# Dylan Gelula
**Dylan Gelula** (full name Dylan Nicole Gelula, born 1994) is an American actress best known for playing Xanthippe Voorhees on the Netflix comedy series *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt* and for her work in independent film, including lead roles in *First Girl I Loved* (2016) and *Shithouse* (2020).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/) • [2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/) She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235197)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1994, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA[3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235197) |
| Breakout role | Xanthippe Voorhees in *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt* (Netflix, 2015 onward)[2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/) |
| Film debut | Lead role of Anne in *First Girl I Loved* (2016), which won the Sundance Audience Award for Best of NEXT[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/) |
| Notable film roles | Maggie Hill in *Shithouse* (2020), Molly in *Dream Scenario* (2023), Gemma in *Smile 2* (2024)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/) |
| Television credits | Ford in *Chasing Life*, Gretchen Doyle in *Jennifer Falls*, Megan in *Shameless*, Hailey in *Loot*, Mirya in *Hacks*[4](https://www.tvtango.com/person/dylan_gelula) |
| Stage work | Played Girl in Ethan Coen's *Let's Love!* at Atlantic Theater Company, 2025[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Gelula/) |
## Early life and start in acting
Gelula grew up in Philadelphia and pursued acting from childhood. In a 2016 podcast interview, she described reaching out to managers in Los Angeles at age 11 and to an agent in New York, dropping out of high school, and landing a role on *Law & Order: SVU*; she moved to Los Angeles at 17.[6](https://boxangeles.com/episodes/dylan-gelula/) She has said she was fired from an odd job before landing her role in *Chasing Life*.[6](https://boxangeles.com/episodes/dylan-gelula/)
## Television
Her early television roles included Ford in the ABC Family series *Chasing Life* (premiered June 10, 2014) and Gretchen Doyle in the [TV Land](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-land) series *Jennifer Falls* (premiered June 4, 2014).[4](https://www.tvtango.com/person/dylan_gelula) Her breakout came as Xanthippe Voorhees in *Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt*, created by Robert Carlock and [Tina Fey](https://www.edgepedia.org/tina-fey), appearing in the first season in 2015 and returning in later seasons and the 2020 interactive special *Kimmy vs. the Reverend*.[2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/) • [7](https://www.adorocinema.com/personalidades/personalidade-670449/filmografia/)
Later television work includes Megan in season 10 of Showtime's *Shameless* (episodes 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10), a 2020 episode of *A Teacher*, Hailey in three episodes of [Alan Yang](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-yang)'s Apple TV+ series *Loot* (2022) starring [Maya Rudolph](https://www.edgepedia.org/maya-rudolph), and Mirya in three episodes of the third season of the Emmy-winning HBO Max comedy *Hacks* (2024).[8](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-670449/filmografia/) • [2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/)
## Film
Gelula made her film debut as the lead, Anne, in the 2016 romantic drama *First Girl I Loved*, directed by Kerem Sanga. The film premiered at the 2016 [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival) and won the audience award for Best of NEXT, and her performance received positive reviews from critics.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/)
She followed it with supporting roles in *Flower* (2017, as Kala), Andrew Bujalski's *Support the Girls* (2018, as Jennelle), *Under the Eiffel Tower* (2018, as Rosalind), and Alex Ross Perry's *Her Smell* (2018, as Dottie O.Z.).[7](https://www.adorocinema.com/personalidades/personalidade-670449/filmografia/) • [2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/) In 2020 she played the lead role of Maggie Hill in Cooper Raiff's debut feature *Shithouse*, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the SXSW Film Festival, and appeared as Jane Doe in the Netflix feature *Horse Girl* opposite [Alison Brie](https://www.edgepedia.org/alison-brie) and [Molly Shannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/molly-shannon).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/) • [2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/)
Her later films include Lisa in the Amazon romantic comedy *I Want You Back* (2022) alongside [Charlie Day](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-day), Jenny Slate, and [Gina Rodriguez](https://www.edgepedia.org/gina-rodriguez), and Molly in the A24 feature *Dream Scenario* (2023) opposite [Nicolas Cage](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicolas-cage) and Julianne Nicholson, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival; reviews cited her comedic performance as a highlight of the film.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/) • [2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/) She played Gemma in the Paramount horror film *Smile 2* (2024), described by her theater bio as a critical and box office hit.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/) • [2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/)
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, her highest-rated film is *Shithouse* at 95 percent and her lowest is *Helen's Dead* (2023) at 17 percent.[9](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/dylan_gelula)
## Stage and other work
In 2025 Gelula played the role of Girl in the world premiere of [Ethan Coen](https://www.edgepedia.org/ethan-coen)'s *Let's Love!*, a trio of one-act comedies at [Atlantic Theater Company](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-theater-company)'s Linda Gross Theater, directed by Neil Pepe and starring [Aubrey Plaza](https://www.edgepedia.org/aubrey-plaza).[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Gelula/) Her theater bio also credits her with Erica Schmidt's Off-Broadway production of *Mac Beth*.[2](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/)
She has appeared as a podcast guest, including episodes of *Hollywood Handbook* with Broti Gupta and *Doug Loves Movies*.[3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235197) In 2025 she appeared in the music video "Bunky Pop" by Sleigh Bells.[10](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/otherworks/) Focus Features has greenlit *Old Friends New Friends*, a comedy written and directed by [Mike Birbiglia](https://www.edgepedia.org/mike-birbiglia) starring [Lucas Hedges](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucas-hedges), Patrick Schwarzenegger, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Gelula.[5](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Gelula/)
## References
1. [Dylan Gelula, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/)
2. [Dylan Gelula bio, Atlantic Theater Company](https://atlantictheater.org/bio/dylan-gelula/)
3. [Dylan Gelula, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621235197)
4. [TVography: Dylan Gelula, TV Tango](https://www.tvtango.com/person/dylan_gelula)
5. [Dylan Gelula, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Dylan-Gelula/)
6. [Box Angeles podcast ep. 141: Dylan Gelula](https://boxangeles.com/episodes/dylan-gelula/)
7. [Dylan Gelula filmografia, AdoroCinema](https://www.adorocinema.com/personalidades/personalidade-670449/filmografia/)
8. [Dylan Gelula filmografía, SensaCine](https://www.sensacine.com/actores/actor-670449/filmografia/)
9. [Dylan Gelula, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/dylan_gelula)
10. [Dylan Gelula, Other works, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3871647/otherworks/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames G to Gl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: 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