'Zombies' actor Carla Jeffery (33) dies; agency shares heartfelt message
What's the story
Carla Jeffery, the actor who played Bree in Disney's Zombies franchise, has died at 33. Her talent agency, Alexanders Talent Management, confirmed her passing on Instagram. The agency said, "Our hearts are broken as we mourn the loss of our beloved Carla Jeffery." "For more than 20 years, Carla was part of the Alexanders Talent Management family, and watching her grow from a talented young girl into the beautiful, vibrant woman and actress she became was an incredible privilege."
Career highlights
Jeffery's career and achievements
Jeffery was best known for her role as Bree, a cheerful cheerleader and Addison's best friend in Zombies 2 and Zombies 3.
She also voiced the character in Zombies: The Re-Animated Series.
Before joining the franchise, she appeared on several TV shows such as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Uncle Buck, and American Vandal.
She also played Keysha Black in 10 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Janila on the police drama Southland.
Franchise insight
Her thoughts on the franchise's success
At the premiere of Zombies 3, Jeffery shared her thoughts on the franchise's success.
She told LRM Online, "I think it's staying passionate about it with what you do."
"'Cause seriously, everybody put their all in each and every movie, which makes room for more."
She also spoke about working with her co-stars and how they missed each other during breaks between films.
Representation advocate
On being the 'token black girl'
In a separate interview on The Tokens Podcast last year, Jeffery spoke about representation and being the "token black girl" on the Disney set.
She said, "I'm the token black girl, and I'm the big black girl."
"I can show it just for all my black girls, but also for the thick ones, and that's what I wanted to try to represent as I was going forward."
Lasting influence
'I never thought I'd see myself as somebody's inspiration'
Jeffery expressed her joy at being an inspiration to other women. She shared that she received many comments from fans who saw themselves in her.
"That honestly makes me want to cry, because I guess I never thought I'd see myself as somebody's inspiration," she said while reminiscing about girls dressing up as Bree.
"It's not about how big you are and everything; you've got young black girls looking up to you."