Vanessa Burghardt is an upcoming American actress who gained widespread recognition following her debut film role as autistic teenager Lola in the comedy-drama film Cha Cha Real Smooth. An autistic person herself, Vanessa was selected to play the character of Dakota Johnson’s daughter in the film following a nationwide casting search and her authentic portrayal of the character was praised even by critics from neurodiversity-minded circles. Shortly after the film premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Apple paid a whooping $15 million to stream it on Apple TV+ concurrently with its limited theatrical release on June 17, 2022. Even though it was the first film role for Vanessa, she has previously acted on stage productions, but is now more focused on an onscreen career.
