Ariana Greenblatt onBorderlands, Barbieand the 'Double Life' of Teen Stardom

Mar. 15, 2025

Days before her cover shoot withPeople,Ariana Greenblattdid something that, to the average 16-year-old, would be considered ordinary. She embarked on a “side quest” with her friends — something they do often — and visited the Santa Monica Pier early in the morning. Wearing her pajamas and a pair of sunglasses she purchased on the pier as her disguise, Greenblatt leaned into the kind of carefree “normal” that came before she became a Disney Channel child star at age eight.

Sipping an iced matcha in between takes on a Sunday afternoon in West Hollywood, Greenblatt is focused, though quick to jam out to her hype playlist speckled with Broadway songs. The actress, who boasts 3.6 million followers on TikTok and 3.4 million on Instagram, is still learning to “balance all the changes” as a rising star—but she’s managed to keep her teenage years mostly out of public view. “If I’m in a public setting with a bunch of people, I’m constantly aware,” says Greenblatt, who prefers hanging at friends’ houses or at off-the-radar Los Angeles restaurants. “I’ve navigated a way to stay as low-key as possible.”

Greenblatt, best known to the over-25 set asAmerica Ferrera’s angsty teen daughter in last summer’sGreta Gerwig-directed blockbusterBarbie, landed her first acting gigs in first grade. Living in Florida at the time, Greenblatt had come close to landing the titular role on Broadway’sMatilda the Musicalin a chance audition, and on a subsequent summer trip to Los Angeles with her dad Shon, a marketing executive, and mom Soli, a former professional ballerina, she landed three auditions.

LOOK 1: Topshop beret. Monse blazer. Calzedonia tights. Andrea Wazen shoes. Anita Ko hoop earring. Dana Rebecca hoop earring.Alex G. Harper

Alex G. Harper

She aced all three, which resulted in two bit parts and a life-changing role as the mischievous Daphne Diaz, the youngest of seven children on Disney’sStuck in the MiddleoppositeJenna Ortega. Greenblatt’s parents scrambled to find housing in L.A. so she could be in the popular show, which reached 27 million viewers after its premiere and ran from 2016 to 2018. Soon, Greenblatt realized there was no looking back: “I just know the second I was consistently on a set, I felt more comfortable than I ever do,” she says. “I knew I never wanted to stop.”

At 16, Greenblatt embodies what Gen Z — and British pop starCharli xcx— would hail asbrat. She has a cool-girl demeanor, a signature pout, speaks her truth and embraces the chaos of new adventures. She’s also not afraid to admit she has imperfections. “I compare myself so much to so many people. It literally makes me nauseous,” she says.

Though she effortlessly cycles through Louis Vuitton, Prada and Monse looks at the PEOPLE photo shoot, Greenblatt values “comfort over anything” when she’s off duty and says menswear is a “big slay” — even more so when it’s not from her own closet: “It must be four times my size, and it must not be my clothes. It’s either my friend’s clothes or my brother’s clothes, or my dad’s clothes.”

Ferragamo top. Fleur du Mal bra. EB Denim shorts. Andrea Wazen shoes. Ariana Boussard-Reifel hoop earrings. Stylist’s own socks.Alex G. Harper

Her family has stayed close as Greenblatt has racked up her big-screen film credits, from 2018’sAvengers: Infinity Warto 2021’sIn the Heights. Both parents are present at today’s cover shoot, and Soli always accompanies her daughter to film sets. At one point, Greenblatt runs over to give her dad a big hug before pausing to tease: “What are you wearing?”

Louis Vuitton top. AGOLDE jeans. Schutz shoes. Bondeye Jewelry ear cuff. Dana Rebecca hoop earrings. Melinda Maria hoop earrings. Talent’s own stud earrings. Stylist’s own suspenders.Alex G. Harper

“I could have a full day of school and then go filmStar Wars”—she plays young Ahsoka Tano onAhsoka—”and no one could know. I have moments where I feel like I’m living a double life, but I never felt like I was thrown to the wolves,” saysGreenblatt, who maintained a regular school schedule at a private high school before switching to homeschooling in Fall 2023 for her junior year.

“I wouldn’t be who I was if I wasn’t close with my family,” she adds. “My brother is my best friend and he knows me better than anybody in this world. He also doesn’t put me on any sort of pedestal. If anything, I’m down here,” she says, gesturing to the ground, “which is very refreshing.”

‘I Had a Dreamhouse. Now I’m In One.’

Still no one realized they were filming a future billion-dollar hit, and Greenblatt sat back and took “everything in quietly.” Working with Gerwig, she says, was like having a “very loving, motherly type figure.”

“She had such insane niche references from movies that nobody on that set has seen, which was my favorite thing,” recalls Greenblatt. “So charming. My favorite thing about her, she’d be like, ‘Remember that 1920 [film]…?’ I was like, ‘No, I don’t, but I am picking up what you’re putting down.’“

The Attico jacket. Monse Dress. Reformation shoes. Bondeye Jewelry ear cuff. Dana Rebecca hoop earrings. Melinda Maria hoop earrings. Talent’s own stud earrings.Alex G. Harper

Robbie, the “queen bee,” set the tone on set with her positive nature, recalls Greenblatt, who similarly soaked up scenes with Ferrera. “I learned a lot just listening to her…America’s incredible,” she says of the veteran actress, who earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her role.

“I was like, ‘Mom, I’m not texting Margot ‘I think you’re pregnant.’ She’s going to think I’m crazy,” she recalls. When the news went public, she went straight to Soli. “I was like, ‘Mom, Margot’s pregnancy came out today.’ And she was like, ‘I called it, I’m abruja(witch). I can tell the future.’” She gives a dramatic pause. “That happens a lot with her.”

After the filmgrossed $1.4 billion and became a cultural phenomenon—with the costumed screening parties and discourses on gender and identity to match—Greenblatt grappled with “confusing emotions” of trying to find herself while her star is on the rise.

Dries Van Noten top. Prada shorts. Stylist’s own boots. Bondeye Jewelry ear cuff. Anita Ko diamond cuff. Dana Rebecca hoop earrings. Melinda Maria hoop earrings. Talent’s own stud earrings.Alex G. Harper

“I didn’t know what was happening. I was like, ‘Why do people know me? I don’t know who I am.’ There was so much overwhelming love, and I didn’t really know what to do with that or categorize that in my brain, so I just hid for a while,” she says. “I also had no idea it would be accepted the way it was.”

‘He’s Got My Back’

This weekend, Greenblatt is starring in her biggest role yet, the film adaptation of the insanely popular video gameBorderlands(out Aug. 9). Greenblatt joinsCate Blanchett,Kevin Hart,Jamie Lee Curtis andJack Blackplaying Tiny Tina, a wild tween on the run across the universe with a penchant for swearing and blowing things up. At 13, Greenblatt leaned into the brash role.

“If that movie was rated R, which I pushed for it to be, you’d hear more of my personality,” she says of the PG-13 film. “I swear a lot. And I do the middle finger too much. I have to stop because I’ve been told to. While I was filming, I just felt so free — like I could say and do whatever and it would work because Tina is that unpredictable feral girl.”

“[My kids] were lucky enough to bond with the only other kid there,” says Hart, 45, noting that the trio “ended up spending an astronomical amount of time together, stayed true to their friendship and built off of it. Good people attract good people. I think that’s how they found each other.”

Four years later, Greenblatt remains an honorary Hart family member, dubbing the comedian “Uncle Kevin.” Says Hart jokingly: “She’s around my house all the time. This whole ‘Uncle Kev’ thing pisses me off but she won’t stop doing it.”

Sportmax jacket. Wolford tights. Givenchy shoes. Jenny Bird rings. Bondeye Jewelry ear cuff. Anita Ko cuff & hoop earrings. Dana Rebecca hoop earrings. Talent’s own stud earrings.Alex G. Harper

Despite their running banter, Greenblatt knows he has her back. “He believes in me so much. Anytime I’m at his house and his friend is there, he’s like, ‘This is Ariana. She’s the next big thing.’ He just makes me feel really good,” she says. It’s not just talk. “What I really admire most about her is that there’s no fear,” says Hart. “I’m glad we were able to bond and get close but I’m excited to see what she’s gonna bring to the business. More importantly,dofor the business.”

Soon entering her senior year, Greenblatt has opted for homeschooling, following what she hints was a less-than-inspiring run at a more standard high school. “I wanted that social interaction andFriday Night Lightsand homecoming. Stuff like that has always intrigued me – and I got a taste of it and I never need to see it again.”

But she still has teenage dreams to check off. She doesn’t have her license yet (she’s working on it!) but if she’s ever “down bad in the dumps,” her dad lets her get behind the wheel and they go on an off-the-books drive. She wants to graduate high school and has no plans to attend college — for now. “It’s up to my parental figures. But if it were up to me, I would say no,” she says with a smirk, well aware her mom is listening in.

As for dating, having a boyfriend isn’t high on Greenblatt’s priority list (her exact words: “Yuck!”), but she’s willing to have some fun if it meansdoing it for the plot.

“I have no interest in having a boyfriend. Gross. But I’ll talk to [someone] for a little bit…Then I’m like, ‘Sorry, I got to go. I’m filming,’ ” she quips. Though yet to experience romantic love, Greenblatt says her friends “fill up my heart more than any teenage boy could.”

These friendships keep Greenblatt afloat when the outside noise gets to be too much. Growing up in the spotlight also comes with navigating the occasional social media trolls, but Greenblatt has learned to draw her own boundaries.

“I know when to turn it off and know when to stop looking,” she says. “But it definitely affects me sometimes. I just let myself feel what I need to feel because there’s not really anything I can do about it.”

Greenblatt instead fills her spare time with simple joys like karaoke with her friends, eating sushi with her brother and watching her favorite movies, fromSuperbadtoFantastic Mr. Fox. She just began filming the heist-thrillerNow You See Me 3, joining original cast membersJesse Eisenberg,Woody Harrelson,Isla FisherandDave Franco, and has dreams of becoming a director one day.

She doesn’t take any of it for granted. “I take every opportunity that I get and [I’m] very grateful for it,” she says. “I never expected any of this to happen, and I don’t know what’s to come either. I’m just living in the moment.”

But with her 17th birthday looming, the moment still has boundaries. And a curfew. “I’m still a normal girl,” she says. “Usually it’s 11:30 p.m… but if I’m awesome, 12.”

CreditsPhotographerAlex G. HarperCinematographerDarrin JamesHairGlen Coco Oropeza/ PRTNRSMakeupJen Tioseco/ The Wall GroupManicuristZola Ganzorigt/ OPI / The Wall GroupStylistMolly Dickson

Credits

PhotographerAlex G. HarperCinematographerDarrin JamesHairGlen Coco Oropeza/ PRTNRSMakeupJen Tioseco/ The Wall GroupManicuristZola Ganzorigt/ OPI / The Wall GroupStylistMolly Dickson

PhotographerAlex G. Harper

CinematographerDarrin James

HairGlen Coco Oropeza/ PRTNRS

MakeupJen Tioseco/ The Wall Group

ManicuristZola Ganzorigt/ OPI / The Wall Group

StylistMolly Dickson

source: people.com