# Willa Holland
**Willa Holland** (Willa Joanna Chance Holland, born 1991) is an American actress, voice actress, and model, known for playing Kaitlin Cooper on the FOX teen drama *The O.C.*, Agnes Andrews on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw)'s *Gossip Girl*, and [Thea Queen](https://www.edgepedia.org/thea-queen) / Speedy on The CW's *Arrow* for eight seasons.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) • [2](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and birth | Willa Joanna Chance Holland, born 1991 in Los Angeles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) |
| Family | Daughter of cinematographer Keith Holland and actress Darnell Gregorio-De Palma; her mother was remarried to director Brian De Palma from 1995 to 1997[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) |
| Start in the business | Began modeling at age seven, encouraged by family friend Steven Spielberg and introduced to agencies by her stepfather Brian De Palma[3](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/) |
| Breakthrough role | Kaitlin Cooper, Marissa Cooper's troublemaking younger sister on *The O.C.*, joined the ensemble at age 14[3](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/) • [4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-new-bad-girl-on-the-oc/) |
| Signature role | Thea Queen / Speedy on *Arrow*, played for eight seasons[2](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059) |
| Voice work | Aqua in *Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep*, released 2010 in North America[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) |
| Recent lead | Rebecca Owens in *The Mortuary Assistant* (2026), a supernatural horror film based on the 2022 video game, streaming on Shudder[2](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059) |
## Early life and start in modeling
Holland was born in Los Angeles to cinematographer Keith Holland and actress Darnell Gregorio-De Palma, and grew up with two sisters, Brianna Holland (born 1988) and [Piper De Palma](https://www.edgepedia.org/piper-de-palma).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) Her mother's marriage to director [Brian De Palma](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-de-palma), whose credits include *Scarface* and *Mission: Impossible*, lasted from 1995 to 1997, and De Palma introduced her to agencies.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) • [3](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/)
She began modeling at the age of seven, in part at the suggestion of family friend [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg).[5](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/news/a23164/willa-holland-interview/) Born to an actress and a cinematographer, she grew up on movie sets, and later said that although she was excited to work in the business as a child, she "wasn't really aware what I was getting myself into".[3](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/)
## Television: The O.C. and Gossip Girl
Holland's television breakthrough came as Kaitlin Cooper, the troublemaking little sister of [Mischa Barton](https://www.edgepedia.org/mischa-barton)'s character [Marissa Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/marissa-cooper) on FOX's hit drama *The O.C.*.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-new-bad-girl-on-the-oc/) She wreaked havoc on the show for two seasons in the role, and joined the ensemble at 14, saying she could relate closely to her rule-breaking, attention-seeking character and that it was obvious to her why she was cast at that stage of her life.[3](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/) A 2006 [CBS News](https://www.edgepedia.org/cbs-news) profile described her as Newport's newest bad girl, following in the footsteps of Mischa Barton, and noted her earlier television credit on Lisa Kudrow's series *The Comeback*.[4](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-new-bad-girl-on-the-oc/)
In December 2007 she was cast in the independent drama film *Garden Party* (2008) as April, a troubled teenage aspiring model trying to make it in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) In September 2008, The CW announced she would appear in three episodes of the second season of *Gossip Girl*, the series created by *The O.C.* creator [Josh Schwartz](https://www.edgepedia.org/josh-schwartz), playing Agnes Andrews, a rebellious 16-year-old model who befriends and creates havoc for [Taylor Momsen](https://www.edgepedia.org/taylor-momsen)'s character.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) She made a one-off return to the show in the third-season episode "The Empire Strikes Jack", which aired March 29, 2010.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/)
## Film work and voice acting
Between and after her television roles Holland worked steadily in film. She appeared in *Middle of Nowhere* (2008) and *A Summer in Genoa* (2008), the [Michael Winterbottom](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-winterbottom) film in which she played [Colin Firth](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-firth)'s daughter, and in 2010 starred in her first major studio film, the apocalyptic thriller *Legion*, playing a bratty teenager.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) • [3](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/) She also appeared in *Straw Dogs* (2011).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/)
In 2010 she voiced Aqua in the [PlayStation Portable](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-portable) title *Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep*, released in North America on September 7, 2010.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) She later said that this past Kingdom Hearts role informed her performance in *The Mortuary Assistant*.[2](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059)
She played the lead as Davey Wexler in *Tiger Eyes* (2012), the film adaptation of the [Judy Blume](https://www.edgepedia.org/judy-blume) novel, which [Entertainment Tonight](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment-tonight) described as the first Judy Blume book ever adapted for cinema.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) • [6](https://www.etonline.com/tv/133789_Willa_Holland_Arrow_Season_Finale_Interview)
## Arrow and Thea Queen
Holland's best-known role is Thea Queen, Oliver Queen's younger sister, on *Arrow*, The CW series based on the DC comic book Green Arrow, which she played for eight seasons.[2](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059) Thea was a new character created for the series, introduced as Oliver's little sister, and the show's publicity pointed to her future as Speedy.[7](https://arrow.hypnoweb.net/arrow/multimedia/presse/interviews/ksitetv-2-octobre-2012.217.542/) Holland signed on as a series regular alongside Katie Cassidy and Colin Donnell, knowing the show was Stephen Amell-based, and described watching it evolve into an ensemble.[6](https://www.etonline.com/tv/133789_Willa_Holland_Arrow_Season_Finale_Interview)
The character's arc changed markedly across the run. In season three, after Thea left Starling City with her biological father Malcolm Merlyn, she reappeared in Corto Maltese as a fierce fighter trained under his guidance, and Holland said "The Thea that you guys saw in Season 1 and Season 2 is not the girl coming back in Season 3".[8](https://www.buddytv.com/arrow-interview-willa-holland-on-theas-unusual-relationship-with-malcolm-love-for-roy-and-new-kick-ass-attitude/) • [9](https://time.com/3045784/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-third-season-of-arrow/) In a 2016 interview at San Diego Comic-Con she discussed Thea's return to Team Arrow after a fourth season filled with tragedy, blood lust, and questionable decisions.[10](https://fangirlish.com/2016/08/01/arrow-sdcc-2016-interview-willa-holland/)
## Later work
After *Arrow*, Holland's screen credits include Sue Parker in *The Dirty South* (2023), Camille in the short *Love Your Neighbor* (2023), and a 2024 guest appearance as the Stepmother in one episode of *Based on a True Story*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/) She leads *The Mortuary Assistant* (2026) as Rebecca Owens, a newly certified mortician embalming bodies alone on the night shift at River Fields Mortuary, a supernatural horror film based on the 2022 video game and streaming on Shudder; she described filming largely by herself, including a scene in which her character stabs herself while being tortured by a demon.[2](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059)
## References
1. [Willa Holland, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1473267/)
2. [Willa Holland Talks THE MORTUARY ASSISTANT, Reflects On Her ARROW Legacy & More! (Exclusive), ComicBookMovie, March 27, 2026](https://comicbookmovie.com/horror/willa-holland-talks-the-mortuary-assistant-reflects-on-her-arrow-legacy-more-exclusive-a227059)
3. [WILLA HOLLAND: Interview, Wonderland, February 25, 2013](https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2013/02/25/willa-holland-interview/)
4. [A New Bad Girl On 'The O.C.', CBS News, November 3, 2006](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-new-bad-girl-on-the-oc/)
5. [Willa Holland on Modeling and Bringing a Judy Blume Character to Life, ELLE, June 5, 2013](https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/news/a23164/willa-holland-interview/)
6. [Willa Holland Talks 'Arrow' Finale Shockers, Entertainment Tonight, May 8, 2013](https://www.etonline.com/tv/133789_Willa_Holland_Arrow_Season_Finale_Interview)
7. [KSiteTV interview with Willa Holland on Arrow, October 2, 2012 (Hypnoweb transcription)](https://arrow.hypnoweb.net/arrow/multimedia/presse/interviews/ksitetv-2-octobre-2012.217.542/)
8. ['Arrow' Interview: Willa Holland on Thea's Unusual Relationship with Malcolm, Love for Roy and New 'Kick-Ass Attitude', BuddyTV, October 22, 2014](https://www.buddytv.com/arrow-interview-willa-holland-on-theas-unusual-relationship-with-malcolm-love-for-roy-and-new-kick-ass-attitude/)
9. [Everything You Need to Know About Arrow, Season 3, TIME](https://time.com/3045784/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-third-season-of-arrow/)
10. [Arrow SDCC 2016 Interview: Willa Holland, Fangirlish, August 1, 2016](https://fangirlish.com/2016/08/01/arrow-sdcc-2016-interview-willa-holland/)
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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 He to Hs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 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