Alycia Jasmin Debnam-Carey is an Australian actress. She is known for her roles as Commander Lexa on The CWscience fiction television series The 100 and Alicia Clark on the AMC horror drama television series Fear the Walking Dead. Debnam-Carey has also starred in the films Into the Storm and The Devil's Hand, and Friend Request. She has also appeared in the television series McLeod's Daughters, Dream Life, and Next Stop Hollywood.
Early life
In 2011, Debnam-Carey graduated from Newtown High School of the Performing Arts, where she was a percussionist. In 2010, in partnership with the Berlin Philharmonic, she and around 40 other musicians worked together and composed a piece in a two-week program. Debnam-Carey also studied for ten years in classical percussion and has said that she almost went to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, but decided that it wasn't what she actually wanted to do. In her last year of school, Debnam-Carey took her High-School Certificate exams and managed to get top band in six of her courses. These included English Advanced, English Extension 1, Drama, Modern History, Music 2 and Visual Arts. She is also best friend with actresses Maia Mitchell and Marny Kennedy. Debnam-Carey also received the Premier's award for receiving a score of 90 in 6 subjects.
Career
2003–2011: Career beginnings
Alycia Debnam-Carey started acting at the age of 8. In 2003, she co-starred in Rachel Ward's award-winning short-feature film Martha's New Coat. Later, Debnam-Carey guest-starred in Australian drama seriesMcLeod's Daughters. In 2008, she appeared in television film Dream Life and short film Jigsaw Girl. Debnam-Carey also showed up in the other short films At the Tattooist and The Branch. In 2010, she co-starred in the unsold pilotResistance and guest-starred in the Australian drama series, Dance Academy.
2012–2013: Los Angeles and ''Next Stop Hollywood''
Debnam-Carey began to make her mark in Hollywood at the age of 18, when she traveled to the U.S. for the first time. She starred as the youngest cast member in Next Stop Hollywood, a six-part documentary that followed six Australian actors as they competed for roles during the U.S. TV pilot season. Her mother, Leone Carey, a television writer, accompanied Debnam-Carey on her journey. Just after two weeks in Hollywood, Debnam-Carey auditioned for the role of Carrie Bradshaw for the new CW series The Carrie Diaries and was asked to audition for an independent feature film, a thriller set in the Amish community. After two more weeks in Hollywood, Debnam-Carey had landed on the short list for The Carrie Diaries and had been offered a lead role in a feature film, The Devil's Hand, then known as The Occult, and the next week left Hollywood to meet a film director in Canada. In the sixth and final week in Hollywood, Debnam-Carey started filming The Devil's Hand in North Carolina. In the end, Debnam-Carey lost the role of Carrie in The Carrie Diaries to actress AnnaSophia Robb. The documentary aired in 2013 on ABC1 in Australia. While staying in LA, Debnam-Carey became a Heath Ledger Scholarship Finalist in July 2012.
2014–present: Breakthrough, ''The 100'' and ''Fear the Walking Dead''
In 2014, Debnam-Carey co-starred in American disaster film Into the Storm. Following The Devil's Hand, Debnam-Carey was cast in a series pilot called Galyntine for AMC, alongside Laura Harrier, though AMC ultimately opted not to take the pilot to series. Debnam-Carey also made an appearance in Made in Hollywood in the same year. Debnam-Carey guest starred in season two of CW's The 100, first appearing in episode six as Commander Lexa, a powerful leader of twelve clans. She became one of the fan favorites. At San Diego Comic Con International 2015, it was confirmed by show's creator Jason Rothenberg that Debnam-Carey would be returning to the show's third season in a recurring role. In December 2014, the first four lead roles of The Walking Dead spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead were cast, including Debnam-Carey as Alicia. The first photos of Debnam-Carey on set showed up after production began on the remaining five first-season episodes on 11 May 2015, in Vancouver. Production for the show in Canada concluded at the end of June 2015 and finished in July 2015 in Los Angeles. Fear the Walking Dead debuted on 23 August, 2015 and was ordered for 2 seasons. At the Television Critics Association Press Tour, it was announced that AMC ordered 15 episodes for season 2. On 15 April 2016, AMC announced the series had been renewed for a 16-episode third season to air in 2017. On 27 August 2015, Debnam-Carey made her first talk show appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! while promoting the series. Debnam-Carey also appeared in the lead role of Laura in the German thriller Friend Request, originally named Unfriend. The film was originally scheduled to be released in 2015, but was eventually released in Germany on 7 January 2016. On 19 October 2017, it was announced that Debnam-Carey has been cast in a crime thriller A Violent Separation. Debnam-Carey played Frances Campbell, younger sister of the victim. The film was released in May 2019.
