# Stefania LaVie Owen
**Stefania LaVie Owen** (born 1997) is a New Zealand-American actress who began her career as a child in [Peter Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-jackson)'s film *The Lovely Bones* (2009) and is best known for playing Dorrit Bradshaw on *The Carrie Diaries* and Bear on the Netflix series *Sweet Tooth*.[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) • [2](https://www.primevideo.com/person/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/amzn1.dv.gti.32f6513c-594b-4c34-a122-c383309008de/ref%3Datv_pp_co_0)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1997 in Miami, Florida; moved to New Zealand at age four[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) |
| Film debut | Flora Hernandez in *The Lovely Bones* (2009), directed by Peter Jackson[3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen) |
| Signature television roles | Dorrit Bradshaw in *The Carrie Diaries* (2013–2014); Bear in *Sweet Tooth* (2021–2024)[4](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/stefania-lavie-owen/trabajos/) |
| Recognition | Rising Star Award at the Coronado Island Film Festival for *Coming Through the Rye*; Emmy nomination in 2025 for *Sweet Tooth*[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) • [3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen) |
| Stage work | Jenny in MCC Theater's Off-Broadway production of *Yen* (2017)[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen) |
| Citizenship | Dual United States and New Zealand citizenship; divides her time between New York City and Wellington[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) |
## Early life
Owen was born in Miami, Florida, to an American mother and a New Zealand father; her mother is of Cuban descent.[2](https://www.primevideo.com/person/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/amzn1.dv.gti.32f6513c-594b-4c34-a122-c383309008de/ref%3Datv_pp_co_0) She lived in Miami for her first four years, then grew up in New Zealand, settling in Pauatahanui, a village about 30 km north of [Wellington](https://www.edgepedia.org/wellington).[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen) • [2](https://www.primevideo.com/person/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/amzn1.dv.gti.32f6513c-594b-4c34-a122-c383309008de/ref%3Datv_pp_co_0) She attended Pauatahanui school, where she won the cup for performing arts, and later Chilton Saint James School, an all-girls private school in [Lower Hutt](https://www.edgepedia.org/lower-hutt), where she took part in school productions and dance classes.[2](https://www.primevideo.com/person/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/amzn1.dv.gti.32f6513c-594b-4c34-a122-c383309008de/ref%3Datv_pp_co_0) • [1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/)
Her entry into acting came through her family. Her mother was a dance teacher, and the family signed up together with a New Zealand agency to do commercials; her older sister booked the film *Bridge to Terabithia*, and Owen then auditioned for and won *The Lovely Bones*.[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen) She made her film debut at about age 11 or 12 as Flora Hernandez in *The Lovely Bones* (2009), acting alongside [Mark Wahlberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-wahlberg), Rachel Weisz, Stanley Tucci, and [Saoirse Ronan](https://www.edgepedia.org/saoirse-ronan).[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) • [6](https://playbill.com/article/why-stefania-lavie-owen-wont-let-acting-confine-her-at-19)
After graduating from high school in December 2015, she moved to California, then settled in New York City.[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen)
## Television career
Owen's first regular television role was Puddle Kadubic on the Fox comedy *Running Wilde* (2010–2011), filmed in Vancouver.[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) • [4](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/stefania-lavie-owen/trabajos/) She then played Dorrit, the rebellious younger sister of the young [Carrie Bradshaw](https://www.edgepedia.org/carrie-bradshaw), on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s *The Carrie Diaries* (2013–2014), appearing in 26 episodes.[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) • [4](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/stefania-lavie-owen/trabajos/) She has described the cast as becoming like family, with the group watching each episode together on Friday nights.[7](https://regardmag.com/10-things-stefania-owen/)
She played Nicole Chance, the daughter of [John Ortiz](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-ortiz)'s character, in the Hulu psychological thriller *Chance* (2016–2017) opposite [Hugh Laurie](https://www.edgepedia.org/hugh-laurie), appearing in 20 episodes.[4](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/stefania-lavie-owen/trabajos/) • [8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/) In 2020 she appeared as Rebecca Iguero in the Netflix thriller *Messiah* and as Becca Gilroy in *The Wilds*.[3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen)
**Sweet Tooth.** Owen's most prominent role is Bear, the leader of the Animal Army, in Netflix's dystopian fantasy series *Sweet Tooth* (2021–2024), based on the DC comic by Jeff Lemire and executive produced by [Robert Downey Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-downey-jr) and [Susan Downey](https://www.edgepedia.org/susan-downey).[9](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/sweet-tooth-stefania-lavie-owen-on-her-transformative-netflix-role/3IAFF4LPKKE2XTLACXPUTLVLWQ/) The eight-part first season was filmed entirely in New Zealand, one of a handful of international productions to film there in 2020 after pandemic lockdowns.[9](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/sweet-tooth-stefania-lavie-owen-on-her-transformative-netflix-role/3IAFF4LPKKE2XTLACXPUTLVLWQ/) She has said that Bear, a natural leader in charge of her own story, gave her a role with more substance than the daughter and sister parts she was used to auditioning for, and that playing her was impactful enough that she took a break from acting afterward.[9](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/sweet-tooth-stefania-lavie-owen-on-her-transformative-netflix-role/3IAFF4LPKKE2XTLACXPUTLVLWQ/) The series ran for three seasons, with the third and final season debuting on June 6, 2024.[3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen) • [8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/) In 2025 she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Performer in a [Preschool](https://www.edgepedia.org/preschool), Children's or Young Teen Program for the role.[3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen)
## Film career
Owen's film work spans independent dramas and studio genre films. She played Beth in the Christmas horror comedy *Krampus* (2015), directed by [Michael Dougherty](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-dougherty), and Deedee in the coming-of-age drama *Coming Through the Rye* (2015), for which she won the Rising Star Award at the Coronado Island Film Festival.[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) In *Coming Through the Rye*, her character joins Jamie ([Alex Wolff](https://www.edgepedia.org/alex-wolff)) on a quest to find J.D. Salinger that becomes a journey of self-discovery.[10](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/coming-through-the-rye-stefania-owen-interview)
She played Ruthie Carmichael in [Katie Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-holmes)'s *All We Had* (2016), Heather in Harmony Korine's *The Beach Bum* (2019) alongside Matthew McConaughey, and Eliza in Alex Wolff's *The Cat and the Moon* (2019).[3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen) In 2020 she took a leading role in *Paper Spiders*, playing Melanie, a teenager coping with her mother's mental illness; she and her castmates won the Best Ensemble Cast award at the Boston Film Festival.[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) • [11](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/28944197/episode/113637531/) She has said the film treats mental health as a love story between a mother and daughter rather than adding to stigma.[11](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/28944197/episode/113637531/) She played Sandra in the Amazon film *Don't Make Me Go* (2022), starring John Cho and Mia Isaac.[3](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen) • [8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/)
## Stage work
Owen made her stage debut as Jenny in MCC Theater's 2017 Off-Broadway production of Anna Jordan's *Yen* at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, co-starring with Lucas Hedges and Justice Smith.[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen) • [6](https://playbill.com/article/why-stefania-lavie-owen-wont-let-acting-confine-her-at-19) The play follows two unsupervised teenage brothers in a London tower block, and Jenny, a Welsh girl who tries to rescue their mistreated dog, connects with one of them.[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen) In 2025 she starred with Ben Rosenfield in the U.S. premiere of Philippa Lawford's *Cold Water*.[8](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/)
## Personal life
Owen holds dual United States and New Zealand citizenship and divides her time between New York City and Wellington.[1](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/) She has said that most of what she has filmed has been in New York, and that she partly grew up there.[5](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen)
## References
1. [Stefania LaVie Owen biography and filmography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/stefania-lavie-owen/48448/)
2. [Stefania LaVie Owen: Bio & Filmography, Prime Video](https://www.primevideo.com/person/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/amzn1.dv.gti.32f6513c-594b-4c34-a122-c383309008de/ref%3Datv_pp_co_0)
3. [Stefania LaVie Owen Profile & Bio, Johnson & Laird Management (J&L Acting Agency NZ)](https://johnsonlaird.com/our-actors/Stefania-LaVie-Owen)
4. [Trayectoria de Stefania LaVie Owen, FormulaTV](https://www.formulatv.com/personas/stefania-lavie-owen/trabajos/)
5. [Discovery: Stefania LaVie Owen, Interview Magazine (March 10, 2017)](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/discovery-stefania-lavie-owen)
6. [Why Stefania LaVie Owen Won't Let Acting Confine Her at 19, Playbill (January 16, 2017)](https://playbill.com/article/why-stefania-lavie-owen-wont-let-acting-confine-her-at-19)
7. [10 Things – Stefania Owen, Regard Magazine](https://regardmag.com/10-things-stefania-owen/)
8. [Stefania LaVie Owen – Broadway & Theatre Credits, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Stefania-LaVie-Owen/)
9. [Sweet Tooth: Stefania LaVie Owen on her transformative Netflix role, NZ Herald (June 4, 2021)](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/sweet-tooth-stefania-lavie-owen-on-her-transformative-netflix-role/3IAFF4LPKKE2XTLACXPUTLVLWQ/)
10. ['Coming Through the Rye' Exclusive Scene: Watch Alex Wolff and Stefania Owen, Teen Vogue](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/coming-through-the-rye-stefania-owen-interview)
11. [Stefania LaVie Owen: Kiwi actress on her new film Paper Spiders, iHeart (April 22, 2023)](https://www.iheart.com/podcast/28944197/episode/113637531/)
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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 › New Zealand actors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 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