The Next Shirley Temple

by Brooke Ezzo | photo courtesy of Natalie Mahoney

If you ask what sparked her interest in the acting world, she’ll tell you a story about Shirley Temple. When Mallory James Mahoney was around 4-years-old, her Popeye (grandfather) would tell her she was Shirley’s look-a-like.

One night, while watching a Shirley Temple movie, Mallory turned to her parents and asked, “Are you sure that isn’t me?” With her pinch-able cheeks, sweet voice, and natural, thick curly hair, it would be hard to tell them apart. That moment sparked something in her, and she knew she wanted to be an actress.

Mallory had spent an entire year asking her parents to get her involved in a local theater group, and around the age of 7, her parents finally gave in.

“I think they put me in the theater to scare me out it,”

Mallory giggled. “I am super shy, but I ended up getting a solo and loved every minute of it.”

She was discovered by her agency, Kim Dawson, while performing at the theater. She was then referred to highly sought after acting coach, Cathryn Sullivan, who specializes in young performers and casts for popular Disney and Netflix shows. It wasn’t long after starting acting classes and coaching that Mallory auditioned for and booked a spot in an indie film called Dig that made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival. In the same year, Mallory worked on two television pilots and was cast in a main role for a Lifetime movie, Heaven Sent.

In 2016, she became character, Katy Cooper, in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Adventures in Babysitting, getting the chance to work alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Sofia Carson. This put Mallory right in front of Disney Channel producers.

“I never really thought I was Disney-kind of funny. I always thought I was more sarcastic funny or serious funny,” Mallory said. “I never pictured Disney liking my style, but they did.”

In 2018, Mallory and her mom, Natalie, set off to Los Angeles to film for the increasingly popular Disney Channel series, Bunk’d. During casting, Mallory developed and molded her character, the pageant-winning, glitter-loving, tapdancing, girly-girl, Destiny Baker.

Mallory said Destiny is a fun character because she is very different from who she is in real life. Season 4 was cut short due to the coronavirus, and Mallory has enjoyed her extended stay at home with her family and friends. But she is excited to get back to work and start filming for season 5.

“Living in Texas and working in California is fun,” Mallory said. “I get the best of both worlds.”

She hopes to continue acting for years to come, but she also plans on going to college with an interest in environmental science and biology. She has a lot of care for animals and our planet.

Mallory lives in Denton County with her parents and her two favorites things in the world, her dogs Botticelli and Bark Wahlberg.