Why Kat From Backrooms Looks So Familiar

A24

In the lead-up to the A24 horror movie "Backrooms," the plot — crafted by Kane Parsons after his YouTube series became a resounding success in 2022 — has been kept largely under wraps. What that means, functionally, is that, aside from a few of the movie's big stars, we're not absolutely sure who's set to play which characters just yet. So how does young actress Lukita Maxwell figure into the equation, and why does she look familiar?

First things first. "Backrooms," the feature film debut from Parsons, is derived from a "creepypasta" (a scary form of Internet lore, in essence) and uses a form of horror known as "liminal horror" to illustrate the true terror of unending rooms, corridors, and hallways that might have monsters lurking around the corner. Earlier in May, critics' reactions to the film were pretty positive, and /Film's BJ Colangelo said that this movie from a first-time filmmaker "demonstrates a suffocating sense of dread" in her review. Most of the action in "Backrooms" is led by Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor ("12 Years a Slave," "The Martian") and his fellow Oscar nominee Renate Reinsve ("A Different Man," "Sentimental Value") with Ejiofor as Clark, a man who discovers these backrooms in the basement of his furniture store, and Reinsve as Dr. Mary Kline, Clark's therapist who goes looking for her. Maxwell joins Mark Duplass ("The Morning Show," "Creep") and Finn Bennett ("A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms") in the supporting cast. Maxwell's character, Kat, is one of Clark's employees at the furniture store.

So who is Maxwell, and where have you seen this young star before? Here's why Kat from "Backrooms" looks so familiar.

Apple TV

Born in Jakarta before her family resettled in Utah, Lukita Maxwell has been working pretty steadily since the fall of 2019, when she scored a role in the sadly short-lived HBO Max series "Generation." A teen drama about a group of teens attending high school in California, "Generation" featured a phenomenal ensemble cast that included Maxwell as teen activist Delilah, "The Studio" standout Chase Sui Wonders as the popular Riley, and "I Saw the TV Glow" star Justice Smith as openly queer student Chester. Sadly, "Generation" was canceled after one season, but thankfully for Maxwell, her next big opportunity was right around the corner.

"Shrinking," created by Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and its star Jason Segel, is one of Apple TV's sweetest and funniest shows ... and Maxwell plays a lead role as Alice Laird, the teenage daughter of Segel's therapist Jimmy. Alice, as the show opens, is grappling with the death of her mother — as is Jimmy — and throughout the series, Alice forms a close bond with Jimmy's mentor and colleague Dr. Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford) and navigates life as a young woman who's lost her main female influence.

Other than "Generation" and "Shrinking," you may have seen Maxwell in projects like the 2023 movie "The Young Wife" or her 2024 film "AfrAId," but those are definitely her most high-profile projects ... until now. 

"Backrooms" is in theaters now.