# Laurel Marsden
**Laurel Marsden** (born 2001) is an American actress known for playing Zoe Zimmer in the Marvel Studios Disney+ series *Ms. Marvel* (2022) and Amy in the horror film *[The Pope's Exorcist](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-popes-exorcist)* (2023)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284). She made her screen debut in the short film *Contempt* (2019) and has since worked across television, streaming series, and theatrical horror and thriller films[2](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2257939/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2001, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284) |
| Breakthrough role | Zoe Zimmer in *Ms. Marvel* (2022), 3 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284) |
| Feature debut in a major release | Amy, the teenage daughter of Alex Essoe's character, in *The Pope's Exorcist* (2023)[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-popes-exorcist-movie-review-2023) |
| Early work | Angel in the short film *Contempt* (2019); Kara in the Quibi series *Survive* (2020)[2](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2257939/) • [4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ms-marvel-actress-laurel-marsden-164359194.html) |
| Later films | Sophie Fletcher in *All Fun and Games* (2023); Leah in *Dead of Winter* (2025)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284) |
| Training | Children's theater and Second City Improv in Chicago during high school[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/laurel-marsden) |
## Early work
Marsden's first screen credit was the short film *Contempt* (2019), in which she played Angel[2](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2257939/). Her next role was Kara in *Survive*, a series starring [Sophie Turner](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophie-turner) and [Corey Hawkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/corey-hawkins) that aired on Quibi, the short-lived mobile streaming platform[4](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ms-marvel-actress-laurel-marsden-164359194.html). In a later interview she said she had been in children's theater and trained at Second City Improv in Chicago throughout high school[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/laurel-marsden).
## Ms. Marvel
In February 2021, trade reporting announced that Marsden had been cast as Zoe Zimmer, a classmate of [Kamala Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kamala-khan), in *Ms. Marvel*, the Disney+ series introducing the Pakistani American teenage superhero[6](https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/series/ms-marvel-ficha-a-laurel-marsden-como-zoe-zimmer-companera-de-clase-de-kamala-khan-4592122/). The series premiered on Disney+ in 2022, and Marsden appeared as Zoe in three episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284). In the first episode, Zoe is the popular student whom Kamala rescues at the AvengerCon event[7](https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/74981/1/ABINSHA%20NURMAULIDA%20RISKY-FDK.pdf). Marsden also appeared as herself in the *Assembled* documentary episode on the making of the series[8](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/laurel-marsden).
In interviews around the show's release, castmate Yasmeen Fletcher described Marsden as her best friend, part of a cast that stayed in close contact after filming[9](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/ms-marvel-kamala-khan-cast-best-friends). Marsden said that working on the series taught her about Pakistani and South Asian culture and that the production's commitment made her fall in love with film again[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/laurel-marsden).
## Film roles
**The Pope's Exorcist (2023).** Marsden played Amy, the teenage daughter of the widowed Julia (Alex Essoe), in the horror film starring [Russell Crowe](https://www.edgepedia.org/russell-crowe) as Father Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican's exorcist, directed by Julius Avery[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-popes-exorcist-movie-review-2023). In the story, the American family inherits a decrepit abbey in Spain, and Amy's younger brother Henry becomes the host for a demon[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-popes-exorcist-movie-review-2023). Marsden called it her most challenging role to date and said she learned from Crowe on set[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/laurel-marsden).
**All Fun and Games (2023).** She played Sophie Fletcher in this horror film opposite [Asa Butterfield](https://www.edgepedia.org/asa-butterfield) and [Natalia Dyer](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalia-dyer), about Salem teenagers whose cursed knife unleashes a demon that forces them into deadly versions of childhood games[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284).
**The Fisherwoman (2024 production).** In February 2024 it was announced that Marsden had joined the cast of *The Fisherwoman*, an action thriller directed by Brian Kirk and starring [Emma Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-thompson) and [Judy Greer](https://www.edgepedia.org/judy-greer), playing a teenager who is kidnapped[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/english/news/2024/Feb/27/ms-marvel-actor-laurel-marsden-signs-up-for-the-fisherwoman-52442.html). Production ran from late February in Koli, Finland, and wrapped after three weeks at the MMC Studios in Cologne, Germany[11](https://augenschein-filmproduktion.de/de/news/the-fisherwoman-abgedreht.html).
**Dead of Winter (2025).** Marsden played Leah in this film, which also stars Emma Thompson and Judy Greer[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284).
## Television and upcoming work
Beyond *Ms. Marvel* and *Survive*, Marsden's credits include the 2025 films *Chapter 51* (as Lauren Mitchum) and *All There Is* (as Ava), and a role as Lola in two 2026 episodes of the series *Tracker*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284). In a 2024 interview she named [Greta Gerwig](https://www.edgepedia.org/greta-gerwig) as her biggest inspiration, cited *Dead Poets Society* and *The Virgin Suicides* as favorite films, and said her dream roles were in a Regency-era period piece or as a pirate[5](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/laurel-marsden).
## References
1. [Laurel Marsden, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10426284)
2. [Laurel Marsden, elCinema](https://elcinema.com/en/person/2257939/)
3. [The Pope's Exorcist movie review, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-popes-exorcist-movie-review-2023)
4. ['Ms. Marvel' Actress Laurel Marsden Joins Emma Thompson & Judy Greer In Action-Thriller 'The Fisherwoman', Deadline via Yahoo](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/ms-marvel-actress-laurel-marsden-164359194.html)
5. [LAUREL MARSDEN, PhotoBook Magazine](https://www.photobookmagazine.com/features/laurel-marsden)
6. ['Ms. Marvel' ficha a Laurel Marsden como Zoe Zimmer, Cinemanía / 20minutos](https://www.20minutos.es/cinemania/series/ms-marvel-ficha-a-laurel-marsden-como-zoe-zimmer-companera-de-clase-de-kamala-khan-4592122/)
7. [Undergraduate thesis on Ms. Marvel, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah repository](https://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/74981/1/ABINSHA%20NURMAULIDA%20RISKY-FDK.pdf)
8. [Laurel Marsden, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/person/laurel-marsden)
9. ['Ms. Marvel': The Cast on Becoming "Best Friends" While Filming, Marvel.com](https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/ms-marvel-kamala-khan-cast-best-friends)
10. [Ms. Marvel actor Laurel Marsden signs up for The Fisherwoman, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/english/news/2024/Feb/27/ms-marvel-actor-laurel-marsden-signs-up-for-the-fisherwoman-52442.html)
11. [THE FISHERWOMAN abgedreht, augenschein Filmproduktion](https://augenschein-filmproduktion.de/de/news/the-fisherwoman-abgedreht.html)
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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 M to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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