14-Year-Old South OC Actress Claims 19th Best Acting Award

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A 14-year-old actress from South Orange County just won her 19th best acting award, after Kayden Tokarski took home two awards from the Independent Shorts Awards this month.

Tokarski claimed her 17th and 18th best acting awards on Oct. 20 for her lead roles in the independent film "My Melancholy Baby" and "The In-Between Place."

In addition, Tokarski was recently nominated for her 20th award by Indie Short Fest for her role in "My Melancholy Baby."

The awards come after Tokarski was awarded with best young actress and best ensemble cast awards for "My Melancholy Baby" from IndieX film festival on Oct. 10.

Since she began acting in 2020, Tokarski has been honored by national and international film festivals for her lead roles in independent features such as: "Apocalypse Love Story," "I Miss Her, Too," and "Message From the Mermaids."

In addition to these honors, Kayden has starred in several films including the upcoming TV movie "Sparks" and feature films "Mama Bear"; "Roswell Delirium" with Anthony Michael Hall, Dee Wallace and Reginald VelJohnson and “The Curse of Vandor.”

Along with acting, Kayden is a singer and competitive diver who reached junior-Olympic status on the 1-meter diving board. When not working, Kayden enjoys giving back. She served as keynote speaker for the 33rd annual Walk Against Drugs in 2021 and for a Red Cross LA fundraiser. Kayden also took part in the Joyful Child Foundation's "Be Brave" pilot episode.