Julia Butters (born April 15, 2009) is an American actress. She began her career at the age of five, and starred as Trudi Fraser in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Actor/Actress, and as Reggie Fabelman in The Fabelmans (2022). She rose to prominence for playing Anna-Kat Otto in American Housewife (2016–2020), and for playing Harper Coleman in Freakier Friday (2025).
Julia Butters | |
|---|---|
 Butters in 2022 | |
| Born | April 15, 2009 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood The Fabelmans American Housewife Freakier Friday |
Early life
Butters was born on April 15, 2009, in Los Angeles. Her father Darrin Butters is a Disney animator who has worked on films such as Frozen and Ralph Breaks the Internet.
Career
Julia Butters began her career doing commercials. Her first speaking role was the role of Gabby in Criminal Minds. In 2016, Butters portrayed the recurring role of Ella in the Amazon Prime Video series Transparent. Later that year, she began starring in the ABC sitcom American Housewife as Anna-Kat Otto. While Quentin Tarantino was writing the script of his ninth film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he spotted Butters on television, and later cast her in the role of precocious child actress Trudi Fraser. After she received critical acclaim for this role, Butters decided to pursue similar opportunities, leading her to leave American Housewife after four seasons. In December 2020, Butters was cast in Netflix's The Gray Man.
In June 2021, it was announced that Butters was cast in The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age film as Reggie Fabelman, a character based on Spielberg's sister Anne. In August 2022, Butters was cast as Lily in the film Queen of Bones. In 2024, she was cast in Freakier Friday (2025), the sequel to the 2003 film Freaky Friday. She played Harper Coleman, the daughter of Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) and granddaughter of Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi | Beverly Silva | |
| Term Life | young Cate Barrow | ||
| A Family Man | Lauren Jensen | ||
| 2019 | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | TrudiFraser | |
| 2022 | The Gray Man | Claire Fitzroy | |
| The Fabelmans | Regina "Reggie" Fabelman | ||
| 2023 | Queen of Bones | Lily | |
| 2025 | Freakier Friday | Harper Coleman / Anna Coleman | |
| 2026 | Wish I Were a Phoenix | TBA |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Criminal Minds | Gabby Hoffer | Season 9, episode 16 |
| 2015–2016 | Best Friends Whenever | 5-year-old Cyd | 2 episodes |
| 2015 | The Kicks | Ashley McBride | Season 1, episode 5 |
| 2015–2016 | Transparent | Ella | 8 episodes |
| 2016–2020 | American Housewife | Anna-Kat Otto | Seasons 1–4; Main role |
| 2020 | Short Circuit | Little Girl | Voice; Season 1, episode 14 |
| 2021 | I Think You Should Leave | Tammy Craps Doll Spokesperson | Season 2, episode 6 |
| Adventure Time: Distant Lands | Larry / Additional Voices | Voice; Season 1 episode 4 | |
| 2024 | Monsters at Work | Lorelei Worthington | Voice; 3 episodes |
| 2025 | The Paper | High School Student | Season 1, episode 4 |
Discography
| Year | Song | Album | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | "Baby" (with Lindsay Lohan) | Freakier Friday (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Chicago Film Critics Association | Most Promising Performer | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Nominated | |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | Youth in Film – Female | Won | |||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Breakthrough Artist | Nominated | |||
| Seattle Film Critics Society | Best Youth Performance | Nominated | |||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Youth Performance | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Critics' Choice Movie Awards | Best Young Actor/Actress | Nominated | ||
| Hollywood Film Critics Association | Best Actress 23 and Under | Nominated | |||
| Music City Film Critics Association | Best Young Actress | Nominated | |||
| Online Film and Television Association | Best Youth Performance | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Vanguard Award | The Fabelmans | Won | |
| Music City Film Critics Association | Best Young Actress | Nominated |