Kaylee Kaneshiro: Biography, Career, Movies, TV Shows & Legacies

For many viewers, the name Kaylee Kaneshiro is closely associated with Josie Saltzman from Legacies. But if you have recently searched for the actress and noticed the name Kaylee Bryant in older credits, the change can be confusing.

Kaylee Kaneshiro is the professional name now used by the American actress formerly credited as Kaylee Bryant. Her career began in childhood, first through modeling and then acting, and eventually led to one of her best-known roles on Legacies. Since leaving the series, she has continued working across television, film, and stage productions.

This guide looks at Kaylee Kaneshiro’s background, career, most recognizable roles, name change, and more recent work while separating well-documented information from details that are less certain.

Who Is Kaylee Kaneshiro?

Kaylee Kaneshiro is an American actress and model best known for playing Josette “Josie” Saltzman on The CW supernatural drama Legacies. She was previously credited professionally as Kaylee Bryant, which is why many older articles, databases, and television credits still use that name.

According to IMDb, Kaneshiro was born on November 1, 1997, in Florida. She entered entertainment at a young age, beginning with modeling before moving into acting. Her early credits include appearances in television programs such as American Horror Story, Kickin’ It, The Real O’Neals, and Criminal Minds.

Her career is notable because she did not emerge suddenly from one major television role. Instead, she built experience gradually through commercials and modeling, guest appearances, independent film work, television roles, and eventually a long-running starring role.

That background helps explain why viewers may recognize her from several different projects even if they first discovered her through Legacies.

How Kaylee Kaneshiro Started Her Acting Career

Kaneshiro began working as a model as a child and moved into acting at around eight years old. IMDb’s biography notes that she participated in modeling work, including Ralph Lauren print campaigns, before concentrating more heavily on acting.

Her early acting career included a variety of television appearances. Rather than being limited to one genre, she worked across family programming, comedy, drama, and crime-oriented series. Her credits include Body of Proof, Kickin’ It, Dog with a Blog, A.N.T. Farm, Suburgatory, Chasing Life, and The Real O’Neals.

One early milestone was Mary Loss of Soul, a 2014 independent thriller in which she played the lead character, Mary Solis. That project gave her an opportunity to carry a feature-length story rather than simply appear as a guest performer.

She also appeared in Santa Clarita Diet and Criminal Minds, adding more recognizable television credits to her résumé before her career reached a new level with Legacies.

Kaylee Kaneshiro as Josie Saltzman in Legacies

The role that made Kaylee Kaneshiro widely recognizable was Josie Saltzman in Legacies. The series premiered in 2018 as part of The Vampire Diaries universe, and Kaneshiro played Josie throughout the show’s first four seasons.

Josie is the daughter of Alaric Saltzman and one of the central young characters in the series. The character’s story involves family relationships, friendship, romance, supernatural abilities, and the complicated process of growing up in a world filled with vampires, witches, and werewolves.

Kaneshiro’s performance also gave her the chance to play different sides of the same character. Josie’s quieter and more reserved personality could contrast sharply with darker and more emotionally intense aspects of the story. That range became an important part of the character’s appeal.

IMDb lists Kaneshiro as appearing in 57 episodes of Legacies, credited as Kaylee Bryant during the original run.

For viewers discovering the series today, this is one of the most important details to remember: searching for “Kaylee Bryant” will often lead to the same actress who is now professionally known as Kaylee Kaneshiro.

Why Did Kaylee Bryant Become Kaylee Kaneshiro?

The name change is one of the main reasons people search for both names together.

In November 2023, Kaneshiro announced that she would stop using the stage surname “Bryant” and return to her birth surname, Kaneshiro. Earlier in her career, she had adopted “Bryant” professionally when she was a child.

As a result, older projects remain credited under Kaylee Bryant. This is particularly noticeable with Legacies, Santa Clarita Diet, The Real O’Neals, The Locksmith, and other productions made before the change.

The distinction is useful when researching her filmography:

• Kaylee Kaneshiro is the name she currently uses professionally.
• Kaylee Bryant is the former stage name found on many older credits.
• Kaylee Marie Kaneshiro is also used in biographical and database records.

Knowing this makes it much easier to find her complete career history without assuming that two similarly named actresses are involved.

Kaylee Kaneshiro’s Movies and Television Shows

Although Legacies remains her best-known television role, Kaneshiro has worked on a range of film and television projects.

Her film credits include Mary Loss of Soul, The Journey Ahead, The Locksmith, and Spin the Bottle. In The Locksmith, she played Tanya Saunders alongside Ryan Phillippe and Kate Bosworth. The film was released in 2023, and her credit appears under Kaylee Bryant.

She also appeared in Spin the Bottle, a 2024 horror thriller, playing Kasey Stanton. IMDb lists the film among her recent completed credits.

Her television work before and during Legacies includes appearances in:

• American Horror Story
• Body of Proof
• Kickin’ It
• Dog with a Blog
• A.N.T. Farm
• Suburgatory
• Chasing Life
• The Real O’Neals
• Criminal Minds
• Speechless
• Santa Clarita Diet

This variety shows a career that has moved between different types of productions rather than following a single genre.

What Has Kaylee Kaneshiro Been Doing More Recently?

Kaneshiro’s career has continued beyond Legacies, with film and stage work becoming part of the picture.

A recent example is her work with Rogue Machine Theatre. The theatre’s production of anthropology, written by Lauren Gunderson and directed by John Perrin Flynn, featured Kaneshiro as Angie. The production’s official materials describe it as her Rogue Machine Theatre debut and also note her previous stage appearance in a public reading of You Got Older.

Her recent screen credits include The Locksmith and Spin the Bottle, while IMDb currently lists additional projects in development or post-production, including The Rift and The Club. Because projects can change before release, those listings are better treated as current industry credits rather than guarantees about future release dates.

This recent work is significant because it demonstrates that Kaneshiro’s career is not defined solely by Legacies. She has continued exploring different formats and roles after the series ended.

Why Kaylee Kaneshiro Continues to Attract Interest

The continued interest in Kaylee Kaneshiro comes from several overlapping parts of her career.

First, Legacies introduced her to a large international television audience through Josie Saltzman. Fans of The Vampire Diaries universe continue to search for information about the character and the actors who played them.

Second, the transition from Kaylee Bryant to Kaylee Kaneshiro creates a natural source of curiosity. Someone looking at an older cast list may see “Kaylee Bryant,” while a current search produces “Kaylee Kaneshiro.” Understanding that these are the same actress removes much of the confusion.

Finally, her career has continued to develop after Legacies. Her film appearances and stage work show a performer moving beyond the role that first made her widely known. For audiences interested in following her work, checking both names is still useful when searching older productions.

Conclusion

Kaylee Kaneshiro has built a career that stretches from childhood modeling and acting to major television work, feature films, and stage performance. She is best known for playing Josie Saltzman on Legacies, but her résumé also includes projects such as Santa Clarita Diet, The Real O’Neals, Criminal Minds, The Locksmith, and Spin the Bottle.

The most important detail for anyone researching her career is the name change: the actress formerly credited as Kaylee Bryant now uses her birth surname, Kaneshiro. That explains why older credits may appear under a different name.

For fans and new viewers alike, her filmography offers a useful starting point for exploring her work beyond Josie Saltzman and seeing how her career has developed across television, film, and theatre.

FAQs

1. Who is Kaylee Kaneshiro?

Kaylee Kaneshiro is an American actress and model best known for playing Josie Saltzman on Legacies. She was formerly credited professionally as Kaylee Bryant.

2. Is Kaylee Kaneshiro the same person as Kaylee Bryant?

Yes. Kaylee Bryant was her former professional stage name. She later returned to using her birth surname, Kaneshiro.

3. What is Kaylee Kaneshiro best known for?

She is best known for playing Josie Saltzman on Legacies, the supernatural drama connected to The Vampire Diaries universe.

4. What movies has Kaylee Kaneshiro appeared in?

Her film credits include Mary Loss of Soul, The Locksmith, and Spin the Bottle, among other projects.

5. When did Kaylee Kaneshiro change her name from Kaylee Bryant?

She announced in November 2023 that she would no longer use the stage surname Bryant and would instead use Kaneshiro.

6. Was Kaylee Kaneshiro in The Locksmith?

Yes. She played Tanya Saunders in The Locksmith, appearing under the credit Kaylee Bryant.

7. Is Kaylee Kaneshiro still acting?

Yes. In addition to her recent film credits, she has worked in theatre. Rogue Machine Theatre lists her as part of the cast of anthropology, where she played Angie.