Isabel May was thrust into the spotlight when she was cast in the Netflix original series
Alexa & Katie.
Since her rookie year, Isabel May has beefed out her filmography with additional starring
roles, establishing herself as one of Hollywood’s hottest up and comers in the process.
But while audiences adore Isabel May, the rising star, they don’t know a whole lot
about Isabel May, the person.
We’re about to change all that with this video.
Today, we’re going to be looking at the young actress’ life behind the scenes, discussing
her hobbies, her inspirations, and her goals outside of Hollywood.
Alexa, tell us some dirt about Katie.
Here are 10 surprising facts you need to know about Isabel May.
10.
Unexpected Encouragement
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Historically, teachers have not been viewed as ambassadors for creativity.
To the contrary, school teachers are typically presented as stuck-up academics concerned
only with making sure their students keep their noses firmly rooted in their textbooks.
Sure, there are probably some teachers who live up to this tired old Hollywood trope,
but the reality is that most of them want to nourish the imaginations of their students.
This is something Isabel May can personally confirm.
When May started sixth grade, her teacher was quick to pick up on her creativity.
In fact, she was so impressed by her new student’s penchant for the arts that she suggested that
she take drama classes.
After consulting with her parents, the young May decided to do just that.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
9.
Three Years A Reject
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Despite her striking good looks and obvious acting chops, Isabel May struggled to find
work when she first began her career.
And when we say struggled, boy oh boy, do we mean she struggled.
May wasn’t just unsuccessful in one or two screen tests as she tried to find her footing.
No, she was unsuccessful in a full three year’s worth of auditions.
That’s right, for three straight years, the budding actress tried out for roles only
to be rejected time and time again.
Such repeated rejection would cause even the most determined performer to reconsider their
career path, but Isabel May was steadfast in her self-belief.
Unwilling to walk away from her dream, she kept pushing forward and attending auditions
until finally, in 2018, producers at Netflix recognized her talent and gave her the starring
role in Alexa & Katie.
The success of the series prompted a landslide of acting offers and May has not looked back
since.
8.
Homeschool Hero
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Isabel May’s career has been defined by her unwavering self-belief, a quality she
has in droves even by Hollywood actress standards.
In fact, you could make the argument that the only people who believe in May’s talents
more than she does are her parents.
Much like her sixth grade teacher, Isabel’s parents knew their daughter had the potential
to be a star and were willing to do whatever it took to get her to the top of the industry.
That isn’t to say they were pushy, far from it.
But they were always there to cover the costs of her acting classes or to drive her to one
of her many auditions.
Even when it looked as though their daughter was doomed to a career of failed auditions,
the future-star’s parents never lost faith in her.
In fact, they doubled down and pulled her out of school in tenth grade so she could
focus on her career in show business.
Some people might view this as a pretty drastic measure, but you can’t argue with results.
And May’s parents sure did get results.
Just six months into her homeschooling, she had her first successful audition.
Don’t you hate it when your parents are right?
7.
Dedicated Hobbyist
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While acting has been the center of Isabel May’s world for much of her life, it is
far from her only passion.
In interviews, the star has revealed a number of other interests and talents, chief among
them being reading.
May has described herself as a marathon reader, proclaiming she would read all day and night
if she didn’t have acting commitments to uphold.
She is also handy in the kitchen, having outed herself as an avid baker and cook in an interview
with Bello Magazine.
Finally, she is a fan of music and is said to be proficient in piano.
6.
Faith Who?
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As we mentioned in the previous entry, Isabel May is a big fan of music.
But it’s important to remember that she is only 21.
To her, Eminem is a golden oldie and Elton John is that chubby dude who sings on Dua
Lipa’s latest single for some reason.
It should come as no surprise, then, that May wasn’t entirely sure who Faith Hill
was when the two were cast together in 1883.
Likewise, she was unfamiliar with Hill’s real-life husband, Tim McGraw, whom she also
worked with on the series.
According to May herself, the country music megastars were not insulted by her being unacquainted
with their work.
If anything, they found it charming and the trio has since grown to be as close as the
family they portray
on screen.
5.
Not Yet An Adult
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At 21, Isabel May has legally been an adult for the last three years.
But as everybody over the age of 21 knows, 21 is far from adulthood.
At this age, the brain is still not fully formed and cannot quite comprehend the realities
nor process the emotions of adult life.
In fact, the contemporary scientific consensus is that the human brain isn’t fully formed
until the age of 25, so you can forgive yourself for all that stupid stuff you did when you
were 24-and-a-half.
It wasn’t your fault, you were just a child.
Most 21 year olds detest being referred to as anything other than a card-carrying adult
and will insist that they are fully mature and perfectly capable of making responsible
decisions.
Isabel May, however, seems to be fully aware of her youth and vulnerability.
In the same Bello Magazine interview we mentioned a little earlier, the actress was asked about
the challenges of being a young adult in Hollywood, to which she responded, “I don’t even
think I can be categorized as a young adult quite yet!”
We hope May continues to hold on to this childlike innocence for as long as she can and doesn’t
go the way of so many tragic entertainers who made it big at an early age.
4.
Not A Naturally Funny Person
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Just as Isabel May doesn’t consider herself to be an adult just yet, she also does not
consider herself to be a naturally funny person.
This will likely come as a shock to those who are familiar with her work on Alexa & Katie
and Young Sheldon.
May’s roles on these shows were her first and second acting gigs respectively.
Both were sitcoms and on them she showed clear comedic prowess in bringing to life their
sometimes lackluster written material.
She could take even the most contrived, cringe-inducing gag and turn it into something special.
But while her aptitude for humor was not lost on audiences, May herself was completely blind
to it.
When discussing her role in Alexa & Katie, she even went so far as to say, quote “It
was weird and interesting, because I never thought I had any comedic qualities whatsoever”.
Of course, there is always the possibility that she’s actually fully aware of her comedic
talents and intended this comment to be some kind of meta joke.
3.
Her Favorite Shows
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While May doesn’t consider herself funny, she certainly does have a good sense of humor
and has listed a number of classic comedies as being among her all-time favorite television
shows.
She has expressed a fondness for Arrested Development multiple times in the past, as
well as for a number of Netflix’s original sitcoms (although that might simply be an
attempt to stay loyal to the studio that gave her her big break).
But May’s watch library doesn’t consist entirely of comedy.
She is also a fan of documentaries and dramas, so it makes sense that her absolute favorite
series is The Crown, which combines both of these genres.
Would you like to see May herself make an appearance on The Crown some day?
If so, which member of Britain’s Royal Family would you cast her as?
Let us know in the comments section!
2.
A Little Social Media Shy
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Like most women her age, Isabel May has a number of social media accounts.
Unlike most women her age, however, she is not particularly active on any of them.
Her Instagram account contains just five posts, the first of which was made in January 2020,
with the most recent coming in February of this year.
While she does have a TikTok account, it’s pretty much bare and seems to have been created
prior to her worldwide success, as it remains unverified.
It’s likely that May has a few secret social media accounts which she uses to communicate
with her friends and family, but her fans must be content with the occasional Instagram
photo.
Hey, we’ll take it!
1.
An Proud Francophile
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Although May is a self-confessed homebody, she has also expressed a love for traveling
in a number of interviews.
On more than one occasion, she talked about her desire to one day tour Europe, a dream
which she will no doubt have the riches to fulfill.
But of all the countries on the continent, none have captured the young actress’ heart
as much as France.
As a child, May visited a rural village in France and fell in love with the culture and
scenery.
She was so taken with the French way of life that she immediately set about learning the
national language after returning to America.
Her passion for La France has certainly not dimmed over the years and we bet any of those
notorious stoic French filmmakers would jump at the chance to work with her.
And that does it for 10 facts you need to know about Isabel May.
Which did you find the most surprising and why?
Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to subscribe to our channel for more
shocking revelations about the celebs you love.