McNulty lands lead role in Anne series

TORONTO — Irish-Canadian teen Amybeth McNulty has landed the lead role in an upcoming Anne of Green Gables adaptation that will screen on Netflix and CBC-TV.

Fourteen-year-old McNulty beat out about 1,900 actors from around the world for the role of orphan heroine Anne Shirley.

CBC says McNulty was born in Ireland and is based in Donegal. She has Canadian citizenship via her mother, who is from Calgary.

McNulty has been acting since age six and has appeared in numerous productions, including the film Morgan and the TV series Agatha Raisin.

The cast also includes Geraldine James and R.H. Thomson as siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who adopt Anne.

Based on Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic novel, the series began production in Prince Edward Island in September and is now in Ontario.

“Amybeth is a wonderful and sensitive actress who embodies all of Anne’s qualities. She’s soulful and inquisitive, mercurial and passionate. Her ability to convey pain and joy is breathtaking,” said Emmy-winning showrunner and executive producer Moira WalleyBeckett, who was a writer and producer for Breaking Bad.

“Amybeth is Anne for a new generation.”