‘Scooby-Doo’ Star Mckenna Grace Stuns in a Whimsical Butterfly Gown at the Newport Beach Film Festival
Every October, the Newport Beach Film Festival turns the Southern California coastline into a gathering place for Hollywood veterans and rising stars alike, and this year McKenna Grace was among its brightest honorees. Founded in 1999 by Gregg Schwenk and Todd Quartararo, the festival now bills itself as the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California.
The 27th edition runs from October 15 to 22, opening with the Peter Frampton documentary ‘Frampton’ and showcasing more than 100 feature films from around the world. A centerpiece of the week is the Festival Honors brunch, held alongside Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch and filmed for broadcast on PBS SoCal during January’s key awards voting window.
On Sunday, October 18, Grace arrived at the Balboa Bay Resort to receive the festival’s Spotlight Award. Photos shared by several outlets on X show the actress posing against a sunny harbor backdrop of docks and yachts, wearing a striking black strapless gown.
The dress came from Nicole + Felicia and featured a sheer, corset-style bodice with visible boning that gave the silhouette a structured shape. Instead of traditional embellishment, the entire gown was covered in 3D lace butterflies in black and silver-white, scattered from the bodice down across a full tulle skirt.
She kept the rest of the look simple, pairing the gown with black pointed pumps and diamond stud earrings. Her blonde hair fell loose with a center part, letting the whimsical butterflies take center stage.
McKenna Grace at the 27th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival. https://t.co/zIxrikoUTT
— JumpTrailers (@JumpTrailers) October 18, 2026
Grace was in impressive company. Taraji P. Henson received the Artist of Distinction Award, Jack O’Connell took home the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award for ‘Ink’, Sosie Bacon earned the Breakout Award for ‘Family Movie’, and casting director Sarah Finn was recognized with the Casting Visionary Award for ‘Wild Horse Nine’.
The ceremony also celebrated Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, a class that includes Esmé Creed-Miles, Mariana Di Girólamo, Jaafar Jackson, Inde Navarrette and Ray Nicholson. Among them is Joseph Zada, who appears alongside Grace in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’.
McKenna Grace and Inde Navarrette together at a recent event. #New #McKennaGrace #IndeNavarrette https://t.co/3xIt6opneG
— Brandon Wilcox (@brandontwilcox) October 19, 2026
The Spotlight Award recognizes a résumé that already spans well over a decade. Festival organizers describe Grace as one of the most accomplished young actors of her generation, noting that she made Emmy history as the youngest-ever nominee in the Guest Actress category for playing Esther Keyes in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’.
She first drew widespread attention in Marc Webb’s ‘Gifted’, earning a Critics Choice nomination. That breakthrough was followed by roles in ‘I, Tonya’, ‘Captain Marvel’, ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ and ‘Troop Zero’, and many fans also know her as Phoebe from ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’.
Her television work has been just as notable. Grace starred in Peacock’s ‘A Friend of the Family’ and ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, and she also had a recurring role on ‘Young Sheldon’.
The timing of the honor couldn’t be better. Grace plays Maysilee Donner in ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’, which opens in theaters on November 20, putting her at the center of one of the season’s most anticipated releases.
Joseph Zada and McKenna Grace at the Newport Beach Film Festival Honors! (October 18th, 2026). via NBFF. https://t.co/dxc0dUa5iD
— Joseph Zada Updates (@jozadaupdates) October 19, 2026
Acting isn’t her only creative outlet, either. She is also a singer-songwriter signed to Photo Finish Records, and her latest single, “Bones and All,” is the third in a series of releases she has rolled out this year.
With a major franchise debut just weeks away, Grace’s festival appearance felt like a confident step into a new chapter. The butterfly gown, playful yet polished, mirrored a performer who has grown up on screen and is now stepping fully into leading-lady territory.
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