Maika Monroe (born Dillon Monroe Buckley; May 29, 1993) is an American actress. She is most notable for her leading roles in Reminders of Him (2026), The Guest and It Follows (both 2014). Such roles recurred in the horror films Villains (2019) and Longlegs (2024).
She also starred in the thrillers Greta (2018) and Watcher (2022). Aside from her horror and thriller roles Monroe appears in the action film Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), the neo-noir Hot Summer Nights (2017) and the action film God Is a Bullet (2023).
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Early life and education
Maika Monroe was born Dillon Monroe Buckley on May 29, 1993, in Santa Barbara, California. Her mother was a sign language interpreter, and her father worked in construction. She later changed her first name to Maika, by which she had already been known for most of her life.
At age 17, Monroe left Santa Barbara and moved to Cabarete, Dominican Republic, to continue training in kiteboarding after spending the previous summer there. She completed her senior year of high school online.
Career
Acting
Monroe made her acting debut with a small role on Eleventh Hour, a drama series. Three years later, she made her film debut in the 2012 drama At Any Price, playing Cadence Farrow. She relocated to Los Angeles for the film, and credits the part for encouraging her to continue acting.
In 2013, she played a minor character in Sofia Coppola's crime film The Bling Ring. She next appeared in the drama film Labor Day as Mandy, a farm girl who romances with a young man and eventually becomes his wife and the mother of his child. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name, and it was released that same year.
In 2014, Monroe achieved a career breakthrough with two films. She played Anna Peterson in the psychological thriller film The Guest, and headlined the horror film It Follows as Jamie "Jay" Height. The latter premiered at the 67th Cannes Film Festival and established Monroe as a scream queen. Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Chris Nashawaty said the film was "airtight" because of "Monroe’s moody teenage authenticity". Both films garnered a cult following while It Follows ranks among the best horror films of the 2010s.
In 2015, Monroe appeared in the Western film Echoes of War. In 2016, she starred in the invasion thriller film The 5th Wave, based on the novel of the same name. Also that year, Monroe starred in the science fiction film Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to Independence Day (1996), playing former First Daughter Patricia Whitmore.
In 2017, Monroe starred alongside Timothée Chalamet in the neo-noir coming-of-age film Hot Summer Nights as his girlfriend McKayla. In 2019, Monroe played Sandra in drama film Honey Boy. In 2020, Monroe portrayed Cindy Williams in the Canadian mystery thriller Flashback.
In 2022, Monroe played Julia in Watcher, the psychological thriller feature directorial debut of Chloe Okuno. In 2023, Monroe played Case in the film God Is a Bullet, an adaption of the 1999 novel of the same name.
Monroe was cast as Lee Harker in the horror film Longlegs alongside Nicolas Cage. Monroe said the role was "incredibly impactful for me. It also felt unique, and it was something I had never done. Lee is so incredibly different from who I am and how I move through life." On working with Cage, she said that "He's the best. He's such a genuine human." The film was released in 2024 and became the highest grossing independent feature of that year.
Other
Monroe is also a professional kiteboarder, as of 2015.
Personal life
Monroe was in a relationship with actor Joe Keery from 2017 to 2022. Since 2023, she has been dating real-estate agent Dalton Gomez.
