my other daughter going to basketball practice.”

Between auditions and exams, Darby sat down with Charlotte magazine to talk about how she moves between the two worlds. With both parents nearby, she opens up about navigating movie sets as a child, the pressures of social media, and the career she hopes to keep building into adulthood.

ON HER FIRST MEMORIES ON CAMERA

I remember my older sister having an audition, and she was supposed to cry. She didn’t want to be sad on purpose, and I was like, “Honestly, that sounds fun. I can do that!”

ON GOING TO HOLLYWOOD

When I booked Big Little Lies, I was excited to see a new place all the way across the map and just, like, play make-believe. I didn’t know who Reese (Witherspoon) and Nicole (Kidman) were. I honestly didn’t know any of their films. My mom was freaking out at the table read. Now that I’m older, I’m aware of who they are, and I’m like, Wow, I can’t believe I was so chill.

ON BIG, ADULT WORDS

My first line (in Big Little Lies) was, “Fucker.” I was 8 and didn’t even know what that word was. My mom explained that we don’t talk like that and said I didn’t have to say it if I didn’t want to. But I understood it was a really bad word, so I was like, I’m saying it! This is like a free pass!

ON BALANCING HER TWO WORLDS

It’s gotten harder as I’ve gotten older. In middle school, in 2019, I was the busiest, so I was homeschooled. I’d go to New York or Vancouver for months at a time. Life at home was on a pause button. I’d forget my friends were moving on without me. 

ON FIRST KISSES

I was so worried my first kiss would be on camera. That was something I wanted to be a real moment, and I did get to have that. A few months later, I got The Slumber Party. I read the script and saw I’d be kissing Ramon (Jose Rodriguez). He’s one of my closest friends now, but it’s kind of weird meeting someone knowing I’m going to kiss him in front of a bunch of people. We had to do like 12 takes. I was counting because I wanted to tell my friends. But the longer you go, you sort of lose that first-kiss energy.

ON BEING STARSTRUCK

It was my first big in-person screen test, and they said it was with Chris Evans. I love Marvel and Captain America. I was like, It’s OK, I’ll be fine. And then I saw him in person and just blanked. Like, I could barely remember words.

ON DREAM ROLES

I really want to play a Marvel superhero. I’d love to play a vampire. Or a princess in a tiara.

LOOK: Vintage Grateful Dead T-shirt: KK Bloom; Navy leather jacket, olive cargo skirt, multicolored beaded necklace: Monkee’s of Charlotte; Dunk High in Cargo Khaki sneakers: Nike

ON SOCIAL MEDIA 

I wish I grew up in the time before it because it makes me overthink, and it just puts a lot of pressure on people. FOMO has become a really big thing with social media. It’s hard to do things without people knowing. 

ON ENTERTAINING HER FOLLOWERS

When I’m just going to school every day, it’s hard to keep the posts coming. I feel like people expect it from me because I’m a public figure. That’s a lot of pressure. But I get it. People who follow you and see you in movies want to know who you are in real life.

ON HOW COVID AFFECTED HER

I was already homeschooled anyway for 6th and 7th grades, but it was still very isolating. I still felt distant from my friends, not being able to see them. That’s when TikTok was getting really big, so that’s how I communicated with my friends who live in LA. My following started to grow, so I had people just, like, watching me through quarantine. And Mckenna Grace, who’s now one of my good friends, I reached out to her and some other kid actors to make a little video collage, like the Full House intro. That was really cool how I connected with them. Those friendships are some of my best quarantine memories.

ON WHAT SHE WISHES ADULTS KNEW ABOUT GEN Z

I wish they understood we’re not as naive as they think. Adults underestimate kids. We know the difference between right and wrong. One of my peeves is when adults talk down to me. That’s why I loved Julia Roberts so much, because every day she treated me as her peer versus her daughter. Her first question was, “Do your parents cuss?” Then she told a funny joke with a cuss word in it. She treated me like I was just another adult on set.

ON HER HOMETOWN CELEBRITY

I’ve had the same friends pretty much my whole life, so if we’re out to eat and someone recognizes me, it’s weird because, to them, I’m just Darby. I’ve had some friends that were new to school, and at first, I can’t tell if they’re actually wanting to be friends with me for me. I mean, I like to feel appreciated in that way, but it’s nice when they forget that. 

ON WHAT’S NEXT

This is definitely where I want to be. I want to be a director, maybe take a gap year if I can shadow some of the directors I’ve worked with and, you know, just see it from their perspective. College isn’t my number-one priority, but I could see myself going a little bit later. I definitely want to stay in this industry as an actor, director, and producer.

THIS OR THAT?

Chocolate or cheese? Chocolate

Hot dog or taco? Hot dog

Comedy or drama? Comedy

Taylor Swift or Beyoncé? Beyoncé

Sephora or Bath & Body Works? Sephora

H&M or Zara? H&M

Lululemon or Athletica? Lululemon

The Voice or American Idol? American Idol

Netflix or Disney+? Netflix

TikTok or Snapchat? TikTok

TAYLOR BOWLER is the lifestyle editor.