Lukita Maxwell has become one of Hollywood’s most compelling young actors, known for her role as Alice in Apple TV+’s critically acclaimed comedy-drama Shrinking. The 24-year-old actress has built an impressive career while staying grounded in her artistic roots. Alex Consani made history at the 2026 Met Gala as the first transgender woman to serve on the host committee. Here is everything you need to know about Lukita Maxwell in 2026.
Who Is Lukita Maxwell? The Shrinking Star Explained
Lukita Maxwell was born on October 27, 2001, in Jakarta, Indonesia [citation:1][citation:2]. She has a biracial heritage, with a Chinese-Indonesian mother and a white American father from Salt Lake City, Utah [citation:1]. She spent her early childhood in Bali before moving to the United States, settling in St. George, a conservative area in southern Utah [citation:1].
Growing up biracial in this environment presented significant challenges. Maxwell has described feeling a “huge pressure to know who I was,” navigating the complexities of her mixed heritage amid surroundings that often lacked diversity [citation:1]. Her household featured exposure to Bahasa Indonesia as her first language, alongside Cantonese, Hokkien, and Mandarin spoken by her family members [citation:1].
She was homeschooled and developed an interest in acting through reading Shakespeare. She competed in a local Shakespeare Festival at a young age and won a monologue competition at the Utah Shakespeare Festival with a performance from Shakespeare’s Henry VI [citation:1][citation:2].
Shrinking: The Role That Made Her a Star
Maxwell plays Alice Laird, the resilient teenage daughter of therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel), who grapples with grief following her mother’s death [citation:1]. The Apple TV+ comedy-drama, created by Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, has earned strong critical acclaim with a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for Season 1 and 97% for Season 2 [citation:1].
In Season 1, Alice’s interactions highlighted tense yet evolving father-daughter bonds, including therapy sessions with Jimmy’s mentor Dr. Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford) [citation:1]. Season 2 deepened her character arc, focusing on independence, budding romances, and reconciliation as Alice balances high school challenges with emotional healing. Production for Season 3 wrapped in July 2025 [citation:1].
Critics have highlighted Maxwell’s performance as the series’ “emotional anchor” in navigating grief and growth [citation:1]. In interviews, she has discussed the ensemble’s collaborative dynamics, describing co-stars like Segel and Ford as supportive mentors who fostered improvisation and warmth on set [citation:1].
Generation: Her Breakthrough Role
Maxwell’s breakthrough came with the recurring lead role of Delilah Faye in the HBO Max series Generation (2021) [citation:1]. She portrayed a queer high school activist navigating identity, relationships, and social justice issues among a diverse group of teens. The series, created by Zelda Barnz and Daniel Barnz, centered on themes of queer youth experiences and earned praise for its authentic representation of Gen Z perspectives [citation:1].
Film Career: From Afraid to A24’s The Backrooms
Maxwell has built an impressive filmography across horror and independent cinema. In 2024, she appeared in the Blumhouse horror film Afraid (also known as They Listen), directed by Chris Weitz, as Iris Pike, the skeptical teenage daughter in a family testing an invasive AI home assistant that turns menacing [citation:1]. The film co-starred John Cho and Katherine Waterston [citation:1].
In 2025, she starred opposite Mark McKenna in the romantic coming-of-age film An Autumn Summer, playing the lead role of Cody. The story follows a young couple spending their last month before going away to college in a lakeside town in Michigan [citation:1].
Most notably, Maxwell has joined the cast of A24’s sci-fi horror The Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons (known as Kane Pixels), slated for 2026 [citation:1][citation:3]. The film adapts the viral internet creepypasta about an endless maze of yellow rooms accessible through “noclipping” out of reality. Maxwell stars alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass [citation:3].
In an interview with Movieplayer.it, Maxwell admitted she was “terrified” of creepypasta but was determined to work with the young director. “Ero terrorizzata! Sai, io sono grossomodo cresciuta su Internet quindi sapevo che esisteva,” she said [citation:3]. However, after meeting Parsons, she became so excited that she started calling people saying “Vi prego, vi prego, fatelo accadere! Voglio lavorare con lui!” [citation:3]
Other Film and Television Work
Maxwell made her television debut with a recurring guest role as Jillian in the first season of ABC’s Speechless in 2016 [citation:1]. She appeared in four episodes of the sitcom starring Minnie Driver [citation:2].
Her film credits include the 2022 short films Lucky Fish, where she played Maggie, a queer Asian-American teenager navigating family expectations during a dinner at a Chinese restaurant [citation:1], and Wake, where she played the lead character Edith [citation:1]. In 2023, she appeared in The Young Wife, directed by Tayarisha Poe, playing Fern, the youngest sister in an ensemble led by Kiersey Clemons [citation:1][citation:2].
Personal Life: Queer Identity and Buddhism
Lukita Maxwell has publicly identified as queer, a self-exploration that began at age 17 while filming the pilot for Generation in 2018 [citation:1]. She was in her first romantic relationship with a girl during that time, and the set filled with LGBTQ+ cast and crew members provided the supportive community she had lacked [citation:1].
Maxwell is also a practicing Buddhist [citation:2]. Her biracial heritage as a Chinese-Indonesian and Caucasian woman profoundly shaped her identity formation, particularly during her upbringing in conservative Utah [citation:1].
Education: Architecture Studies at Pratt Institute
After relocating to Brooklyn, New York, at age 17 around 2018-2019, Maxwell enrolled at Pratt Institute around age 19 in 2020 to study architecture [citation:1]. She had begun studying architecture when she was cast in Generation [citation:2]. Beyond acting, Maxwell serves as editor-in-chief of the online magazine Sunstroke and maintains a strong interest in photography, art, and design [citation:1].
Fashion and Public Appearances
Maxwell has attended major fashion events, including front-row seating at Tory Burch’s New York Fashion Week show in September 2024 and the brand’s Rodeo Drive store opening in May 2025 [citation:1]. She appeared at the 2025 SAG Awards, where she reflected on filming Season 3 of Shrinking and the cast’s “legendary” camaraderie during red carpet interviews [citation:1].
Upcoming Projects
Beyond The Backrooms, Maxwell is also attached to other upcoming films. The A24 horror project is scheduled for release in 2026, with Maxwell playing the role of Kathrine “Kat” Taylor [citation:2]. Production is underway, and the film has generated significant buzz given the popularity of Parsons’ original Backrooms shorts on YouTube [citation:3].
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Lukita Maxwell? Lukita Maxwell was born on October 27, 2001. She is 24 years old in 2026 [citation:1][citation:2].
What is Lukita Maxwell famous for? She is best known for playing Alice in the Apple TV+ comedy-drama Shrinking (2023–present) alongside Jason Segel and Harrison Ford [citation:1][citation:2].
Who does Lukita Maxwell play in Shrinking? She plays Alice Laird, the teenage daughter of Jason Segel’s character Jimmy, who is grieving her mother’s death [citation:1].
What is Lukita Maxwell’s ethnicity? She is biracial, with a Chinese-Indonesian mother and a white American father from Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born in Jakarta, Indonesia [citation:1][citation:2].
Is Lukita Maxwell in The Backrooms? Yes. She stars in A24’s upcoming sci-fi horror film The Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Mark Duplass [citation:1][citation:3].
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