Michelle Trachtenberg’s 8 Best Movies & TV Shows, Ranked

On February 26, news broke that Michelle Trachtenberg, an actress who got her start as a child star in the 1990s, passed away at the age of 39. (At the time of publication, the cause of death is unknown; Trachtenberg’s mother apparently found the actress unresponsive in her New York City apartment early that morning.) This is a gutting loss on so many levels; not only was Trachtenberg far too young, but she was a stunningly talented performer who pretty much always made a project better simply by showing up. For millennials in particular — who basically grew up with Trachtenberg’s body of work — this is a gutting loss, and it’s also a major loss for the entertainment industry as a whole. In fact, two millennial writers for /Film who did, in fact, grow up with Trachtenberg’s body of work are helming this article, so rest easy.

Trachtenberg had 62 acting credits to her name when she passed, and if you think of her performances on both the big and small screen, a few specific ones will probably come to mind, from a classic Nickelodeon movie to a sensitive coming-of-age story to a steamy, hilariously over-the-top primetime teen soap. Chosen from throughout her career, here are eight of Trachtenberg’s all-time best performances, ranked from “pretty good” to “flat-out legendary.”

While most remember “17 Again” as the first major theatrical starring role of Zac Efron after the “High School Musical” trilogy came to a close (and one of the best non-“Friends” performances of Matthew Perry), it was also a film that provided Michelle Trachtenberg with the space to deliver a subtle albeit impactful performance of a teenage girl trying to make sense of the ever-changing world around her, and how to find her voice in a societal landscape that pressures young women to stay with horrible men who do not deserve them because it means at least they’re “wanted.” Trachtenberg plays 17-year-old Maggie, the daughter of Efron/Perry’s Mike O’Donnell. She is lashing out appropriately as her parents attempt to finalize their divorce, while also authentically navigating the emotional turmoils of hormones and self-expression.

Teen movies are known for their daddy-daughter monologues, and the version of it in “17 Again” is beautiful because it’s performed between Maggie and the version of her father played by Efron who has magically reverted back to looking like he did when he was 17. So for Maggie, the speech is a bit of great advice coming from the new, hot guy in school, but we as the audience understand that she’s finally getting the parental advice from a father figure she’d been lacking. Overall, she elevates what could have been a forgettable, one-note side character into a deeply-layered portrayal without ever losing the film’s light, yet sincere tone. (BJ Colangelo)

Jeff Schaffer’s raunchy 2004 comedy “EuroTrip” is gloriously, unabashedly, and thrillingly stupid, and I do mean that as a compliment. After Scotty Thomas (Scott Mechlowicz) gets dumped by his girlfriend after graduating from high school, he also manages to piss off his German pen pal Mieke, mistaking her for a man … so to earn her forgiveness, Scotty decides he needs to go directly to Germany and talk to her. Accompanied by his best friend Cooper Harris (Jacob Pitts), the two cross the pond and go to Europe, where they run into fraternal twins Jamie (Travis Wester) and Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg). 

Jenny isn’t afraid of taking risks, which becomes pretty clear when she accidentally makes out with her own brother after drinking absinthe at a club in Bratislava — and Trachtenberg is unbelievably funny and charming in the movie, particularly due to her unexpected romance with Cooper. Trachtenberg was still pretty young when she appeared in “EuroTrip,” and based purely on the fact that she made her name as a child star, it seems likely that she took this role to shed her innocent image and take on something much more mature. Ultimately, she made that transition easily, and now that “EuroTrip” is a cult classic, people are probably revisiting it right now just for Trachtenberg’s performance. You can rent “EuroTrip” on major streaming platforms now. (Nina Starner)

“The Adventures of Pete & Pete” is one of those Nickelodeon oddities that helped to shape the sense of humor of elder millennials everywhere, and was the launchpad of Michelle Trachtenberg’s career. She played the eccentric Nona F. Mecklenberg, who was also the daughter of James Mecklenberg, famously played by Iggy Pop. Despite her offbeat quirks and strange sense of fashion (let’s be real, Nona’s outfits are incredible), Nona was often the voice of reason on a show that was so weird and whimsical, that it would inspire filmmakers like Jane Schoenbrun when they made “I Saw the TV Glow.” Nona was a ride-or-die friend to those in the neighborhood and was always a great source of dry humor. While she may not have been the typical “girl next door” type shown on most sitcoms, for a world as bizarre as “The Adventures of Pete & Pete,” she was exactly the unconventional girl down the street the show needed.

What made Nona, and Trachtenberg’s performance, so fantastic, was how her deadpan deliveries helped ground the downright absurdist tone of the series. She spent most of her screentime acting opposite of Little Pete Wrigley (Danny Tamberelli), and the duo’s comedic chemistry was palpable even as children. This is the role that proves that Trachtenberg has always had “it,” and was a performer with an innate talent far beyond her years. She was the weird girl that all weird girls aspired to be more like and made it known to a generation that it was okay to casually wear cowboy hats if that’s what you were feeling that day. It’s a shame we didn’t get more of Nona, but knowing Trachtenberg left the show to film “Harriet the Spy” makes it sting a whole lot less. (BJ Colangelo)

Gregg Araki’s dark yet tender coming-of-age film “Mysterious Skin,” which was released in 2004, was likely another way for Michelle Trachtenberg to show the entertainment industry and the world at large that she was all grown up, and if “EuroTrip” started that process, “Mysterious Skin” certainly stuck the proverbial landing. At the beginning of the film, we meet Little League teammates and friends Neil McCormick and Brian Lackey (played as children by Chase Ellison and George Webster), who endure something horrible thanks to their baseball coach. As the two grow up, they handle their trauma differently; an older Neil, now played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, equates sex with love and works as a sex worker in New York City … when he’s not spending time with his best friend Wendy Peterson, played by Michelle Trachtenberg. (Brady Corbet, now best known for directing “The Brutalist,” plays the older version of Brian.)

Trachtenberg is a revelation in “Mysterious Skin,” thanks in large part to Araki’s careful direction and handling of such a sensitive subject matter. Wendy knows that Neil is constantly teetering on the brink of utter destruction better than anyone else and acts as a sort of mother figure, despite being his same age — at one point, she helps him get a job at the sandwich shop where she works so that he can consider moving out of sex work — and their relationship is one of the most emotionally resonant aspects of a film that will, in all likelihood, break your heart by the time it’s over. You can find “Mysterious Skin” streaming on Amazon Prime Video. (Nina Starner)

It’s easy to dismiss “Ice Princess” as nothing more than live-action Disney fluff, but to do so would be to ignore not only one of Michelle Trachtenberg’s greatest performances, but also an underrated films in the feminist canon, and arguably one of the finest underdog sports movies ever made (I’m serious). The movie tells the story of brainiac physics genius Casey Carlyle, who has had a lifelong love of figure skating but prioritized studying science. She decides to pursue a physics project to see if amateur skaters can quickly improve by incorporating a knowledge of physics to improve their skills, and almost immediately proves her hypothesis correct — using herself as the primary subject.

“Ice Princess” is one of the best films for preteen audiences, because the message at the core is about not allowing oneself to be defined by one specific identity, stereotypes, or societal expectations. Casey is a brilliant academic, but she’s also an impressive athlete. She’s a down-to-earth gal but also one who embraces the glitz and glam of artistic performance. Despite the numerous setbacks she faces, Casey perseveres by staying true to herself and learning how to push back against those around her — adults included — who wish to mold her into their idea of her. It’s a self-empowerment story with a ton of heart and a hell of a lot of nuance, but one that only works as well as it does because Michelle Trachtenberg is at the center. If you fail at something, fail because you weren’t good enough, not because you didn’t have the guts. (BJ Colangelo)

To put it simply, loving “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” these days is … complicated. But to love Dawn Summers, arguably one of the most controversial swings ever taken by a popular TV series, is not. Michelle Trachtenberg’s character was introduced in season 5 as the younger sister of Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), and fans were immediately outraged. The problem was never Trachtenberg’s performance — which was a perfect encapsulation of the frustrations that come with being a younger sister in the shadow of a much more “important” older sister — but because she dared to exist at all. But after season 5 episode 13, “Blood Ties,” I can’t imagine anyone not loving Dawn.

Buffy has known for a while the truth about Dawn’s existence as “The Key” (a ball of energy that opens the portals to the hell dimensions that run parallel to the human world transformed into a human girl to be protected by the Slayer), but Dawn is unsure. She frantically cuts her skin to prove to herself that by having flesh and blood, it means she’s “real” and a part of the family. It is a harrowing scene, and one that motivates Buffy moving forward to be not just a Slayer, but also a caregiver and protector of Dawn. Her existence strengthens the show’s themes about the importance of found family, and how love can be built through extraordinary circumstances. The more time Buffy and Dawn spent together, the better both of their characters became. Playing Dawn requires an emotional depth that most young actors simply cannot grasp, but Michelle Trachtenberg brought Dawn to life with ease. As the world mourns her passing, it’s hard not to think about one of Buffy’s best lines to her — “You have to be strong. Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be brave. Live. For me.” She will be sorely missed. (BJ Colangelo)

“Gossip Girl” is, to put it politely, bonkers, and it’s genuinely never better than when Michelle Trachtenberg shows up as Georgina Sparks. A whirling dervish of chaos who sweeps through Manhattan’s luxurious Upper East Side, Georgina makes her debut in season 1, threatening to derail Serena van der Woodsen’s (Blake Lively) squeaky-clean new image by sharing a dangerous secret from her past. After she gets Serena’s boyfriend Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) to cheat on his sweetheart, Georgina is thwarted by Serena’s bestie and the undisputed queen of the show Blair Waldorf (a deliciously mean Leighton Meester), but not for long. Georgina returns towards the end of the show’s second season — she’s changed by her sudden embrace of evangelical Christianity, something that Blair and her crew of miscreants immediately destroy — and after that, her presence became one of the show’s trademarks. In fact, she has the distinction of appearing in all of the show’s season finales, including the series finale “New York, I Love You XOXO,” and I, for one, was always absolutely delighted when she showed up.

Trachtenberg was the only original main cast member to reprise her role in the ill-fated HBO reboot that aired from 2021 to 2023, and even though that show was fully undeserving of her talents, she brought Georgina’s spark back to the proceedings, so to speak. Georgina, a character who loved mess and chaos and drama, characterized every single thing that absolutely ruled about the original “Gossip Girl,” and the show wouldn’t have been nearly as fun without her. “Gossip Girl” and its reboot are both streaming on Max now. (Nina Starner)

I’m not sure that any children’s character influenced as many future writers as one Harriet M. Welsch. The titular character in the 1996 Nickelodeon movie “Harriet the Spy,” which was based on the hit book of the same name by Louise Fitzhugh, is played to perfection by a young Trachtenberg, who brings the novel’s character to life as she sneaks around her massive New York City apartment building, spies on her neighbors, and collects important information — all of which she faithfully transcribes in her composition bookmarked “PRIVATE” in enormous letters. 

For a while, Harriet’s life is basically perfect; she has two loving parents, Violetta and Ben (“Succession” standout J. Smith Cameron and recent “From” star Robert Joy), spends most of her time with her nanny Catherine (Rosie O’Donnell) — who goes by the nickname “Golly” — and hangs out at school with her two best friends Simon “Sport” Roque and Janie Gibbs (Gregory Smith and Vanessa Lee Chester). Everything comes crumbling down for Harriet, though, after Golly is fired by Violetta for keeping Harriet out too late and her entire class, including her nemesis Marion Hawthorne (Charlotte Sullivan), discovers her secret notebook.

“Harriet the Spy” rests solely on a young Trachtenberg’s shoulders, and I’m not exaggerating when I say she’s absolutely extraordinary. Wise beyond her years and perfectly capable of pulling off some of the movie’s darkest and most emotional turns, Trachtenberg is a revelation; it’s no surprise that this movie catapulted her to stardom. Also, to go back to Harriet’s influence on kids all over the world, I can tell you that I absolutely carried around a composition book full of (likely ridiculous) secrets as a kid, and I know I wasn’t alone. The co-author of this article, BJ Colangelo, pursued a career as a writer because of this performance.

You can watch “Harriet the Spy” for free on Pluto TV or rent it from major streaming platforms. (Nina Starner).