Why Chris Hargensen From Carrie Looks So Familiar

The role of Chris Hargensen in Mike Flanagan's "Carrie" series is played by Alison Thornton. It's a big role for the Vancouver native, but it's far from her first – you've probably seen her before in a bunch of other TV shows. Thornton was acting long before portraying the girl who unleashes senseless cruelty against Carrie (Summer H. Howell), her telekinetic classmate. Her first role was in the 2013 Hallmark movie "Let It Snow," and she went on to establish herself on the small screen from there.

Thornton is perhaps best known for the Bravo series "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," which follows Abby (Lisa Edelstein), a self-help author whose own romantic failures complicate her personal life and career. Thornton plays Zooey Hernandez-Frumpkis, the daughter of Abby's best friend Jo Hernandez (Alanna Ubach). The role held special significance for Thornton. "I really got an appreciation for the craft of acting," she told Don't Forget a Towel. "Working with Alanna Ubach taught me more about acting than anything or anyone."

You may also recognize Thornton from "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency," which stars Samuel Barnett as the titular detective and Elijah Wood as Dirk's skepitcal sidekick Todd Brotzman. She appeared in the first season as missing heiress Lydia Spring. Other notable credits include Tacy in the USA Network teen drama "Dare Me," Birdie in The CW's "Nancy Drew," Chloe in "School Spirits" (which has been renewed for a fourth season at Paramount+), and Katie in the "Legally Blonde" prequel series "Elle."

Mike Flanagan's "Carrie" is already on its way to joining the ranks of the best Stephen King TV adaptions of all time. The reviews have been highly positive, and Alison Thornton has been getting lots of plaudits for her layered portrayal of mean girl Chris Hargensen (Next Best Picture called her "the true stand-out of the cast"). Speaking to Comic Book Movie, Thornton said that she put a lot of thought into why Chris behaves the way she does. "I think that was one of the most important things to me in terms of this version of Chris — why she's making the choices that she's making and the fact that she is coming from a place of pain."

While Flanagan's series doesn't exactly make Chris a sympathetic character, it does explain why she's so angry: Her relationship with her dad is very complicated. Onscreen versions of John Hargensen have become more detailed with every adaptation, but none have gone as far as Flanagan's series, which paints him as a frequently absent and abusive father. Speaking about her character at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2026, Thornton advised anyone going through something similar to seek help rather than lash out. "Cruelty not only affects the person experiencing it, but it affects the person perpetuating it and the entire community," she told Tell-Tale TV. "And it's never worth it."