Finding a face you recognize on screen but can't quite place is one of those tiny daily frustrations. You're watching a rerun of a crime drama or scrolling through Netflix, and there she is—Belle Shouse. Most people remember her as the wide-eyed girl in a beauty pageant tiara or the tech-savvy teen with a green thumb, but her career is actually a lot more varied than a single "type." She’s been working since she was a kid in Dallas, and honestly, her filmography is a weirdly perfect cross-section of 2010s pop culture.
If you’re trying to track down belle shouse movies and tv shows, you’ve probably realized she doesn’t just stick to one lane. She’s done the big-budget Western comedy thing, the gritty "prestige" TV drama, and the campy Facebook-era streaming experiments.
The Breakthrough: From Texas to Tinseltown
Belle Shouse didn't just appear out of thin air. Like a lot of young actors who actually make it, she started with the basics in Texas before the industry took notice. Her early work was small—think projects like Summer's Shadow back in 2014—but the momentum built fast.
The first time a massive audience likely saw her was in Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West. If you blink, you might miss her, but she played a 12-year-old girl in that star-studded, dusty comedy. It’s a tiny part, sure. But being on a set with Charlize Theron and Liam Neeson before you've even finished middle school is a hell of a way to start a career.
The Secrets and Lies Era
Most fans really "met" Belle in 2015. She landed the role of Abby Crawford in the ABC anthology series Secrets and Lies.
This show was a massive deal at the time. It starred Ryan Phillippe as a man who finds the body of a young boy and becomes the prime suspect. Belle played his daughter. It wasn't an easy "sit there and look cute" role; she had to navigate the heavy, suffocating atmosphere of a family falling apart under public scrutiny. She appeared in all 10 episodes of the first season, and her performance was surprisingly grounded for someone so young.
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Stepping Into the Lead: Havenhurst and Horror
Every rising star has a horror movie in their closet. For Belle, it was Havenhurst (2016).
She played Sarah, a young girl living in a gothic, creepy apartment building with a dark history. It’s one of those roles that requires a lot of "elevated screaming" and look-behind-you tension. While the movie itself got mixed reviews from critics, it proved Belle could carry a significant chunk of a feature film’s emotional weight. She wasn’t just the "daughter" or "younger version of the lead" anymore. She was a central piece of the puzzle.
The "Smart is Cool" Movement: Project Mc²
If you have kids, or if you were a teen during the late 2010s, you know Project Mc².
This was Netflix’s big push to make STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) cool for girls. Belle joined the cast as Ember Evergreen.
Ember was the "Earth girl" of the group—a literal green thumb who used her knowledge of biology and plants to solve spy missions. It was campy, colorful, and wildly popular. Belle played Ember for several "parts" (Netflix’s weird way of saying seasons) between 2016 and 2017. It gave her a massive younger fan base and cemented her as a recognizable face in the streaming world.
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The Queen America Transformation
Perhaps her most nuanced work came in 2018 with Queen America.
This was a series produced for Facebook Watch (remember that?). It starred the legendary Catherine Zeta-Jones as Vicki Ellis, a ruthless pageant coach. Belle played Samantha Stone (sometimes credited as Samantha Cole), the "unpolished" girl Vicki is forced to transform into a Miss America contender.
- The Vibe: Dark comedy meets Southern grit.
- The Performance: Belle had to play "awkward" and "hapless" without making it a caricature.
- The Dynamic: Watching a newcomer go toe-to-toe with an Oscar winner like Zeta-Jones was the highlight of the show.
Samantha wasn't just a ditzy pageant girl. Belle gave her a layer of desperation and genuine hope that made you root for her, even when she was failing miserably at the "perfect" pageant walk. It’s arguably the most "grown-up" role she’s tackled to date.
Where is Belle Shouse Now?
It’s easy to wonder why someone with that much momentum isn't in every other Marvel movie.
The truth is, Belle has stayed active but selective. She’s popped up in things like Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022), playing a small but impactful role. She’s also transitioned into writing and producing, which is a common move for actors who want more control over the stories they tell.
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She hasn't left the screen by any means. She's just moved into that phase where she’s choosing projects that aren't necessarily "teen-focused."
A Quick Recap of the Essentials
If you're looking for a watchlist, these are the definitive belle shouse movies and tv shows to check out:
- Queen America (2018-2019) – For her best character work.
- Secrets and Lies (2015) – For the intense mystery drama.
- Project Mc² (2016-2017) – For the fun, lighthearted spy stuff.
- Havenhurst (2016) – If you’re a horror fan.
- A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) – For a "where's Waldo" style cameo.
The industry is different in 2026. Actors don't just stay in one box. Belle is a perfect example of a performer who navigated the transition from child actor to adult professional without the typical tabloid drama. Whether she's playing a scientist, a pageant queen, or a grieving daughter, she brings a specific kind of sincerity that’s hard to fake.
If you're interested in following her career, your best bet is to keep an eye on her IMDbPro or her social media for indie project announcements. She seems to be leaning more into the "creative" side of the industry these days, which usually means more interesting, off-beat roles are on the horizon. Go back and re-watch Queen America—it’s probably the most underrated thing on her resume and definitely worth the stream.