Why Clancy From The Sleepover Looks So Familiar

Culture is ever-evolving and fads come and go with the passing of years. But one thing that will never go out of style is a solid, family-friendly comedic action romp. You needn't look further for proof than the fact that the newly released Netflix original The Sleepover is currently on the list of the top ten most viewed movies on the platform.

The Sleepover tells the story of a very ordinary seeming American family that turns out to be anything but. When U.S. Marshals show up at her house while her parents are away for the night, teenager Clancy finds herself on a scavenger hunt to track down her mother (Malin Åkerman), who she learns is actually in the witness protection program. With her younger brother (Maxwell Simkins) and best friend (Cree Cicchino) along for the ride, Clancy has to unravel the clues and learn the truth about her mother's secret past life as the member of an international crime syndicate.

Although the movie is an ensemble, Clancy is the audience's way into the story, and she's played amiably by teen actress Sadie Stanley. Just because Stanley is a relative newcomer to the industry doesn't mean she doesn't have some notable projects on her filmography. In fact, The Sleepover isn't even the first time she's headlined an action-comedy.

Sadie Stanley's very first acting role saw her bringing an iconic cartoon character to life. She was tapped to play Kim Possible, the spunky teenage super-spy and star of the early 2000s Disney Channel show of the same name, in a 2019 live-action reboot. The movie aired on the Disney Channel and was followed by a miniseries titled Kim Hushable, which saw Kim and her friends tackling a new adventure while on spring break.

Kim Possible wasn't just Stanley's first acting role — it was also the first time she ever auditioned for a part. The actress wrote an essay about her young career for Backstage, in which she talked about her lightning-fast journey from catching the acting bug to starring in her own movie. Of the Kim Possible audition, she said, "The role felt completely out of my league and I was shocked yet so excited that I could even get in the audition room, considering I had literally nothing on my resume. I went in to the audition just hoping to do my best and have fun, with the thought that potentially nothing would come out of it."

Of course, something did come of it. "I had no idea that a year later I would be seeing myself on posters and commercials," Stanley said, "playing that same role that I thought I had no chance of getting."

While Kim Possible may have been her big breakout, Stanley quickly followed up that role with TV gigs that proved she wasn't a one-note performer.

Following her turn as Kim Possible, Stanley embarked on a six-episode arc on the long-running nostalgia sitcom The Goldbergs. Stanley plays the love interest of series protagonist Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone), a popular girl at school named Brea Bee. The two get to know each other after being paired up as partners in science class, and as their relationship develops, it causes strife for Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), who isn't ready for her son to turn his attention on another woman.

As with many of the details on The Goldbergs, Brea Bee is based on an actual person that series creator Adam Goldberg knew in high school. In fact, the real Bee is an actress herself, and even appeared on an episode of The Goldbergs in an unrelated role.

When the fictionalized Brea Bee first appeared on the show, the real Bee took to Twitter to celebrate the meta-moment: "Beyond honored and over the moon to have been included in the delightful and wonderful world of [The Goldbergs] tonight! Thank you [Adam Goldberg] for making me so much cooler than I really was back then!!!"

Stanley's next TV gig took her in a slightly more serious direction (emphasis on "slightly"). She appeared on the second season of the Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini-starring Netflix original Dead to Me. The comedic thriller follows two women who develop an extremely complicated relationship after becoming involved in the death of each other's husbands.

During the second season, the women are trying to cover up the death of Judy's (Cardellini) husband, Steve (James Marsden). Their plan is complicated severely when Jen's (Applegate) son Charlie (Sam McCarthy) inadvertently steals the dead man's car, which Jen and Judy have been hiding in a storage locker. Charlie goes on a joyride with his girlfriend, a self-proclaimed "micro-influencer" named Parker, who is played by Stanley. Things get even trickier when Parker Instagrams photos of herself and Charlie with the car, and then refuses to take them down because her account is monetized.

Parker is a fun diversion from the other chipper, more action-oriented roles that Sadie Stanley has become known for in her short career thus far. She plays the smartphone-obsessed teen with just the right amount of distracted narcissism, without veering into cliché. It's a fun show of the young actress' range, and is hopefully a preview of things to come post-The Sleepover.