Cassandra Naud (born 16 April 1992) is a Canadian actress. She starred as serial killer CW in the horror film Influencer (2022) and its sequel Influencers (2025).
Early life Naud was born in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Naud was born with a large nevus under her right eye. Her parents decided against removing it after doctors informed them that the procedure was "risky." She has stated she experienced extensive bullying as a child due to her nevus.
Naud started dancing at the age of five. She later attended the Bachelor of Fine Arts program for dance and theater at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Los Angeles, from which she graduated in 2014.
Career In 2015, Naud became prominent after an article about her refusal to remove her birthmark was published in the Daily Mail. The resulting exposure helped her book a role in the music video for Leona Lewis's single "Fire Under My Feet", after the director read the Daily Mail article and asked her to audition.
In 2022, she starred as serial killer CW in the horror film Influencer. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised Naud's performance. Phil Hoad of The Guardian wrote that Naud "holds her own as a kind of social media Tom Ripley", and Brandon Yu of The New York Times wrote that "Naud and Saper prove strong leads as their characters try to read each other between the likes." Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com her performance "great" and wrote that the film "belongs to Naud, who can be both captivating and terrifying in the same beat." For her role in Influencer, Naud won a Bloodie Award for Best Lead Performance in a feature film at that year's Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival. In 2025, Naud reprised the role of CW in a sequel titled Influencers, for which she was nominated for another Bloodie Award in the same category which she had previously won for the first film.
In 2023, Naud appeared in the Christmas slasher It's a Wonderful Knife, alongside Joel McHale, Katharine Isabelle, and Justin Long.
In June 2025, Naud joined the cast of Mike Flanagan's upcoming miniseries Carrie, based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King.
Filmography
Film YearTitleRoleNotes2019A Cinderella Story: Christmas WishElf Performer Acting Debut2021A Cinderella Story: StarstruckHoedown Dancer #92023InfluencerCWIt's a Wonderful KnifeKaren Simmons2025InfluencersCW / "Catherine Weaver"
Television
YearTitleRoleNotes2019SeeShadow Warrior #1"Plastic" (season 1; episode 5) "Silk" (season 1; episode 6) "The Lavender Road" (season 1; episode 7)2020LoudermilkCappuccino"Hit Me Baby One More Time" (season 3; episode 4) "Should Have Known Better" (season 3; episode 9)SnowpiercerFionaEpisode: "These Are His Revolutions" (season 1; episode 8)2025TrackerMargo WebsterEpisode: "Angel" (season 3; episode 6) 2026 Post-production
Music videos YearTitleArtistNotes2015"Fire Under My Feet"Leona Lewis
Accolades Award / Festival Year Category Work Result Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival 2022 Best Lead Acting Performance in a Feature Influencer 2025 Influencers FilmQuest 2022 Best Actress Influencer Whistler Film Festival 2025 UBCP/ACTRA Northern Star Award Influencers
References
External links