# Ariel Donoghue
**Ariel Donoghue** (born 2010) is an Australian actress known for playing Emma in the television series *Wolf Like Me*, the young Abby in the film *Blueback*, and Riley in [M. Night Shyamalan](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-night-shyamalan)'s thriller *[Trap](https://www.edgepedia.org/trap-2024-film)*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) Most sources give her birth date as 2010,[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) though the French–Spanish AlloCiné and SensaCine network lists her birth year as 2006.[2](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/actores/actor-926076/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D926076.html) |
| Born | 2010 (10 March per IMDb, TV Insider, ComingSoon, and Filmweb; 2006 per SensaCine)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) • [2](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/actores/actor-926076/) |
| Breakthrough year | 2022, with her feature debut in *Blueback* and a regular role in *Wolf Like Me*[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D926076.html) |
| Signature TV role | Emma, daughter of Josh Gad's character Gary, in *Wolf Like Me* (2022–2023, 13 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) • [4](https://gladstonetoday.com.au/archive-digital-editions/2022-02-03_cqgl_771_61fa6306d52ec.pdf) |
| Feature roles | Young Abby in *Blueback* (2022); Riley in *Trap* (2024)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) |
| Recognition | Nominated for a Silver Logie for Best Supporting Actress on 23 June 2024 for *Wolf Like Me*[5](https://m.cinemagia.ro/actori/ariel-donoghue-1990313/) |
## Early work
Donoghue began auditioning as a small child. Her first screen role was in the short film *The Comedian* in 2014, followed by an episode of the series *High Life* in 2017 in the role of Millie.[6](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/ariel-donoghue/280198/biografia/) Through the late 2010s she appeared in a series of short films, including *Crossing Paths* (2019), *New Computer* (2020), *Tough* (2021), and *By Lucas Wilson* (2022), as well as a music video for the [Hilltop Hoods](https://www.edgepedia.org/hilltop-hoods) song "Show Business".[6](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/ariel-donoghue/280198/biografia/) • [3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D926076.html)
## 2022 breakthrough
**Two roles in one year** made her widely visible. In Robert Connolly's family film *Blueback*, set on the coast of [Western Australia](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-australia), she played the young version of Abby, the heroine (played as an adult by [Mia Wasikowska](https://www.edgepedia.org/mia-wasikowska)) who befriends a large blue groper and fights poachers to protect it.[3](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D926076.html) • [7](https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/cast/Ariel-Donoghue) The film scored 71 percent with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest rating of her credited features.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ariel_donoghue)
In the Australian romantic comedy series *Wolf Like Me*, she played Emma, the eleven-year-old daughter of Gary, a widowed father in Adelaide played by [Josh Gad](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-gad), opposite [Isla Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/isla-fisher) as Mary.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) • [4](https://gladstonetoday.com.au/archive-digital-editions/2022-02-03_cqgl_771_61fa6306d52ec.pdf) A press account of the series described her performance as portraying Gary's daughter "with vulnerability, but also a wisdom beyond her years".[4](https://gladstonetoday.com.au/archive-digital-editions/2022-02-03_cqgl_771_61fa6306d52ec.pdf) She appeared in 13 episodes across 2022 and 2023.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/) On 23 June 2024 she was nominated for a Silver Logie for Best Supporting Actress for the role.[5](https://m.cinemagia.ro/actori/ariel-donoghue-1990313/)
## Trap
In 2024 Donoghue played Riley, the daughter of [Josh Hartnett](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-hartnett)'s character Cooper, in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller *Trap*, which also starred Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and [Alison Pill](https://www.edgepedia.org/alison-pill).[9](https://time.com/7007086/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan/) In the film, Cooper takes Riley to a pop concert by the singer Lady Raven that is secretly a police sting to catch the serial killer known as "The Butcher", whom Cooper himself turns out to be.[10](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/08/trap-m-night-shyamalan-movie-review/679355/) Reviewers noted the father-daughter dynamic as central to the film: Time described Cooper making good on a promise to take Riley to her favorite pop star as a reward for good grades,[9](https://time.com/7007086/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan/) and [The Atlantic](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-atlantic) wrote that Hartnett's Cooper makes "charmingly awkward attempts to bond" with Riley, who teases him for trying to use Gen Z slang.[11](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/09/m-night-shyamalan-interview-trap-movie/679158/) *Trap* received a 57 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ariel_donoghue)
## Other credits
Between the 2022 features and *Trap*, she appeared in an episode of the comedy series *C*A*U*G*H*T* in 2023.[6](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/ariel-donoghue/280198/biografia/) Her credited screen work spans roughly a decade of shorts, one regular television role, and two features.[12](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ariel-donoghue/credits/3060065613/)
## References
1. [Ariel Donoghue, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6319571/)
2. [Ariel Donoghue, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com.mx/actores/actor-926076/)
3. [Ariel Donoghue, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne_gen_cpersonne%3D926076.html)
4. [Cover Story on Wolf Like Me, Gladstone Today (2022)](https://gladstonetoday.com.au/archive-digital-editions/2022-02-03_cqgl_771_61fa6306d52ec.pdf)
5. [Ariel Donoghue, CineMagia](https://m.cinemagia.ro/actori/ariel-donoghue-1990313/)
6. [Ariel Donoghue biografia, ComingSoon.it](https://www.comingsoon.it/personaggi/ariel-donoghue/280198/biografia/)
7. [Ariel Donoghue, SWITCH](https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/cast/Ariel-Donoghue)
8. [Ariel Donoghue, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ariel_donoghue)
9. [Trap Still Offers a Few Pleasures Even If You Know Exactly Where It's Going, Time (2024)](https://time.com/7007086/trap-review-m-night-shyamalan/)
10. [M. Night Shyamalan Made a Comedy, The Atlantic (2024)](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/08/trap-m-night-shyamalan-movie-review/679355/)
11. [How M. Night Shyamalan Came Back From the Dead, The Atlantic (2024)](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/09/m-night-shyamalan-interview-trap-movie/679158/)
12. [Ariel Donoghue List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ariel-donoghue/credits/3060065613/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Child and youth screen performers › Child performers born 2001 to 2010 › Performers born 2006 to 2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license